Thornbridge Wild Raven

Thornbridge Wild Raven

Cask and bottles; semi-regular.
Originally released a for the Chesterfield CAMRA festival.


Renamed as Wild Raven in 2013 due to another beer going by the name "Raven" elsewhere

The recipe for the brew came from James Kemp, who joined the team a few months ago. Previously crowned the New Zealand Home Brewing Champion in 2008 and winner of a Liberty Award, Kemp used Maris Otter, Black Patent and Chocolate malt along with Nelson Sauvin, Centennial and Sorachi hops.

The beer, called Raven, has bitterness and hop character and plenty of malt flavours to give it complexity.

James moved on to Buxton brewery and is now a freelance brewer
3.7
681 reviews
Bakewell, England

Community reviews

3.9 Rated from old notes. Copper color, frothy tan head. Hoppy aroms with notes of cream. Very smooth, rich flavor with hops, cigar box and licorice. Full body, medium carbonation. Very nice!
3.8 Fles 33cl tijdens Kannen en Kruiken festival Amersfoort. Chocolade, koffie, citrus, complex. Hop (Nelson Sauvin, Centennial and Sorachi). (8-2017).
3.8 Cask at Charlie's Bar. High clreamy lasting off-white head. Hazy dark brown body. Mild herbal straw vanilla coffee caramel aroma and flavor with little hops bitterness, low carbonation and a long finish.
3.7 Bottle 330 ml with ABV 6.6 % from Beerwulf. Aromas are sweet of fruit/berries, earth and caramel. White beige fluffy long-lasting head and dark maroon/amber body. Taste is bitter malts with notes of fruit, caramel, forest berries, hay, hints of vanilla and alcohol. Smooth and creamy palate.
4.2 (dark-red, nez yeast pamp doux, fraise,violette, onctueuse, hoppy, ~amer, doux blé, pin, citron-prune confit, last)
4.1 Pours a very dark red, almost black, with a big off white head. Aroma is fantastic. Slightly floral, coffee, vinous. Taste is quite sweet up front, leading to a nice malty, strong coffee in the middle, finishing with a big, dark, vinous bitterness that lingers for a good while, with more coffee. Medium carbonation, medium to full bodied. Really great black IPA.
4.0 Ikke så meget bitterhed, men den er skarp nok til at den virker som ipa. De mørke noter som kaffe anes også, ikke det værste som nydeøl
3.9 Sampled from a bottle. Pours nearly black with a tan head. Rich roasty flavours with a toffee-ish malt taste. Good bitterness with quite fruity hop flavours. Good balance and great mouthfeel. Very good and highly drinkable.
4.0 Cette bière de type India Pale Ale vous surprendra par ses saveurs! En effet, créée par la brasserie Thornbridge, en Angleterre dont les mots d'ordre sont passion, innovation et compétences, vous apprécierez les arômes de cette Black IPA goûteuse. Brassée exceptionnellement pour le festival Chesterfield CAMRA, la Thornbridge Raven dévoile une robe brune et foncée, dotée d'un col de mousse beige. Côté arômes, on peut sentir des malts torréfiés, du houblon, des citrons et des touches de pins. En bouche, une explosion de saveurs est délenchée. On peut remarquer des notes de café, de chocolat au lait, d'agrumes, de pin, dans un ensemble bien houblonné et assez amer. La Raven se révèle être une Black IPA de grande qualité, encore un chef d'oeuvre de la Brasserie Thornbridge ! Amertume 3/5 Douceur 2/5
3.6 330ml bottle. Pours dark brown colour, big beige head stays. Aroma is roasty, herbal, fruity, cherry, hoppy. Taste is roasty, coffee, bitter, resinous. Long hoppy bitter aftertaste. Medium bodied, average carbo. Nice Black IPA, hoppy.
3.5 Bottle 50 CL @Vltava, Helsinki. Pours brown to black coloured with an lacing brownish head. Notes of licorice, hops, citrus, roasted malts, raisins. smooth
3.6 Bottle shared with Višnja 666. Thanks! Dark brown, small off-white head. Moderately hopped, herbal, chocolate, ash. Dry, aromatic with herbal flavours. Medium body, soft carbonation. Very smooth and nicely balanced.
3.4 Draft. Dark brown body with tan head. Aroma is cardboard with fruits and hints of malts. Taste is malty caramel herbs and some spices. Aftertaste is nice balanced. Maybe to old but ok.
3.9 Dark brown/black color with creamy beige head. Medium body, soft carbonation, minimal lacing. Hoppy smell of chocolate, caramel, roasted malts, pine and its needless, resins, grass, some citruses and light smoke. Earthy taste of grapefruit, bitter chocolate, hops, some coffee and black tea, pine, herbs and floral aromas. Fairly bitter aftertaste. Definitely one of the most complex black IPA's. Rich, smooth and hoppy. Love it!
3.2 330ml bottle from brewery shop. Pours very dark almost black with medium tan head, Aroma roasted malt with pine hops. Taste predominately bitter.
