Clown Shoes Hoppy Feet

The Brewers:
Company:  Mercury Brewing Co., Clown Shoes
Location: 23 Hayward St., Ipswich, Massachusettes 
Website: http://www.clownshoesbeer.com

The Beer:
Style: [Black] India Pale Ale
ABV: 7%
IBU: 80
Brewed with: Columbus and Amarillo hops
Served: 22oz. bomber, purchased in Newport, RI

The Drink:
Drank out of a 12oz. Ommegang Pokel

Beer poured deep black, with a deep crimson hue when held to light.  Creamy, tan, one-finger head that hung around for a while and laced just like an IPA should.  

Powerful aromas of earthy and spicey hops with subtle roasted chocolate tones.  

Starts with a moderately-low carbonation and upfront hop bitter with a thick, creamy body and very full mouthfeel.  Middle is creamy and roasty, as the chocolate/roasted malts really take center stage.  As the beer finishes the aromatic hops really come back through, lending a heavy earthy aroma to a relatively dry and bitter finish.  

Overall:
This is truly an excellent beer, and a perfect example of the relatively new style of the Black IPAs.  Wholly an American creation, BIPAs generally use a good dose of roasted wheat to lend good color without the bitter, astringent character of traditional roasted barley malt.  This BIPA utilizes Amarillo and Columbus hops to bring an American hop earthy/spicey flavor to balance and compliment the roasted malt backbone, and does so perfectly.  At 80 IBUs I was really surprised at how well-balanced this beer is; I find it's pretty tricky to get a good malt presence in a beer with such a high bitterness number.  This is really close to something like a hoppy Dry Irish Stout (think Guinness); creamy, full-bodied, hopped up and bitter and extremely flavorful.  Definitely a beer that is sure to please any professing hop-head and dark beer enthusiast, though if you aren't someone who appreciates a real hop bite, I'd steer clear.  If you're willing to go on my recommendation alone, definitely pick this one up.