I'm on pint #2 of the black pale ale and I'm happy with some aspects and not so much with others.
First of all, there are no faults in the beer, the fermentation went just fine and finished completely. The color is deeper than I thought, I can't see a light across a pint glass. It may need to clear a bit, I think it will. Theres little black malt flavor coming through which is exactly what I wanted. Theres a restrained hop aroma, certainly not the level I was going for. I have to get used to brewing large batches I guess, that 1oz of dry hops seems have got lost for the most part. The malt flavor is restrained, a hint of chocolate and less biscuit than I was hoping for. The bitterness is medium, also lower than I wanted. Overall the beer is a little muddled but that may clear up as the beer clears. Its certainly drinkable though, and I have a clear way forward on the recipe.
The biggest thing that I am dissappointed about is that the malt flavors aren't more distinct, I was thinking a total lack of oxidation might generate a different level of malty flavors than I've gotten from conventional bucket brewing.