6.2/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6
Draught at the brewery, 11/30/17.
Bronze-golden, dark brass hues and a frothy, white head remaining at a scattering of cover. Clarity is pretty high, showing only a bit of chill-haze or slightly more.
Fruity hops show basic pineapple and light orange rind, with the malt quickly entering the equation, adding honey, biscuit and very light caramel. There's a strong spicy character pervading everything, perhaps an interplay on rye and hop. Maybe a touch of light pine resin on the finish, with strong yeast esters (house, not British, I think) and lots of malt lingering.
Malty, soft, chewy texture reveals plentiful sweetness, though it's quickly mitigated by a resinous bitterness and spicy hop character, as well as nutty, dry rye notes. Softer, fruitier pineapple and orange through the middle via fairly engaging carbonation, leading to a lightly-to-moderately bitter finish showing more aggressiveness than I'd care for (pine resin, plentiful hop bitterness, sharp esters). Malt lingers as well, though it's more dry, nutty, chewy character doesn't fully balance the hop acid.
Bronze-golden, dark brass hues and a frothy, white head remaining at a scattering of cover. Clarity is pretty high, showing only a bit of chill-haze or slightly more.
Fruity hops show basic pineapple and light orange rind, with the malt quickly entering the equation, adding honey, biscuit and very light caramel. There's a strong spicy character pervading everything, perhaps an interplay on rye and hop. Maybe a touch of light pine resin on the finish, with strong yeast esters (house, not British, I think) and lots of malt lingering.
Malty, soft, chewy texture reveals plentiful sweetness, though it's quickly mitigated by a resinous bitterness and spicy hop character, as well as nutty, dry rye notes. Softer, fruitier pineapple and orange through the middle via fairly engaging carbonation, leading to a lightly-to-moderately bitter finish showing more aggressiveness than I'd care for (pine resin, plentiful hop bitterness, sharp esters). Malt lingers as well, though it's more dry, nutty, chewy character doesn't fully balance the hop acid.
Tried
on 28 Mar 2018
at 17:09
7.6/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Draught at the brewery, 11/30/17.
Clear, bright auburn-amber with a small but fairly well-retained, off-white head atop.
Soft wood in the nose shows light spice, a hint of cherry-vanilla and soft, honey-soaked malts underneath. Hops are green, leafy, fairly mild, with notes of light orange, minor grapefruit and minor juicy fruits. Still, it's not a malt-bomb or anything, and the cedar, while light, helps balance. No alcohol or flaw.
Soft and malty texture, with good carbonation and attenuation, no alcohol, flaw or resin. Juicy fruits work with candied orange and light grapefruit, while lightly spicy cedar supplements the hop acid and bitterness. The end result is a nicely balanced, very drinkable, flavorful pale ale made in the pre-NE IPA style yet with none of the specialty malt, malt dominance or over-boiled hops.
Clear, bright auburn-amber with a small but fairly well-retained, off-white head atop.
Soft wood in the nose shows light spice, a hint of cherry-vanilla and soft, honey-soaked malts underneath. Hops are green, leafy, fairly mild, with notes of light orange, minor grapefruit and minor juicy fruits. Still, it's not a malt-bomb or anything, and the cedar, while light, helps balance. No alcohol or flaw.
Soft and malty texture, with good carbonation and attenuation, no alcohol, flaw or resin. Juicy fruits work with candied orange and light grapefruit, while lightly spicy cedar supplements the hop acid and bitterness. The end result is a nicely balanced, very drinkable, flavorful pale ale made in the pre-NE IPA style yet with none of the specialty malt, malt dominance or over-boiled hops.
Tried
from Can
on 28 Mar 2018
at 14:20
5.9/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 4
Overall 5.5
Draught at the brewery, 10/21/17.
Lightly-to-moderately hazy, "lime"-tinted bronze-golden with a medium-sized white head atop showing moderate retention.
The nose doesn't give off much either in the way of Galaxy or any real bright, spicy, tropical, mineral-laden hop. Some citrus, papaya, melon and a whole lot of base malt honey-like character with a bit of pine and grapefruit on the finish. A bit of resin, as well.
While I don't think it's as a disastrous mess of trainwreck as Josh, I do see his point; this thing is VERY malty with few and far between interesting hop notes. Light spice, some floral character, a bit of lightly dank greenery and mostly just orange rind, lightly resinous pine and a mouthful of vague acidity on the finish. Even despite the proper carbonation, it still comes off too sluggishly malty. Otherwise, no alcohol character or flaw.
