Three Reviews from the Weekend
Here are the three reviews I wrote for the beers I got to try at the Novare Res event held this past weekend.
Sierra Nevada/Dogfish Head Life & Limb
B+ / 3.8
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | drink: 3.5
Reviewed from my tasting notes. Served in my 20oz Uprising Chalice at Novare Res. It pours an incredibly dark ruby color with a thick, tan, foam head. It smells slightly sweet, with an earthiness to the aroma. There are hints of spices and maple. There is a definite sweetness up front in the taste, and it has a dry, alcoholic finish, but the sweetness remains throughout. There are spruce and maple flavors. There is also a hint of coffee bitterness. It’s a very robust flavor. It has a very full body and low carbonation. As for drinkability, it’s a pretty sweet beer–a bit too much for my tastes. Still, I consider this a good beer. I would order it again and would certainly pick up a bottle if I happened across one.
Del Borgo Duchessic
A- / 4.1
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | drink: 4.5
Reviewed from my tasting notes. Served in my 20oz Uprising chalice at Novare Res. This excellent beer pours a peach/orange color. It is slightly cloudy. It is very interesting looking. It has a yeast aroma, along with some citrus. It is a very good fruit smell. The main flavors are of peach and grapefruit. There’s a bit of sourness to the finish. It tasted a bit chalky at first, but as I drank it, this went away. I think the beer may have been too cold at first and as it warmed, this chalkiness went away. The approach to cellar temperature really improved things. It has a medium body with no detectable carbonation or coating. It feels great. The drinkability is equally impressive. This beer has just the right amount of sourness. I’m really glad I got to have this beer!
Mikkeller Black
B / 3.65
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | drink: 3
Reviewed from my tasting notes. Served in my 20oz Uprising chalice. I knew I wanted to try this beer, but I didn’t really know much about it. Russ, my server, described it as “roofing tar with sugar.”
Appropriately, this beer is black like the night. There is a brown foamy head that leaves impressive lacing. There is a coffee bean bitterness to the aroma. It’s malty and robust. I summed up the taste as strong, dark, bitter, alcoholic. That seems to cover it, except for the syrupy sweetness that instantly hits you as you taste the beer. The 17.5% ABV is also very present in the taste; lots of alcohol. It leaves a sugary coating in your mouth. The body is very heavy and has low carbonation. I could only drink one of these in a sitting, and I’ll probably never order one again. It’s a strong, intimidating beer. I probably should have been better prepared for what I ordered and not made it my last beer of the night. Order this one carefully.
There are still a few special beers available at Novare. If you haven’t stop by yet to try them, do so soon!
