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