Rogue Dad’s Little Helper Black IPA

Rouge Dad’s Little Helper Black IPA, another 22oz. offering from Rogue Brewing, poured a cloudy black-brown with a thick, creamy head.  The nose carried forward notes of citrus, slight pine, and reasted malts, as well as a subtle undertone of peach. 

Rogue Dad’s Little Helper Black IPA opened with a medium-bodied, heavily roasted malt under a sharp bite of slightly less-aggressive-than-usual citric hops.  The hops carried the bitterness through as the ale settled, but the malts never ceded their place as the highlight of the show.  The ale ended on an earthy, almost ashy note as the bitterness subsided.

Rogue Dad’s Little Helper Black IPA is an interesting take (especially for Rogue) on the Black IPA.  Rather  than embracing the Pacific Northwest hop bigness, it falls into a fairly middle of the road, medium bodied beer.  Probably one of the more sessionable beers I have tried from Rogue.