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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7.5/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 7 Flavor 8 Texture 8 Overall 8
Pours deep clear mahogany into a Shaker. Off-white head with little retention recedes to hug rim. Smoked caramel aromas. Soft with sweet smoke and caramel front to back. Lasting ham glaze finish.
Tried on 23 Dec 2016 at 17:34

6.8/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 6 Flavor 6 Texture 8 Overall 7
Pours clear deep amber into a pint glass. Off-white head with little retention recedes to hug rim. Caramel and bananas flambe aromas. Soft with sweet overripe banana and toffee upfront turning to mild earthy sourdough in lasting finish.
Tried on 22 Dec 2016 at 18:29

8.1/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 8 Flavor 8 Texture 8 Overall 8.5
Draught at Deep Ellum, 11/18/16.
Pale, straw-golden with a good clarity and large white head with moderate to strong retention.
Lovely hoppy nose with light tangerine suggestions mixing with lemon, light grains and delicate honey. Minerality is high and it’s clean as can be, with no alcohol or any resin. Even some juiciness, though fairly well-restrained, breaks through with warming.
Fresh baguette and drier, more biscuity grains with an ample maltiness, yet extremely dry, though not to the point of any huskiness. Lemon, tangerine, key lime and lightly juicy melon somehow do not over-dry the beer either and the round, soft, texture and tight carbonation climax in a crisp, moderately hoppy and clean finish with plentiful minerality. Damn, this was fine stuff, not that I’m surprised. Badly need to get up to Salem and try the stuff that is on-site only.
Tried from Can on 24 Nov 2016 at 15:32

7/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 7 Flavor 7 Texture 8 Overall 7
Can pour into nonic pint glass from Julio’s Liquors. Appearance is cloudy, pale yellow with greenish tinge, effervescent sparkle, finger-width fizzy white head with fair retention and minimal lacing. Aroma is tropical fruit, citrus, wheat, grapefruit. Taste is moderately sweet tropical fruit with strong grapefruit and citrus, light wheat. Palate is medium bodied with thick texture , average carbonation and sweet fruit/grapefruit/citrus finish. Overall, a nice beer filled with juicy, fruity flavors. The wheat is more noticeable in the palate and aroma than taste.
Tried from Can on 08 Oct 2016 at 20:54

7.2/10 Appearance 10 Aroma 7 Flavor 7 Texture 6 Overall 7
Pours hazy gold into a shaker. Bright white creamy head with excellent retention recedes to coat surface. Bready malt and hay aromas. Thin and crisp with sourdough and plums upfront turning dry in the medium length finish.
Tried on 28 Aug 2016 at 16:19

6.6/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 7 Flavor 6 Texture 6 Overall 6.5
Pours deep gold into a shaker. Bright white head with excellent retention recedes to coat surface. Dark caramel, toffee and sweet fruity aromas. Dry and thin with caramel upfront turning sharp and watery before the abrupt finish.
Tried on 27 Aug 2016 at 15:56

7.2/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 7 Flavor 7 Texture 8 Overall 7
Pours deep clear gold into a shaker. Night white head with medium retention. Sourdough and caramel aromas. Dry, with dusty hay and sour caramel front to back.
Tried on 19 Aug 2016 at 22:08

8/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 8 Flavor 8 Texture 8 Overall 8
From a crowler. Pours straw into a stein. Bright white head with medium retention recedes to skim surface. Hay and tropical fruit aromas. Medium bodied with cracked wheat and passion fruit upfront turning dry in the medium length mango finish. Magnifico!
Tried from Crowler on 14 Aug 2016 at 17:24

7.2/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 7 Flavor 8 Texture 8 Overall 7
Draft @ Ale House, Amesbury, MA. Aroma is delicate white bread and citrus notes. Taste is quite good bread malty, little bit sweet with a slight carbonation tingle over the palate. Finish is subtle bitter and is balanced well by the larger hop profile.

This is an American interpretation of a English style and Much better than I was expecting. I really enjoyed the American spin the brewer used. Nicely balanced and I would easily crush a six pack of this. (but it is draft only, summer 2016)
Tried from Draft on 13 Jul 2016 at 12:51

7.5/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 8 Flavor 8 Texture 6 Overall 7
Pours gold into a shaker. Off white head with medium retention recedes to hug rim. Tropical fruit and resin aromas. Soft with caramel and mango upfront turning to mild pith in the lasting finish.
Tried on 01 Jul 2016 at 20:59