Blacks of Kinsale Rocket Ship IPA

Welcome to my first review!

I'm going to start this series of reviews off with a beer from one of my favourite parts of the country Kinsale Co. Cork. In this picturesque town in Cork lies a special piece of Crafting magic by the name of Blacks Brewery. The brewery is run by a husband and wife Sam and Maudeline, who started their brewing company in Kinsale in 2013.Their desire to produce beers with passion and personality away from the mainstream mass marketed beers has led them to this point.

The beer I selected to review is their “Rocket ship “India Pale Ale or IPA for short. 

The immediate thing I notice is the powerful aroma of hops on the nose. The taste is a refreshing blend of hops with a mild bitter finish due to the passion fruit. It is medium to full body and is rich dark mahogany in appearance.

The Brewery allow for fresh Spruce and Pineapple which I feel isn’t quite justified on the palette. The hop content appears to overpower any sweetness and the finish is slightly bitter. The Beer however packs plenty of punch at 6.5 % ABV so there is plenty to hang your coat on. I feel the name "Rocket Ship" is more a reflection of the explosion of hops as it is to the complexity of the Ale. I would have like the character of the beer to shine through more with fresh Spruce, Pineapple and Passion Fruit on the pallet to provide a more rounded IPA. 

It is however delightful to enjoy and is something I find which could challenge many of the current top IPA's on the market and from a small Brewery in Co. Cork this is impressive. I feel as time goes on and with the dedication we are seeing for excellence there is a lot to look forward to from Blacks Brewery in Kinsale.

Overall impression:

I’m truly impressed with the Rocket Ship IPA however a few minor adjustments to turn this into something special 7.5 / 10