102. Three Floyds Blackheart English Style IPA

Our first beer from Three Floyds Brewery Company in Munster, IN. The label for this beer is slightly creepy, but what would you suspect from a brewery/tattoo collaboration? And no, there is nothing yet up on their website about Dark Lord Day—I just looked.

Blackheart has a bready and biscuity malt nose, along with some light fruitiness and yeast ester aromas. The color is a cloudy light copper with a minimal ivory head—the low level of carbonation and the biscuit nose do point to an English style of IPAs. Blackheart begins with biscuit malt sweetness, moves into a pleasant bitterness with some low levels of resin hop flavor, and finishes dry with some wood and oak presence rising at the end along with a lingering bitterness. As it warms, light fruitiness emerges in the front along with a bit more spiciness in the middle, as does some acorn in the finish. The mouthfeel is simultaneously dry and creamy with a medium body. This almost tastes more like an imperial or double IPA via the creaminess and oakiness, but the body is much lighter, and there is no stickiness or cloying in the mouth. Overall, Blackheart is well balanced and smooth, and very very drinkable. We’re marking this one a Top 10 Best Contender, and gonna make sure we look for some more soon.

From the label: “This beer is Three Floyds’ U.K. IPA brewed with all English ingredients and aged on toasted oak. An artistic collaboration with our friends Tim Lehi & Jeff Rassier at Blackheart Tattoo in San Francisco. Check it!”

ABV: 8.0%

IBU: 70

Today was the fourth BJCP class, and our focus was on mashing. We covered the enzymes that convert proteins and starches into sugars, alpha-amylase and beta-amylase, and the appropriate temperatures for them, the different temperature rests (acid rest, protein rest, saccharification or conversion rest, and mash out), and the different ways of mashing, including infusion, step infusion, and decoction mashing. Very interesting stuff; the scientific side of brewing is what I know the least about, so it was nice having people there would could answer my questions.

After discussing mashing, we sampled and discussed wheat beers and Belgian ales.
15A. Weizen/Weissbeer: Franzikaner Hefe-Weisse
15B. Dunkelweizen
16A. Witbier: Hoegaarden Wit
6D. American Wheat: Harpoon Hefeweizen UFO
17A. Berliner Weisse: The Bruery Hottenroth Berliner Weisse
18A. Belgian Blonde: Leffe Blond
18B. Belgian Dubbel: Grimbergen Double
18C. Belgian Tripel: Kasteel Tripel
18D. Belgian Golden Strong: Delerium Tremens
18E. Belgian Dark Strong: St. Bernadus Abt. 12 Belgian Abbey Ale

(10/10/2009)