Comparison
Black IPA vs Milkshake IPA
What is the difference between Black IPA and Milkshake IPA?
The short answer
The main difference is bitterness: Black IPA has far more of it than Milkshake IPA. Black IPA also leads on roast and resin & pine; Milkshake IPA on tropical fruit.
Generated from the two style records. No editor has written this comparison up, so it carries no verdict beyond what the data supports.
Where they overlap
They share comparable hop aroma, citrus, overlapping strength ranges, the same style family — the boundary between them is narrower than the comparison suggests.
Side by side
| Black IPA | Milkshake IPA | |
|---|---|---|
| Family | IPA | IPA |
| Fermentation | Top-fermented (ale) | Top-fermented (ale) |
| Origin | United States | United States |
| Category status | Commercial category | Commercial category |
| Strength | 5.5–9% ABV | 5.5–8% ABV |
| Bitterness (IBU) — IBU measures iso-alpha acids in the lab. It does not track perceived bitterness, which residual sweetness, body and roast all alter — compare the sensory rows below for how each actually tastes. | 50–90 IBU | 20–40 IBU |
| Colour | Very dark brown to black — 25–40 SRM, 49–79 EBC | Pale gold to orange — 4–10 SRM, 8–20 EBC |
| Original gravity | 1.050–1.085 | 1.060–1.080 |
| Final gravity | 1.010–1.018 | 1.016–1.026 |
| Serving temperature | 8–11°C | 7–10°C |
| Carbonation | 2–3 vol CO₂ | 2–3 vol CO₂ |
| Glassware | Tulip glass | Teku glass, Tulip glass |
| Clarity | clear | opaque |
How they taste different
| Character | Black IPA | Milkshake IPA |
|---|---|---|
| Bitterness | High–Very high | Trace |
| Roast | Low–Moderate | Not characteristic |
| Tropical fruit | Not characteristic | High |
| Resin & pine | Moderate–High | Not characteristic |
| Sweetness | Trace–Low | High |
| Alcohol warmth | Low | Not characteristic |
| Dryness | Moderate–High | None–Trace |
| Stone fruit | Not characteristic | Moderate |
| Body | Low–Moderate | High |
| Coffee | Trace–Low | Not characteristic |
Which should you choose?
- You want more bitterness → Black IPA
- You want more tropical fruit → Milkshake IPA
Derived from where the two actually differ. Neither is better — this is a question of which difference you want.