Review: Rogue Dad's Little Helper Black IPA

Rogue's newest beer to come to Manitoba, Dad's Little Helper Black IPA was released just in time for Father's Day the other day. It sold out near instantly at my local liquor store, so when I saw that they had one bottle remaining in stock on their website, I had to grab it. As a fan of anything with the word "IPA" in it (except Keith's), I had to try it.

Appearance: Dad's Little Helper pours a very thick, almost porter-like black dark chocolate, with a hint of cola brown for hue. Thick creamy yellowy-Beige head, quickly sticking to the side of the glass leaving a trail of bubbles.

Aroma: A decent amount of floral and slightly bitter hops is the first thing I notice when reviewing this beer, slightly Cascadey. Complimenting the floral hops is a roasty coffee-like malt, giving it that bitter & sweet characteristic that's common with Black IPAs, yet sets it miles apart from a standard India Pale Ale.

Taste: Much more of a cringe-worthy bitterness than I expected. This isn't your dad's beer, unless if your dad isn't like mine and actually likes darker and heavier beers. The bitterness of the roasted malt comes out on top here, giving it a really bitter coffee taste, with a bit of dark chocolate in it as well. A bit too bitter for my liking. As for the hops, minimal hoppiness, but a nice light floral hits the taste buds and is really appreciated here.

Overall Thoughts: Incredibly more bitter than I expected, I even cringed as I first took a sip, but if you are like me and used to the bitterness of some porters, you will not mind this Black IPA, it's crazy how different an IPA and a B-IPA can be. Dark, roasty, lightly hopped and packed with rich flavour, if you like a good Black IPA, this will be a treat for you, as long as you can handle the bitterness. Cost around $6.50 for a 650ml bottle, the bottle didn't state what the ABV is, but apparently it's 6%.

rogue.com/beers/dads-little-helper.php