As I mentioned in my last post, I’m at Beer House Chicago and they’re having a special event with Pollyanna Brewing Co, a new brewery in Lamont, IL. Since the beers were on special, and since it was a new brewery to add to the list, I had their Mazzie Pale Ale, and decided to follow that with this one. In addition, I won a growler and a coupon for a free growler fill at their brewery.
Location: On tap and served in a curved pint glass at Beer House Chicago in Lombard, IL.
Numbers: 6.6% ABV, 35 SRM, 70 IBUs, ~180 Calories
Appearance & Aroma: It’s dark black in color, with some brown highlights when held up to the light. The head fell quickly to almost nothing, but there are some soapy-like bubbles around the edges which left some decent lacing. There’s a light roasty malt aroma with a good dose of piney hops.
Taste & Feel: The body is medium, and the mouthfeel is smooth and slightly oily from the hops. There’s a semi-sweet cocoa roastiness up front, followed by some citrusy hoppiness in the middle, which comes up with some slight roastiness in background. The finish peaks with a piney resinous and some citrusy hop flavor and bitterness with some hop stickiness. The piney resinous hop stickiness lasts for a couple minutes in the aftertaste.
Food Pairing: This beer would go great with the mushroom-swiss burger I just had, mixing nicely with the red onion on it. I think this beer might also be a good contrast in flavors with some slightly spicy meals.
Overall Impression: I thought this was a pretty good black IPA, as the roastiness is present, but it stays mainly in the background. Like a good IPA, it’s mostly the hop flavors and bitterness which are showcased. I enjoyed the mix of piney resinous flavor and bitterness with the citrusy hops, and the oily stickiness makes sure these flavors stay with you. Overall, this was a pretty good beer, and I’m definitely considering filling my growler with it to bring it back for our next ABNormal brewers meeting.
My Rating: 
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