Pipeworks Blood of the Unicorn Review

Name: Pipeworks Blood of the Unicorn
Style: Amber/Red Ale
ABV: 6.5%
IBUs: N/A

I apologize for the lack of posts these past few days since I have been busy with work, grad school and other family matter but I'm back and ready to continue looking at all of these Chicago beers. The next one I will be looking at is another beer from Pipeworks Brewing called Blood of the Unicorn, which is described by the brewery as a Hoppy Red Ale.

Appearance - Dark & mildly hazy amber red color with a mild amount of visible carbonation. The head is fairly foamy and the lacing is quite abundant with some good retention.

Aroma - Very toffee & caramel malt forward followed by a some strong piney & citrus hoppiness. I've had many beers in my time, but the smell is almost identical to that of Surly Furious. I wish I were making this up but that is literally the first thing i think of in this case.

Taste - Toffee & caramel malts paired with a robust piney and citrus hop profile make up the bulk of the palate for the most part with some grapefruit sweetness peeking it's head through in the back half. The aftertaste is basically more caramel maltiness with some mild grapefruit & bitter hop notes.

For those of you who are familiar with Surly Furious, this tastes pretty much identical to that with the only difference being that there's a slight hint of grapefruit. However, I don't necessarily believe that this is a bad thing. People who have this may be quick to call this an IPA but either way you look at it, what you have here is a solid beer that is worthy of your attention.

Pipeworks Blood of the Unicorn - 8.5/10

Pipeworks Ninja vs. Unicorn Review

Name: Pipeworks Ninja vs. Unicorn
Style: Imperial IPA
ABV: 8%
IBUs: N/A

Moving on to the next set of beers in the Chicago beer package (I received quite a few beers in it mind you), The next few beers will be offerings from Pipeworks Brewing, who I think would be a running contender for the best beer label artwork on the marketplace at the time of writing this. Since the photos I take simply do not do the artwork justice, I will be posting the artwork at the end of each review.

First up is the aptly named Ninja vs. Unicorn, which is an Imperial IPA. I did some research and found out the the Unicorn has done battle with both the Grim Reaper, Uncle Sam, Santa Claus & the Easter Bunny; I couldn't make this up even if I tried. Anyways, there isn't really much else to say aside from the label artwork, which I think is kickass.

Appearance - Mildly hazy yellow color with a mild amount of visible carbonation. The head is nice & foamy and there is some pretty good lacing to be had here.

Aroma - Pungent Grapefruit & Piney hops with just a hint of orange peel. I'm also picking up on some toffee sweetness and pale maltiness along with some moderate bready-biscuit yeastiness.

Taste - Fairly strong bitter & piney hops upfront but then towards the back it starts to turn sweet. It's there you start picking up on sweet grapefruit & orange notes that almost come off as Froot Loop-like. I'm getting some more of that toffee maltiness along with that bready-biscuit yeastiness in the back as well. The best way to describe the flavor is that it starts out very bitter but ends sweet.

Overall it's a very good Imperial IPA and for one being only 8% ABV, there is alot going on here in the flavor. Not only is the name & artwork awesome, but there is also an excellent beer lurking behind it. Chicago, you are very lucky to have a beer like this!

Pipeworks Ninja vs. Unicorn - 9.5/10