Nickel Brook Headstock IPA - Better Bitters Brewing Co.

peensteen

Ontario (Canada)

3.58/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Deep amber/copper colour, almost 2 fingers tan/off white head, some lace. Pine and citrus upfront on the nose, lightly biscuity malt profile, grapefruit and tangerine there as well, light alcohol notes come and go. Taste is of floral hops and lightly sweet, big maltyness comes through, nice bitterness throughout, pine with some citrus in the aftertaste, buttery at points. Lightly oily, medium carbonation, light to medium weight. Not bad altogether but could use some work to be top notch, still pretty enjoyable though.

Serving type: on-tap

08-10-2011 14:53:55 | More by peensteen

drinkininthewood

Ontario (Canada)

3.7/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

473ml can purchased from the LCBO $2.65,Packaged 05 17 13. Served in a pint glass.

A- Golden/bronze in color. Bubbly head of foam diminishes fairly quickly and leaves some blobs of lace around my glass.

S- Cirusy hops in the nose, with wiffs of bready malts. Smells good, though the aroma i find is somewhat subdued.

T- Quite hoppy up front, solid bitterness with flavors of pine and citrus ( mainly oranges ) followed by nice malt body which offers flavor of fresh bread and a touch of sweetness. Finish/aftertaste is hoppy/herbal, a lingering encore of the initial bitterness. 80 ibu i feel is a proper rating for this beer.

M- A smooth ipa with carbonation being on the low side. Medium bodied.

D- Solid flavor and smooth body make for excellent drinkablilty. I drank this brew at just above room temperature and think it really brought out some nice hoppy flavors. I bought a second to try at a cooler temperature.

Overall I really enjoy the fact that were starting to see more Ontario breweries really come into their own with bold brews such as this fine IPA. Nice job Nickel-Brook. I'd love to try this ale on cask.

Serving type: can

06-08-2013 01:10:27 | More by drinkininthewood

CurtisD

New Brunswick (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev -6.4%

06-03-2013 15:48:08 | More by CurtisD

BarrytheBear

Wisconsin

3.5/5  rDev -6.4%

06-01-2013 14:39:34 | More by BarrytheBear

WillAndSarah

Alberta (Canada)

4.75/5  rDev +27%

05-23-2013 00:13:42 | More by WillAndSarah

Kmat10

Alberta (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev -6.4%

05-21-2013 04:46:35 | More by Kmat10

Mack

Quebec (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev +0.3%

05-02-2013 00:28:24 | More by Mack

FondueVoodoo

British Columbia (Canada)

3.63/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Special thanks to cattersley for sending us this brew. Can is marked packaged March 8, 2013.

A: Clear pale copper hue with a fair amount of suspended sediment. Two fingers of creamy off-white foam with a generous amount of lacing up the sides of the glass.

S: Upfront scents of mild pine resin with background notes of grapefruit and a floral bouquet. There is a slight spiciness together with clean mineral notes. Malts are present and round out the hoppy bitters. Smell is less aggressive than the west coast style and presents with a delicate, more malty scent.

T: Hops are noticeable and upfront in the taste. Snappy and bright, pithy orange and lemon peel envelopes the entire palate and leaves a lasting bitterness on the tongue. Malts which were noticeable in the scent are not detectable in the taste.

M: Chewy and syrupy and coats your entire mouth leaving a lasting bitterness.

O: Considering the upfront presence of hops on the palate I would have liked to have more of hop presence on the nose. With a few further tweaks this could go from good to great.

Serving type: can

04-19-2013 02:15:46 | More by FondueVoodoo

IdeaSpeeder

Ontario (Canada)

3.43/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 5 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.75

Serving Type - 500ml can, poured into a nonic glass

Appearance - Pours an 'orange-y' copper color, unfiltered. Beautiful. Thick lacing appears along the sides of the glass. Sort of have a home-brew look to it....I almost don't want to ruin it by having a sip.

Smell - Disappointingly unobtrusive. Some citrus and pine smells coming through, but mostly citrus. Not much else so far as I can tell.

Taste - Definitely a hop beast. Better Bitters indeed....the can says 80 IBU and I wouldn't doubt it for a second. Citrus dominates, but there is also some of that pine flavour as well towards the finish.

Mouthfeel - Pretty low carbonation, average feel to it. Nothing special.

Serving type: can

04-17-2013 04:18:01 | More by IdeaSpeeder

H8B8

Ontario (Canada)

4.5/5  rDev +20.3%

04-04-2013 13:14:05 | More by H8B8

JennBushey

3/5  rDev -19.8%

03-03-2013 00:15:12 | More by JennBushey

bluetrevian

Florida

3.75/5  rDev +0.3%

02-19-2013 22:53:17 | More by bluetrevian

DaPan

Ontario (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev +0.3%

02-12-2013 22:13:27 | More by DaPan

tbeckett

Ontario (Canada)

4.3/5  rDev +15%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

From old notes.

A - Poured hazy copper with good carbonation coming up. One finger of beige head. Minimal lace, half finger retention.

S - Citrus, bread, a bit of pine, very inviting and strong.

T - Juicy with some pine there as well. Really tasty, juicy, and citrussy.

M - Good carbonation, medium body, nice bitterness.

O/D - One of the better IPAs in Ontario right now. Lovely flavour with a high drinkability for the ABV. A nice one to have in these parts.

