Day 22, 1.22.11, Deschutes - Hop in the Dark

Kevin driving the shiny little surrey with a fringe on top.

Well, if you've ever chatted beer with me, you probably know that I looooove Deschutes.  I've never had a beer from them that wasn't great.  I spent a weekend with my buddies kissing my bachelorhood goodbye drinking great beer in Portland.  Deschutes certainly played a nice big part of that.  This did too. ------------------------->
But that's neither here nor there, this is about Hop in the Dark.  They call it a Cascadian Dark Ale, but I'm pretty sure it's a black IPA.  Either way it's correct, it's dark... or black, or at least deep opaque brown.  On the nose, bittersweet chocolate stands out.  The body isn't overly heavy, maybe just medium-light.  There's a strong dark malt bitterness on the palate that's juxtaposed nicely with a big hop kick (75 IBU).  Also present are roasty and nutty notes to really round out this complex beer.
I found it really an enjoyable beer, although not as stunning on what I think of with Deschutes.  It's a nice dark roasty winter IPA.  Real pretty good.  7 out of 10.