Lightly-to-moderately hazy, "lime"-tinted bronze-golden with a medium-sized white head atop showing moderate retention.
The nose doesn't give off much either in the way of Galaxy or any real bright, spicy, tropical, mineral-laden hop. Some citrus, papaya, melon and a whole lot of base malt honey-like character with a bit of pine and grapefruit on the finish. A bit of resin, as well.
While I don't think it's as a disastrous mess of trainwreck as Josh, I do see his point; this thing is VERY malty with few and far between interesting hop notes. Light spice, some floral character, a bit of lightly dank greenery and mostly just orange rind, lightly resinous pine and a mouthful of vague acidity on the finish. Even despite the proper carbonation, it still comes off too sluggishly malty. Otherwise, no alcohol character or flaw.
Tried
on 21 Mar 2018
at 18:08
8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Draught at the brewery, 10/21/17.
Dark ebony, undetermined clarity, though probably clear. Tan head atop shows moderate retention.
Rich roasted barley in the nose also is joined by a bit of the smoke. Lightly salty char in the background mixes with treacle and vanilla and it all sounds rather dark, roasty and black, yet it's all nicely balanced by caramel-honey from the base malts with vibrant fruitiness from the barley, smoke and yeast.
Soft, silky, nicely-attenuated texture shows low but engaging carbonation and a good mix of vanilla, dark chocolate, lightly charred smoke character and sweet, succulent caramel. Great mix of sweet and dry, salty and roasty here and a real easy, enjoyable drink.
Dark ebony, undetermined clarity, though probably clear. Tan head atop shows moderate retention.
Rich roasted barley in the nose also is joined by a bit of the smoke. Lightly salty char in the background mixes with treacle and vanilla and it all sounds rather dark, roasty and black, yet it's all nicely balanced by caramel-honey from the base malts with vibrant fruitiness from the barley, smoke and yeast.
Soft, silky, nicely-attenuated texture shows low but engaging carbonation and a good mix of vanilla, dark chocolate, lightly charred smoke character and sweet, succulent caramel. Great mix of sweet and dry, salty and roasty here and a real easy, enjoyable drink.
Tried
on 20 Mar 2018
at 21:27
7.2/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7
Draught at the brewery, 10/21/17.
Dark amber-ruby, lightly hazy, with a medium-sized, light tan head showing moderate-to-low retention.
Big brett lambicus notes in the nose show tons of cherry, while light acetic character joines in. Good mix of both and the wood is light here, with no toasted notes. Soft vanilla, raisin and more acetic and Brett character sharing the nose pretty well. No alcohol or flaw.
Big bursts of fruity Brett lead in to lightly sour acetic notes, as wood tannin, light vanilla and biscuity, caramel-accented malt notes all join in as well. Low but engaging carbonation and good attenuation with not heavy build-up of sourness on the finish. Does get rather woody/oaky, but that's one of the only detractors here.
Dark amber-ruby, lightly hazy, with a medium-sized, light tan head showing moderate-to-low retention.
Big brett lambicus notes in the nose show tons of cherry, while light acetic character joines in. Good mix of both and the wood is light here, with no toasted notes. Soft vanilla, raisin and more acetic and Brett character sharing the nose pretty well. No alcohol or flaw.
Big bursts of fruity Brett lead in to lightly sour acetic notes, as wood tannin, light vanilla and biscuity, caramel-accented malt notes all join in as well. Low but engaging carbonation and good attenuation with not heavy build-up of sourness on the finish. Does get rather woody/oaky, but that's one of the only detractors here.
Tried
on 20 Mar 2018
at 21:15
6.8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
Draught at the brewery, 10/21/17.
Lightly hazy, maize-golden with an initially large, off-white head that recedes slowly to cover.
Earthy yeast and hop notes mix with a biscuit/graham cracker malt background as moderately funky notes develop. Some sharp lactic acid announces the kettle souring rather poignantly while it finishes with light vegetal hop notes, lemon rind and a bit more yoghurt from the lactic acid.
