Jan 6, 2016

Maine Beer Company Beer III

The black IPA is not a favorite style of mine. And much like the hefeweisen, it’s a genre of beer that I still purchase whenever I see a new one on shelves in an attempt to find one that I actually do enjoy. Well, this latest offering from Maine Beer Company’s Hop Program is pretty darn good.

For those unfamiliar with this specific series of products from the company, these releases serve as an opportunity for them to play with and learn from new hop varieties and various combinations of hops. Beer III is a 5.5% ABV black IPA in style brewed with a blend of Citra, Lemondrop, Cascade and Falconer’s Flight hop varieties. Beyond that, I don’t know if it’s been dry-hopped or any of the other new-fangled ways brewery’s are extracting flavors from those little green flowers.

What I do know is that I dig this beer. It’s got a nice combination of hop flavors with plenty of citrus notes and pine. It’s got a load of hop character that the company attempts to balance out with a solid roasty malt backbone. The only problem — and this is common across the board with black IPAs — is that the two factions within often come together with more friction than balance, competing for attention. Still, Beer III is a solid brew and I’m glad I picked it up. If given the opportunity to buy it again, however, I would probably pick up one of the company’s many other tasty brews.