Tonight I had a Druppel Blak
A black beer at 5.5%. I had expected a porter or light stout, but was pleasantly surprised when I smelled a powerfull helping of hops when I was pouring the beer.
This was an example of the much more elusive black IPA. (IPA stands for Indian Pale Ale, a bitter style of beer, dating back to the 19th century when it was made for export from England to the Indian colonies.
Normally IPA's are blond, but the black IPA, when done right (as in this case) mixes the bitterness, and hoppiness with a well balanced toasty flavour profile.