Notch Brewing

Microbrewery in Salem, Massachusetts, United States 🇺🇸
Associated with 2 Venues

Established in 2010

Contact
283R Derby St, Salem, MA, 01970, United States
Description
Launched in 2010, Notch Brewing – named for the nick made to keep a record when you're having more than one – was the first brewing company in the U.S. to focus exclusively on session beer. At the time, we simply wanted to brew the beers we loved to drink because finding them was a challenge. Session beer has been enjoyed in every great beer brewing nation for centuries, yet in the U.S. it was overlooked. So we set out to brew the world’s classic session styles from the Czech Republic, Germany, England, and Belgium, as well as explore how session beer could fit with the U.S.’s hoppy beer infatuation. Over a decade later, we have a brewery built on the back of session beer and it’s proven two things: beer consumers like options, and session beer is a great one.

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7.1/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 8 Flavor 7 Texture 6 Overall 7.5
Can pour into nonic pint glass from Andover Liquors. Appearance is hazy orange with yellow and green tinges, minimal sparkle, small white fizzy head with poor retention and no lacing. Aroma is strong orange, mangoes, grapefruit, pine. Taste is sweet tropical and citrus fruits, mild late earthy bitterness. Palate is light bodied with thin texture, lively carbonation and sweet over bitter finish. Overall, nice juicy flavors and taste/aroma strong for a session. Good job.
Tried from Can on 01 May 2017 at 18:50

7.1/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 7 Flavor 7 Texture 6 Overall 8.5
Met my buddy for lunch in Burlington, MA which nicely had decent draft list been after some Notch for a bit. Nose is grassy and some citrus. Tastes grassy, grapefruit, earthy, wheat, and biscuits. Smooth palate and little zesty.
Tried from Draft on 29 Apr 2017 at 17:42

7/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 7 Flavor 7 Texture 6 Overall 7
Draught at Canary Square, 2/25/17 and again on 3/21/17.
Lightly hazy, pale-golden body is topped by a medium-sized white head showing fair retention.
Juicy, tangerine and lime-heavy el dorado mix with the other more dry citrus from the citra as clean, fresh, house yeast mixes in the beer. Light cereal grain and hints of caramel-tinged-honey on the finish with just a touch of light butter. No alcohol or flaw. Light and fairly bright though I could do with a little bit less specialty malt.
In the mouth it’s soft, with low, fairly engaging carbonation and lots of juicy citrus. Some breadiness and light biscuit on the end with mildly bitter lemon and hints of caramel and light butter.
Tried from Can on 12 Apr 2017 at 17:09

7/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 7 Flavor 7 Texture 8 Overall 7
3.6 cask at dreadnought... Murky orange amber... Thin white lacing... Passion floral orange fruits nose... Dry passion fruit.. Light. Orange bitterness.. Long passion finish
Tried from Cask on 02 Apr 2017 at 11:01

7.4/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 8 Flavor 7 Texture 6 Overall 7.5
Cask at the dreadnought. Pours murky orange, nose is grapefruit, tangerine, taste is juicy citrus, sweet, dry.
Tried from Cask on 01 Apr 2017 at 12:44

6.1/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 7 Flavor 5 Texture 4 Overall 6.5
Pours a nice robust amber from a tap. Crisp grapefruit aroma unfortunately washes away in the mouth, replaced by a typical session watery muddle. Good beer to start with at least.
Tried from Draft on 03 Mar 2017 at 22:33

7.6/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 7 Flavor 8 Texture 8 Overall 7.5
Poured from tap at Spotlight clear copper color with a nice white head. Aromas of caramel malt bread light floral notes and pine. Grapefruit and orange zest nice hops and a balanced finish.
Tried from Draft on 07 Feb 2017 at 18:34

6.6/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 6 Flavor 7 Texture 6 Overall 6.5
Draught at Canary Square, 12/6/16.
Lightly-to-moderately hazy, pale golden with a thin white head atop.
Very light citrus, dust, must, cat and leafy, light pine in the nose also provides light malt character of hay and biscuit. Very abrupt finish, with light pepper and floral character lingering. Clean.
Thin, rather weakly-bodied with low, loose carbonation and dusty, somewhat old, lemon-tinged hops. Not sure if I got the tail-end of the batch or this just sat on draught too long, but it’s very tired and rather bland. Clean, though, and the flavors there are enjoyable enough. 6/3/6/3/11
Rerate on 7/11/18 at Canary Square again. This was excellent with light juice and tons of fruitiness. Dry and flavorful and most importantly, quite clean and in good condition. 7/4/7/4/15. Rating is a mix of the two, thus far.
Tried from Can on 25 Jan 2017 at 10:04

8.1/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 8 Flavor 8 Texture 8 Overall 8.5
Poured into a pilsner glass, the appearance was a dark brown close to black color with a finger’s worth of white to off white foamy head that dissipated at a good pace. Some rings of clingy lace.
The aroma starts off with a sweet dark fruity blissful malty milk chocolatey goodness. Light dark chocolate, moderate bready sweetness. Sly rugged roastiness.
The flavor yields to the sweet bready side first but then opens up into a great balance. Rich bready and roasty aftertaste flowing into the finish very nicely.
On the palate, this one sat about a light to medium on the body with a great sessionability about it. Smooth bready lager lingering yet rugged but low key enough to flow nicely over my tongue.
Overall, as a black lager this was exceptionally well done to have as much going on as it did.
Tried on 21 Jan 2017 at 16:15

7.9/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 8 Flavor 8 Texture 8 Overall 7.5
Poured into a becher pint glass, the appearance was a semi-golden transparent yellow to bronze color. Light carbonation runs up to fill a one finger white foamy head. Dissipates at a nice pace. Messy foamy lace.
The aroma starts off with a big bittersweet blend of grapefruit, orange zest and juicy pulp. Low use of malts.
The flavor yields to the sweet side initially and then as it warms blends the bitter portion of the citrus rind in with a light pine. Moveable sweet to bitter citrus and piney aftertaste flowing into the finish.
On the palate, this one sat about a light on the body exacting it’s appropriate crushability. Bitterness is there but doesn’t distract from the flow on my tongue.
Overall, my first beer from Notch and they’re brewing a beer worth crushing on a hot Summer’s day.
Tried on 18 Jan 2017 at 17:10