Clown Shoes Hoppy Feet 1.5 Double Black IPA

This one glowers amber in the light .. looks a bit light possibly for a double black, but right on the money at 10% abv.

I can't say i was overly looking forward to this one, maybe it's something about the branding leading me to not take these guys too seriously. One whiff of the nose though and any misgivings are soon addressed:  this is a serious complex malt bandit tending toward imperial stout character. Coffee is evident there along with other roasty notes - good stuff.

Taste wise for 75% of the mouthful you're thinking 'lovely light-bodied imperial stout' but then you're assaulted by a late burst of big pungent hops courtesy of a double dry-hopping of reliable trio Columbus, Cascade and Amarillo. It's definitely justified as a Black IPA despite the body, which is a pretty fair achievement for mine. They have managed to produce distinct elements of each beer while also tying it all in together with a tasty roast driven finish. Nice!

The appearance could perhaps be slighly better, but apart from that colour me impressed. 8.5