Sierra Nevada Blindfold Black IPA
Blindfold Black IPA features a blend of hop varieties whose bright, fruity aroma complements the coffee-like flavors of dark roasted malts. Blindfold blankets us in darkness yet maintains a surprisingly light body and bold, hoppy character. This black IPA emerged from our Beer Camp program and builds on Sierra Nevada’s legendary love of hops with roasted malts for depth and complexity. Like its namesake, Blindfold is a bit disorienting--the color of a stout and the intense hop-forward flavors of a classic American IPA.
[ Previously had 7.4% ABV. ]
[ Previously had 7.4% ABV. ]
3.6
528 reviews
Chico, United States
Community reviews
Black body with a thinish tan colored head.Aromas and flavors of earthy and piney hops over top of bitter chocolate and a tinge of licorice,some sweetness is there but not overly so.Not real complex but there are some decent flavors going on.
Pours black with a huge off white head. Aroma is light malt, coffee and just a hint of citrus. Head is very creamy, roasted malt on the tongue with an intense bitter finish. Love it.
Deep ebony pour with a nice head. Aroma is of a bit of cocoa and roast. Taste is earthy hops that give a kick but it is still light enough to be easily drinkable.
BOTTLE. Not solid black pour with small fluffy tan head. Subtle coffee, dark & roasted malts on the nose.. Burnt malts, coffee & chocolate flavour up front rolling into a hoppy back end.. Sourced Cellarbrations @ Capel
A beautiful beer, from the ebony-colored liquid to the dense, creamy layer of mocha froth that tops it. Aroma is a rich blend of coffee, cocoa, pine and citrus peel. The flavor has less going on, but still exhibits characteristic Sierra Nevada hop notes (citrus, pepper) followed by a charred black roast finish. A solid version of the style.
Bottle to shaker glass. Pours a dark root beer color with a sparse off white head that dissapates quickly. Great roasted malt aroma with fruity hop notes. Goes right into a simlar flavor with a great mouthfeel, and decieving ABV. Pretty nice.
Bottle frame a homebrewing homie. Pours pitch black, not much head, off white head, sheets of lacing. Nose is malty, nutty, sweet, a touch of fudge. Tastes roasted malt, coffee, piney hops, bitter. Quite tasty.
Rating from old records. From a case of mixed IPA styles. This on looked great, nice piney hop aroma, roast malt body. Smooth and tasty.
Citrus fruity hop and mild coffee roasted, sweet aroma. Subtle "Black IPA" herbal aroma. Tangerine/grapefruit and pepper hop flavor. Sweet, coffee, caramel malt, and subtle herbal flavor. Nice fruity finish, and dry roasted aftertaste.
Sierra nevada just wont let me down!, every single beer is amazing! Black ipa rules
12fl oz bottle poured into a pint glass. Black as pitch with a ton of frothy tan head. Fruity aroma filled the room immediately after pouring. Initial flavor is light and fruity, quickly transforming to bitter hops and toasted malt. The toastiness lingers on in the very long finish. Very nice.
A nice deep dark rick IPA which got me hooked. Love black IPA and this is another one to add to my list. Mark it up with the great black IPA. Sierra Nevada just knows what I enjoy these days.
12oz bottle poured into a wide flute. The aroma is initially licorice and bakers chocolate, with undertones of sweet citrus Later in the drink, coffee gets added to the mix with a chalkiness, some caramel, and just a touch of wet cardboard. The beer is a rich, oily mahogany with a light brown, frothy dense head that leaves good lace, and has an abundant, but uneven retention. The taste is a medium high, balanced chocolate bittersweet. The texture is smooth with a creamy, foamy head. The medium-full body consists of chocolate brownie, background notes of sweet citrus, and chalk up front, and finishes with a swell of sweet citrus and caramel (in turns), that’s quickly replaced by a clean chalk and spice character flavored with coffee and peanut butter. These notes mellow quickly leaving an aftertaste that’s chalky, piney, and clean with hints of peanut butter. After a long time, the peanut butter disappears and is replaced by a light, pleasant grapefruit.
