Round 2… ding, ding, ding!  Following our post on their first brew, Black Raven Brewing – Batch 1 Brown Porter, comes their second, The Black Raven Trickster IPA.  If you read through the brown review, you will find a bitter, angst ridden story related to an unfortunate experience with the growler I purchased on opening day.  The good news is that I talked with Beaux today and he is doing the right thing and offering to reimburse me for the incident.  We discussed how busy they were and the fact that Beaux called the folks he buys the growlers from, discussed it with them, and they are working with their manufacturing company to understand how this happened actually exceeds my expectations.  So Beaux, I thank you for doing the right thing and renewing my faith in what you are trying to accomplish.  It is obvious, after talking with you today, that you are passionate about making this work.  I love it!

So… on to the review.  As their second offering, Trickster IPA hits it… Beaux noted he wants to make a few tweaks (primarily to the nose = increased aroma), but overall, this beer is great from nose to finish.  I have to concur with his tweak, though, as the nose is the only thing that doesn’t really jump out at you… The color and head hit it right on for a typical IPA with a light amber/orange-ish hue.   The body is medium-hoppy with a smooth mouthfeel that leads to a clean and relatively short finish.  The finish is solid, though, as it doesn’t linger and just gives you enough to keep you wanting more.

Overall a really solid IPA offering that I will 100% recommend again.

JBB6 Rating: For the Win