YOU LOOK TIRED. I’ve had a long day today, so I decided to reward myself with a big damn bottle of beer to wind things down. Because I deserve it, dammit.
AMEN, BROTHER. WHAT DO WE HAVE HERE? The Dark Depths Baltic IPA from Samuel Adams.
SOUNDS OMINOUS. I know. Spooky.
WAIT, ARE WE TALKING ABOUT A PLAYING CARD FOR MAGIC: THE GATHERING? God, no. Most certainly not.
WHAT IS IT THEN? Basically, it is a hodgepodge of a bunch of brewing styles. They start with a malty, Baltic-style porter, add an ass-ton of hops to that base, throw in some lager yeast, and then cold-ferment that bad boy.
WHAT THE HELL IS A BALTIC PORTER, BY THE WAY? I’m glad you asked; I was curious as well. The Sam Adams website actually has a pretty good description.
MAY I HEAR IT? You may. Thank you for using your big boy manners. Here you go:
WHAT DO YOU THINK? I dig it, man. Black IPAs have been a big trend for the last couple of years, and I’ve been all about it. Black IPAs generally taste like a porter and an IPA made sweet, naughty love and produced a delicious hybrid love child. The Dark Depths, though, takes this genre of beer-making to another level. It’s got a nice, light flavor on account of the citrusy hops, while packing a good punch (the ABV’s 7.6%), and the roasted malts lend to a kick ass, triumphant finish comprised of a nice mixture of cocoa and spice.
WHERE’D YOU FIND THIS GEM? I picked this 22oz. bottle of glory up at Trixie’s Liquor on E. Washington St. in Madison. They don’t have a website, or else I’d link it.
DEEP THOUGHTS? For anybody out there who turns their nose up at Sam Adams because it has become a big name in the beer world should give their specialty brews a try. They’re doing some crazy, adventurous shit these days. If you feel like getting really weird, try and get your hands on their Utopias. Holy mother of god. It’s mind-blowing. And not to mention it has an ABV of, like 28%. It’s colossal. Click here if you feel like watching an utterly worthless video that contains zero information about anything besides how brown liquid swirls around a fancy-looking glass.