Bottle - Rich black color with a roasted coffee smell. Toasted hop flavor and the bitterness from the hops.
Tap: Fully black with only a small shade of dark brown at the top, just beneath the light-khaki head. Great lacing. Aroma of ashy & peppery hops, pine resin, cocoa powder, coffee beans, grapefruit rind, & a very mild roast. Flavor starts with grapefruit & tangerine peel crusted in white pepper. Lightly herbal, resinous, & piney. The hops eventually settle & open up to the malt; mild roast, cocoa powder, light coffee beans, a touch of wood, faint char, & some lingering bitterness. A decent Black IPA.
Hey, it’s a California IPA...so, like, it’s hoppy and all. No surprise there. And it’s Sierra Nevada, so the quality checks out well. Well balanced, hop finish, decent malt flavors and palate (moderate body). Fine, though not my style. Bottle.
Bottle from Mitsuya’s. Pours a deep brown to black color with a medium sized beige head that lasts throughout. Roasted malt, coffee aromas shine through with undertones of biscuit and pine. As it warms up the coffee stands out a bit more and some citrus peeks out on the palate as well. Medium body with average carbonation. Finish is good and bitter and lingers for quite a while. Solid black IPA.
Pours a dark brown with a thick tan head that had great retention and left plenty of lacing around the glass. The aroma is quite complex. I pick up coffee, dark roasted malts, some brown bread, and faint hops. The taste is also rather quite complex where you pick up the chocolate and coffee up front but there still is a moderate hop bite on the back-end but I still wouldn’t guess 70 IBU’s. Great beer that is worth a try.
Bottle at home. Coffee and roasted malts are the main aroma with a grapefruit hop bite. Flavor is well balanced with a good amount of roast but the hops shine through a bit more. This style has never been my favorite but I think this is a well done brew.
Bottle to shaker glass. Pours black with red hues under light. One inch creamy tan head, some lacing, decent retention. Aroma dark chocolate and coffee beans. Taste is sweet upfront and bitters in the middle. Medium bodied, moderate carbonation, slick mouth feel. Finishes long and bitter. Tasting notes of coffee, dark chocolate, grapefruit, flowers, grass and tree nuts. Another fantastic offering from these guys!
This is a seriously dark beer that has alot of hops and wonderful flavor. Tan head and lots of kick for a winter night.
Bottle from Plonk (April 2014). Oily brown, 1cm off-white head, floral/lavender and roast grain aromas, bitter coffee, grapefruit bitterness, slight chocolate sweetness, light-medium body, slippery texture, long dry bitter finish. Good one!
Bottle. Pours almost black with a tan head. Great coffee aroma. I was expecting over the top hop bitterness but this is a great balance of roasty malt and a finishing off bitter. The hop flavor lingers a bit more than I would like but overall this is pretty smooth and mellow and probably the best black IPA I’ve had.
Bottle from IPA Seasonal Mix Pack at local Smith’s. Very interesting alternative brew. Dead ringer for their traditional Porter with an extra helping of hops bitterness. Didn’t think I’d like it, but I did. I’d gladly buy a sixer of it if I could get it separately.
Bottle poured a black hue w/ a huge rocky beige head. Moderate sweet floral aromas. Initial flavor is moderate sweet w/ a moderate bitter finish. Tastes are coffee, lime citrus, dark breads, and light grapefruit. Medium bodied and creamy mouthfeel.
Black with nice tan head. Chocolate malt, grapefruit, and pine. Fruitier than I might have expected from the color. Nice, but not really my style. Much better in a glass than a bottle. Good carbonation.
Pours near black with a durable tan head. Coffee roastiness, grapefruit bitterness, light grassy and chocolate notes. Well done.
Dark black with a biege foamy head. Toasted malt taste amidst a big bitter. Nice beer but maybe a little unbalanced. Light a Schwarzbier with hops!
Beautiful pitch black color with a frothy head. Citrusy and roasted malt nose. Long lasting roasted coffee bean taste with bitter hop notes. Interesting.
Black with a thick tan head. Aroma is roasted coffee with a hint of hops. Hops are more forward in the flavor. Roast coffee malt in the finish.