Three Floyds Blackheart

As part of a beer trade with Hop Head Red, I received a bottle of Three Floyds Blackheart, an English IPA brewed in artistic collaboration with Blackheart Tattoo in San Francisco. The beer pours a golden color with a lofty and frothy white head. The aroma consists of sweet caramel with grassy hops, a hint of lemon, and some tea. Is it stereotypical that I picked up a tea flavor in an English IPA? The taste is sweet and smooth with a minimal hop bite but some bitterness attached to it. There is a solid caramel base and some toasted toffee peeks through before those hops kick in with grass and lemon flavors. The finish brings out some pepper and a bit of chai tea and the after taste has some lingering oak accents. The alcohol content is 9.0% ABV. This beer had great lemon and tea flavors built on top of a great caramel base, making it one of the best English IPAs that I’ve had.