Thorny Goat

Style:Black IPA
Alc %:6.8
Brewery:Mountain Goat Beer
Country:Australia
Tap/Bottle?:640ml bottle
Where/When:Home, April 2011
Cost:$12
Rating:7.5/10

Uber dark body, with a light brown finger width head.
The nose is everything you'd hope for in a beer like this. Very resinous hops.
Grapefruit comes thru but not in abundance.
It's very malty and a little stout like- really covering the tongue. It's quite well balanced and the slap/smack of the hops never really comes.
It's a little thicker in the mouth than I expected, with a creaminess about it makes the tongue think stout.
It would be fair to say that this is an ozzie take on a Black IPA - a well done one at that - it's not outrageously hoppy like a Stone black IPA but it's bold and well balanced without being over the top. It's big but it's not trying to punch your lights out! And it really hangs around in your mouth and lingers. (The more i drink this, the more i love how this lingers in the mouth!)
I got a surprise to see it on the shelf at my usual bottle-o and it's a brew that I already would like to see always available but as it's a collaberation with Thornbridge, that's not going to happen.

Now, a slight whinge and a little info for my millions of overseas readers. This 640 ml bottle cost me $11.99 which is.... fucken outrageous! We have a really crappy tax system here in Oz (& NZ has got it bad too, from what I know) in regards to the levy paid by smaller breweries.
I also purchased a 750ml bottle of Chimay White which cost $13.99- $4-5 dollars less than what I normally expect to pay for this brew.
So, if you couple this cruel tax system with a competitive market place it's a brave man who would put their livelihood/lifestyle on the line to produce beers that really stand out yet appeal to alot of punters.
I'm giving this 7.5/10.