Rather like a Zen archer, NB's Ryan Olson devised this recipe blindfolded and selected the ingredients by how much he liked the way they smelled. And rather like a Sith lord, Ryan devised this recipe on an Angry Day and fueled the pilot brew session with hatred, so the resultant beer trended towards the evil side of aggressive - a beefy, bronze-colored, malty but very bitter American-style IPA with a subversive Belgian influence. A supporting cast of dark base and caramel malts helps create a massive frame on which nooses of IBU-laden hops are hung. Candi sugar was chosen for its butter-toffee, demerara-like aroma, and a double-fisted infusion of Cascade and Chinook hops spiked with grains of paradise at the end of the boil is like a citrus-and-pine roundhouse kick to your poor tongue. This is not one of your cuddly, lighthearted, romantic comedy, ice cream social India pale ales. Recommended: 2-stage fermentation and yeast starter.