In a bit of a review mode these past few days. I have had a collection of beer slated for review that is getting backlogged, so this seems as good a time as any to clear it up a bit. Today’s tidbit: Half Pints Black Galaxy, 2014 Edition.

Black Galaxy is Half Pint’s annual take on the so-called Cascadian Dark/Black IPA. Except it is no ordinary Cascadian – darker and bolder overall. I reviewed it upon its first release in 2012 (read it here) but thought it might be worth writing about again, as I think it has undergone some subtle changes.

As before, it pours an almost midnight black. Darker than a porter and almost stout-like,. It builds a thick, tightly beaded tan head that leaves thick lacing on the glass. In the aroma I pick up pine, woody and citrus hop characters intertwining with a light chocolate, dark sweet malt with the tiniest hint of roast.

The front offers a clear roast inclination, some sweet dark malt and some sweeter chocolate and dark fruit character. The middle dries out very quickly leading into a very sharp and noticeable hop flavour. I get woodiness, pine and a clear c-hop citrus note. The linger is dry and hoppy, again with a citrus and pine edge.

For the most part little has changed. This remains, two years later, the darkest and most roast-y of the Cascadians I have tasted. I wonder if it wold get dinged in competitions for being too dark and too malt accented? It is more like an American-inspired Porter (trying hard not to create new style names on the fly here…). But, frankly, that is why I like it as much as I do. It gives me a third dimension to the beer that keeps my palate working throughout the entire glass. I appreciate Cascadian Darks for their balance and complexity. Black Galaxy does that and adds a subtle roast character.

How does this year’s compare to the 2012 version? Of course, relying on memory is a sketchy thing (although we all do it all the time), and while I have tasting notes, those only give a partial sense of how two years differ. But if I were to take a plunge and offer my impressions, I would say this year’s version is actually darker in colour, slightly thinner and drier in the body and the hops seem more citrus-y to me than last time. The balance and the porter-esque approach remains the same. Small differences to be sure, but enough that I started thinking about them immediately. And hence the justification for this post. If it was the exact same beer it wouldn’t rate another review (because, what is the point, that is what search functions are for).

That is the great thing about small batch craft brewing. Even if the recipe stays the same – and I have no idea whether Half Pints tweaked the recipe or not – differences in harvests, slight variations in mash temperature and other uncontrollable issues will create a slightly different beer. Good thing, in this case, it remains just as appealing.