Indeed Brewing Midnight Ryder

This 6.5% ABV black IPA is from the Indeed Brewing Company of Minneapolis, Minnesota. They, like several other new brewers, are located in Northeast Minneapolis. This beer uses six varieties of American hops to play off its dark roasted malts.

It is not often you can smell a beer as you are pouring it an arm's length distance away, but this one sent out whiffs of dark roasted malt and dank hops. The beer pours black as the furthest depth of a shuttered coal mine. If held to the light, just a bit of dark ruby can be eeked out. There is a tall, thick and foamy head that is light brown in color. The aroma is dark roasted malt, coffee, dark chocolate and mocha, along with tangy and piney hops. The taste is rich dark malt, with loads of coffee and chocolate notes. There is a tang of hops and a fairly bitter finish. The sweetness of the dark malt and the bitterness of the hops tangle. The malts win in flavor, but the hops cut off the sweetness. For its massive flavor, it drinks actually light and easy.

Oh my goodness this is good. The American black ale is a hot style right now, many brewers are doing one, but few are doing it well. This one is done well.