Soft, fairly malty and with the honey-buttercream-like character mixing with the yogurty lactic acid to provide a strong juxtaposition of sweet and sour. The hops are very citrusy, with some moderate white wine/white grape character, but it's a bit vague and not juicy, with too much acidity building up on the finish and a very strong mix of earth and dry, leafy, vegetal-like hop character. Not the worst expression of Nelson I've seen, but certainly not the best. Carbonation is moderate, mostly engaging while there is no alcohol or flaw.
Lightly hazy, maize-golden with an initially large, off-white head that recedes slowly to cover.
Earthy yeast and hop notes mix with a biscuit/graham cracker malt background as moderately funky notes develop. Some sharp lactic acid announces the kettle souring rather poignantly while it finishes with light vegetal hop notes, lemon rind and a bit more yoghurt from the lactic acid.
Soft, fairly malty and with the honey-buttercream-like character mixing with the yogurty lactic acid to provide a strong juxtaposition of sweet and sour. The hops are very citrusy, with some moderate white wine/white grape character, but it's a bit vague and not juicy, with too much acidity building up on the finish and a very strong mix of earth and dry, leafy, vegetal-like hop character. Not the worst expression of Nelson I've seen, but certainly not the best. Carbonation is moderate, mostly engaging while there is no alcohol or flaw.
Tried
from Draft
on 20 Mar 2018
at 21:06
7.9/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Bottle. A- Caramel, dark fruits, booze, oak, coconut, vanilla, burnt marshmallows. A- Mahogany color, clear liquid, minimal head. T- Coconut, caramel, vanilla, booze, oak, marshmallow, mildly sweet, malty. P- Full body, average texture, average carbonation, complex finish. O- Complex for sure. A lot of nice flavors throughout start to finish.
Tried
from Bottle
on 20 Mar 2018
at 00:21
6.5/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 7
Can. Pours faintly cloudy golden with small foamy white head, faint malt aroma, high carbonation, malty taste with minimal hoppy bitterness, thin body, abrupt finish. Nice lager.
Tried
from Can
on 16 Mar 2018
at 19:51
6.1/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 5.5
750 ml bottle. Dark orange type color, higher carbonation. Damn, the flavor is over run with herbs. Rosemary, yarrow root, sage and a strange yeasty note. Old oak notes. I can't even taste any Chardonnay grapes. To my palate it is all herb. I wanted to like it. I truly was hoping I would have.
Tried
from Bottle
on 25 Feb 2018
at 23:22
8.5/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 9
375 ml bottle into snifter; 2017 vintage bottling. Pours lightly hazy/cloudy golden amber/light orange color with a 1 finger fairly dense and fluffy white head with good retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Light spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big golden raisin, peach, plum, pear, apricot, fig, date, red apple, white grape, white wine, toasted oak, honey, caramel, and biscuit; with lighter notes of toffee, oaken vanilla, brown sugar, leather, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/oak earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of fruity yeast, grapes, honey, wine barrels, and bready malt notes; with great strength. Taste of big golden raisin, peach, plum, pear, apricot, fig, date, red apple, white grape, white wine, toasted oak, honey, caramel, and biscuit; with lighter notes of toffee, oaken vanilla, brown sugar, leather, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/oak earthiness. Light herbal/grassy bitterness, wine/oak tannin spiciness, and grape tang/tartness on the finish. Lingering notes of golden raisin, peach, plum, pear, apricot, fig, date, red apple, white grape, white wine, toasted oak, honey, caramel, biscuit, toffee, vanilla, brown sugar, leather, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/oak earthiness on the finish for a while. Incredible complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity yeast, grapes, honey, wine barrels, and bready malt flavors; with a great malt/bitterness, fruit tartness, and wine tannin spiciness balance; with zero cloying sweetness after the finish. Slightly increasing dryness from lingering bitterness, grape tang/tartness, and wine/oak tannin spiciness. Light-medium carbonation and fairly full body; with a very smooth, creamy/silky, and lightly slick/sticky/tangy/tannic balanced mouthfeel that is great. Mildly increasing warmth of 12%, with zero barrel booziness lingering after the finish. Overall this is an incredible English barelywine! All around fantastic complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity yeast, grapes, honey, wine barrels, and bready malt flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to sip on for the big ABV, with the mildly bitter/tart/tangy finish. More of a Blonde barleywine, but this just nails it all around. Very rich with perfectly balanced malts, honey, fruity yeast, and wine barrel complexity. A highly enjoyable offering.
Tried
from Bottle
on 19 Feb 2018
at 02:40