Iniquity (Southern Tier)

This Imperial Black Ale was a Southern Tier selection that I could not pass up. It's black, it's an ale, what can go wrong? Not sure about the imperial part though.

General Thoughts

Look and Smell: Chocolate bubbly head. Looks like a Guinness from afar, but the head isn't as creamy. It is a really dark brown. It smells of malty roast. The head stays around for a bit, but doesn't stay long. At the end it had a tiny bit of lacing.

Taste: Super creamy! Unexpectedly. It tastes very malty, just a touch of bitter. It almost tastes like malta with that sweetish molasses taste. It was a good version of ShoreLine's Lost Sailor Imperial Stout. It was much more balanced and well-rounded though. It comes at you as a wave with a malty base. You get a bit of that bitter moving through, but end with a malty aftertaste coating your mouth. It was perfectly carbonated for a brew of this consistency. This wouldn't make my list of favorites, but that's personal preference. I'm more of a hop kid than malt. This was very, very good though. I would recommend it.

**I totally drank it in the wrong glass. It recommends a Southern Tier Tulip, but there is something about this that screamed pint glass to me. I wasn't disappointed.**

From the Southern Tier site:

the antithesis of unearthly

The hexagram talisman has been used around the world for centuries to invoke magic and good luck. The six–point star is also the customary symbol of the brewer, representing the essential aspects of purity: water, hops, grain, malt, yeast, and of course, the brewer. Wishes of good fortune often collaborate with the brewer’s creativity to yield dramatic results. We carefully chose the name for this Imperial India Black Ale, Iniquity – a word opposing goodness. Why? This beer is contrary to what one may expect from an IPA; this is an ale as black as night. It is the antithesis of Unearthly. Some may consider it an immoral act to blacken an ale. We suggest they don’t rely on conventional standards. Allow the darkness to consume you. Cheers!
9.0% abv • Imperial Black Ale • 22 oz / 1/2 keg / 1/6 keg