I’ve you’ve read my last few posts, you’d see that I’ve been in Seattle and Redmond, Washington the last few days at a conference on the Microsoft campus. When I sent a note out to my Twitter followers, Facebook friends and posted on my Google+ page, this brewery seemed to be one of the most recommended breweries in the Seattle area. So, when the conference finished up, I first stopped at the Cork & Vine (another place recommended by friends and followers – and spending way too much on beer to ship home), and then headed over to Black Raven Brewing for a couple of beers.

Location: On tap and served in a slightly curved pint glass at Black Raven Brewing tasting room in Redmond, WA.

Numbers: 5.8% ABV, ~ 175 Calories

Appearance & Aroma: It was copper in color with some reddish hues, and was pretty clear. It had a thin, creamy, cream-colored head that left just a little bit of lacing on the glass. There was a lightly bready and earthy hop aroma to it.

Taste & Feel: It had a medium body, and a crisp mouthfeel. The crispness up front almost hides the malt flavors which are somewhat detectable, but in middle, the bitterness kicks in with a bit of citrus, earthy and spiciness. The citrusy hop flavor fades in finish, leaving resiny, earthy spicy bitterness. The aftertaste has an earthy hop bitterness that lasts for a couple minutes.

Food Pairing: While sitting at the bar, I ordered a pizza to be delivered to me. This beer went perfectly with the pizza, as the mix of hop bitterness worked nicely with the spices in the pizza, and the crispness cleansed my palate after each sip.

Overall Impression: The one think I really enjoyed about this beer was the mix of hop flavors. It was still a pale ale, so the hops weren’t overpowering, but the complexity of hop flavors was very enjoyable. I wished that the carbonation crispness up front wasn’t so sharp and had allowed me to taste the malt flavors a bit more. However, this was still a pretty good beer, and as I mentioned, went well with the pizza I had delivered there.

My Rating:

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