Serving type: can

02-05-2013 13:34:21 | More by tbeckett

MAB

Alberta (Canada)

4.06/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

A solid, bitter IPA, with a lot of complex flavors.
Nice copper tint to it, slightly hazy, and a good tight white-ish head on it.
It smells fabulous. Leaves and pine needles. Very outdoorsy.
It tastes even better than it smells. The bitterness comes through but the aftertaste is malt and more of those pine notes, rather than strictly hop bitterness.
Nicely carbonated, for the style. The alcohol level is well-covered, so you don't get a burn from that.
I'll be having another of these, for certain.

Serving type: on-tap

01-22-2013 20:46:41 | More by MAB

dipso123

California

2.83/5  rDev -24.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.75

Had in tall can 6 months to the day before expiration date.

A : very cloudy, distinct orange hue, head was short-lived and little to no lacing on the glass

S: small to very small nose

T: citrus but more toward navel orange juice than grapefruit zest - a bit too sweet for me.

M: a bit slick on the tongue in the finish.

O: On the side of the can it says "brewed using primarily Nugget hops." Not sure this is the best idea and may go a ways to explain the plain character of this IPA. In comparison to the complex hop character of so many current IPAs this one is lacking.

Serving type: can

01-13-2013 22:20:28 | More by dipso123

GoHabsGo

Ontario (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev +0.3%

01-12-2013 01:32:43 | More by GoHabsGo

HATS4BATS

Ontario (Canada)

3.43/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Thoughtful and bold. Full carbonation completes an opaque appearance and body. Little nose that develops into citrus notes over time. Challenges the palate a shock of grapefruit and hops; this powerful IPA doesn't fully mask its high alcohol content which may be too big for some; never develops into meaningful flavour. Sharp after-taste that dissipates quickly. Leaves an impression.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2012 02:03:13 | More by HATS4BATS

jaz58

Ontario (Canada)

3.93/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This is the first time I've had the Nickel Brook line.

Since I'm a IPA fan this is my choice.

Poured into a pint glass.

A thick blonde head which dissipated slowly.

Cloudy deep orange colour

Very faint nose which is very different for a IPA.

A nice hint of hops. Tea and grapefruit start with a generous bitters finish.

A decent ale over all with a good mouth feel

Serving type: can

11-24-2012 21:45:30 | More by jaz58

joemcgrath27

Alberta (Canada)

3.95/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

from notes
A - Hazy bubbly burnt orange, tall tan head, solid retention
S - Pine, citrus, pepper, bready
T - Pine and citrus hops, then grain and caramel, peppery finish
M - Full feel medium carbo, finishes slightly bitter
O - not outstanding but for a random purchase this turns out to be a worthy enough treat

Serving type: can

11-23-2012 02:06:45 | More by joemcgrath27

JamesMN

Minnesota

3.95/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Completely opaque orange with visible sediment. Soapy off-white head.

Aroma: Citrus, grapefruit hops. Caramel malt.

Taste: Pleasantly surprised by this one. It imparts the kind of bitterness that hop heads like myself crave. Citrus, pine, grapefruit, and lemon rind hop flavor. At the same time it's a bit of a malt bomb with lots of crystal and caramel malt but not much complexity. A finish that is both wet and dry at times.

Mouthfeel: Robust and almost syrupy. Average drinkability.

Final Thoughts: One of the ugliest IPAs I've ever seen but definitely tasty. Would I drink it again? Sure, but maybe straight from the can...

Serving type: can

11-07-2012 06:12:00 | More by JamesMN

cfalovo97

Ontario (Canada)

3/5  rDev -19.8%

11-06-2012 15:56:48 | More by cfalovo97

mattsander

Alberta (Canada)

2.78/5  rDev -25.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

A: Quite hazy mahogany in color, floaties, nice head. Not pale. Ugh

S: Bready malty toffee. Malt-centered. Some herbaly/minty hops, but not nearly enough to justify this malt.

T: Follows the nose, very sweet and creamy with a nice malt complexity. Unfortunately this is an IPA and there just isn't nearly enough hop character.

M: Creamy as expected, plenty of malt.

Serving type: can

11-02-2012 23:27:41 | More by mattsander

decimator

Ontario (Canada)

3.8/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

473ml can poured into a pint glass. ABV 7%.

A - Poured a hazy golden orange with a thick froathy head. Head slowly reduces to bubbles and decent lacing.

S - Hops upfront with notes of orange peel, grapefruit, mango and a hint of pine. Caramel malts in the background.

T - Caramel, grains, citrus, tobacco, bitter finish

M - Average carbonation, medium-heavy body, slick, creamy, rustic, lasting aftertaste.

O - The taste is a bit one dimensional but the aroma and mouthfeel help round out this good IPA.

Serving type: can

10-31-2012 01:44:34 | More by decimator

hopsolutely

Ontario (Canada)

3.93/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

An excellent Ontario-brewed American IPA.

Pours a dark and hazy copper with decent white head. Retention is not outstanding, but the residual lacing remains visually appealing. Mouthfeel is sharper and thinner than I would have expected from this much robust flavour, so although enjoyable, mouthfeel the weakest of the beer’s characteristics.

Enticing aroma of citrus, predominantly grapefruit, with a malted barley backbone. Stunning flavour of "west coast" tropical fruits and citrus, with pineapple and mango moving to the fore. Enough caramelized malts to truly classify as an American IPA versus an APA. Ends with a delightfully bitter finish in which the citrus lingers for an impressive length of time, before becoming a hop sharpness.

A lot of character and would definitely recommend.

Serving type: can

10-11-2012 01:32:49 | More by hopsolutely