3.8 Jet black colour with a medium off white slight brown foam. Aromas of sweet fruity hops with notes of grapefruit, citrus and pine followed by a slight chocolate and cocoa notes. Palate, medium full texture with smooth and fizzy texture leaving nice smooth smokey finish. Taste, initially first wave is sweet is citrusy hops then followed by the more pronounced bitterness of cocoa, roasted malt and charred wood. Overall, not bad, nice rich smooth well balanced black IPA.
3.3 #1579 Bottle. Dark red body, medium off-white head. Aroma of citruses, roasted malts, dark fruits, red currant, resiny. Taste is moderately bitter. Red currant again, citruses, malts. Medium body and carbonation, strongly attenuated. Not bad.
3.4 Bottle 0.5l. Clear, red to brown colored. AROMA- citrusy, lemon, dark malts. FLAVOR- dry, bitter, citrusy, dark malts, bitter caramel. Fuller bodied. Good.
4.6 Ragazzi, senza parole. Anni che la bevo. Mai una delusione. Resine, pino, ananas, poi caffe e tostato. Finale infinito. Che cazzo di birra.... Direi Bowmore16......
3.8 Bottle from Dogma bottle shop, Moscow. Opaque deep brown colour, two finger tall beige head. Well-lacing. Fruit, blossom, caramel, toast, resin on nose. Light to medium body. Medium dry flavour. Rich dark maltiness is just a background for big citrusy & resiny hops. Fairly bitter long finish. Good ale.
4.1 Dark malty aroma, great hoppy taste like a proper IPA but accompanied by a dark roasty flavour very good
4.0 Dark brown beer with beige head. Aroma has some hops, malt, dark fruits. Taste is creamy and roasty, good balance between malts and hops. Little sweet, medium bitterness. Some plums, raisins in the taste, some citrus peel. Roastiness does not dominate, that makes it excellent Black IPA. Maybe needs slightly more sweetness, but overall one of the best Black IPA-s.
3.7 Snygg humlefokuserad BIPA. Ganska rå utan att vara svår då den mörka malten lindar in smaken i en mjuk filt. Aningen rått kött, resin och diesel, jämte granbarr, citrus och tropisk frukt.
3.9 Cerveza color negro con corona de espuma de buena retención de baja carbonatacion de burbujas compactas. Se perciben aromas a cítricos, pino sutil tostado de maltas. Al paladar consistencia ligera fácil de beber, se perciben notas a maltas tostadas que se ven opacadas por los lúpulos y un amargor moderado que perdura en el retrogusto.
3.7 Botella. Clear deep dark brown reddish colour, bubbly medium white head, ok lacing. Sweet fruity hoppy dark malty and dark fruity aroma. Flavour: sweet, fruity hoppy sweet roasty malty with a nice bitterness. Tasty indeed!
3.1 On tap at Galbraith’s. Pours translucent black. Toast, orange peel, grapefruit, some chocolate, some umami blue cheese stuff. Just not the balance I like in the style. Over carbonated. Disappointing.
3.0 Review based on the BJCP2015 guidelines (style 21B - Black IPA). Bottle 33 cl - Batch unknown - BBF 19.OCT.2017). AROMA: medium roasted malt aroma with a chocolat note. faint oxidized hop background (cheese). APPEARANCE: very dark âmbar and clear. médium light Brown head with good retention. TASTE: low resin/pine hop flavor, followed by medium roasted malt character (coffee). médium-high bitterness with a dry, roasted and bitter finish. PALATE: médium body with médium carbonation. slight smoothness. OVERALL: a black IPA that needs to be retasted fresher.
2.2 Black ipa de 6,6 % abv, en format 50 cl. Malts maris otter, choco et black. Houblonnage en sauvin, centennial, sorachi. Mon exemplaire était à 3 mois après sa date. Couleur noir aux reflets roux, à la clarté nette. Mousse brun clair, à fins flocons, stable à 3 mm. Arômes de baies noires, arbousier, pointe de mûres et nougat. 1ère bouche souple sur malt cara/fruits noirs/épices, dans un assemblage original. Arrière-bouche assez déséquilibrée sur des oranges amères et épices. 2ème sur malt grillé, girofle, câpres. Arrière-bouche avec une pointe d’acidité des baies noires, résine de pin. 3ème sur malt/épices, avec un côté résineux mal maîtrisé. Arrière-bouche où le déséquilibre est flagrant. La longueur où l’impression résineuse est toujours mal assemblée au reste. Jambes lisses. Levure souple, fine, ligne correcte. Alcool qui ne contribue pas du tout à l’harmonisation. Finale décevante. CONCLUSION : cette black ipa n’est pas du tout un modèle d’assemblage....(5/3/4/2/8)
3.9 Hazy deep brown, medium tan head. Aroma is mostly fruity, some grass and burned malts. Taste is light sweet with moderate to strong bitterness composed of both grassy hops and burned malts, light alcohol that feels in place. Very creamy mouthfeel, mild carbonation. Great brew.
3.7 Aromă intensă, bine pronunțată, cu mult hamei ierbos și ceva malț prăjit, pe fundal ceva rășini, ace de pin, fructe necoapte (suculente și acre). Gustul e destul de amar, moderat spre puternic, direct și de durată, cu mult hamei ierbos și ceva rășini; potolindu-se, pot fi distinse nuanțe de malț ușor prăjit și grâne mărunțite, ceva fructe necoapte. Și cam atât. Bună, ușoară și perfect în stil. Poate cumva mai puțină amăreală și mai mult malț prăjit?!...