Sleigh'r Dark Doüble Alt Ale - Ninkasi Brewing Company

magictacosinus

California

3.98/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Winter brew fun continues here! Poured into a pint glass from a 12oz bottle.

Color is reddish-brown, complete with a nicely placed 2 finger head when poured semi-aggressively. Carbonation seems to glide in droves to the top of the glass. Not much lacing overall, and the head dies down rather quickly. It is a seasonal looking beer for sure, but it's definitely an odd combo overall in presentation.

The aroma consists of strong malted aromas combined with dark fruits (often resembling blackberries), honey, brown sugar (and LOTS of it), as well as a hoppy backdrop that is reminiscent of English bitters but still contains the West Coast zest. The doubled malt recipe is pretty obvious even here, but it definitely has a more malty flavor than bready. I realize this beer is also heavily spiced, but I can't find very many spices here except for maybe peppers and medicinal herbs of sorts. It's far better cold, but definitely not too bad even when it warms up!

As expected, the extreme maltiness of this beer seems to only come around as it warms up gradually. I do like the initial hoppy flavor that attacks the palate, as it reminds me of an extremely dry, orange peel concoction. The finish becomes exponentially malty as it is affected by temperature, but on the other hand, the yeasty aromas I liked seem to disappear as well. The caramelized honey flavors jump at you pretty strongly, and this goes well with its syrupy body. There's no overpowering spices to speak of here, and for a winter release, this is surprisingly drinkable and works better than most spice-infused winter releases I've had so far.

This may be too malty for me (and not yeasty enough, which is what I enjoy most in "dubbel" styled beers), but it isn't bad at all, especially when consumed chilled. Warmed up is a different story altogether, but I'll probably have another for the holidays. Worth a try, as it's quite experimental in some ways.

Serving type: bottle

12-24-2012 05:21:31 | More by magictacosinus

BSore

Oregon

4/5  rDev +5.8%

05-16-2013 06:13:10 | More by BSore

Sokool

Washington

4/5  rDev +5.8%

05-14-2013 03:48:43 | More by Sokool

largadeer

California

2/5  rDev -47.1%

05-08-2013 04:26:35 | More by largadeer

leftoverburrito

Oregon

2/5  rDev -47.1%

05-08-2013 02:44:20 | More by leftoverburrito

archyquaffer

Montana

3.44/5  rDev -9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Served from a 22 oz bottle into a standard pint glass. The label features a 19th century Santa with holly and falling blue snowflakes on a dark winter night. This bottle was bought in April at a sale price. A semi-aggressive pour yields a 1/8 inch tan head that sticks around for awhile, coating the glass. The lacing left on the glass resembles Dinwoody rock art....The color is a moderate yellowish-brown with ruby highlights. I smell malt and floral hops, which are well balanced in the taste. I detect a slight bit of sour apple, which lingers in the aftertaste along with a citrusy hop bitterness.

I was drinking some of this around the holidays, and thought it bit hoppy for my taste. Oftentimes, I think many craft beers, particularly those brewed on the west coast, suffer from too much of a good thing (hops). The hops in this beer seem a tad bit toned down after the interim of about 4 months, and I found myself enjoying this a bit more than at Christmastime. Now that it's come down a bit in price, I'm liable to get another bomber or two before it's gone.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2013 05:18:47 | More by archyquaffer

seanwilson530

California

3.75/5  rDev -0.8%

04-18-2013 22:59:55 | More by seanwilson530

kurt65

Washington

4/5  rDev +5.8%

04-10-2013 03:44:52 | More by kurt65

Sarmartay

California

3.75/5  rDev -0.8%

04-07-2013 18:03:05 | More by Sarmartay

BESTIALEX

Oregon

4/5  rDev +5.8%

04-04-2013 03:19:54 | More by BESTIALEX

artoolemomo

Oregon

3.75/5  rDev -0.8%

04-01-2013 03:19:34 | More by artoolemomo

zestd

Idaho

4.25/5  rDev +12.4%

03-29-2013 22:41:17 | More by zestd

JBetz

Washington

3.75/5  rDev -0.8%

03-17-2013 15:14:44 | More by JBetz

TheKitten

Montana

3.75/5  rDev -0.8%

03-16-2013 06:38:58 | More by TheKitten

weerezboy

Washington

3.75/5  rDev -0.8%

03-14-2013 03:39:33 | More by weerezboy

Boston77

Washington

3.75/5  rDev -0.8%

03-11-2013 16:13:23 | More by Boston77

leedorham

Washington

3.75/5  rDev -0.8%

03-06-2013 18:37:26 | More by leedorham

scruffwhor

Illinois

3.84/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Thanks to my sister for picking up this bottle for me on her trip to Oregon.

Dark roasted brown in color. Looks black if you take it away from any direct lighting. Light tan head of about one finger, then recedes to a film of foam. The dark brown and ruby mix is also a little cloudy, so I can't make out any bubbling.

Dark malty bread crust aroma. Pumpernickel and hearty biscuits. The hops add a nice earthy, piney aroma to this brew. Malt forward it seems, but almost equally balanced with some Oregon hops.

Super toasted malt with some roasted malts as well. Mixed in are some citric and Earthy hop aromas. Definetly the hoppiest Alt I've had so far. I think its a pretty good American Northwest take on a classic German style.

Slightly chalky palate with a well balanced, bitter finish. Would buy again.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2013 14:49:12 | More by scruffwhor

vcoggins

Texas

3.5/5  rDev -7.4%

02-28-2013 01:29:38 | More by vcoggins

chugamugofsud

Oregon

3/5  rDev -20.6%

02-21-2013 19:13:47 | More by chugamugofsud

powdersoldier

Washington

4.25/5  rDev +12.4%

01-27-2013 20:00:06 | More by powdersoldier

fivetime

Idaho

3.75/5  rDev -0.8%

01-24-2013 01:52:48 | More by fivetime

Wezzle

California

3.75/5  rDev -0.8%

01-17-2013 22:38:10 | More by Wezzle

Sark

Montana

3.48/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

Appearance- a nice easy pour yields a finger of velvet, light cream colored head that maintains the whole way down. A beautiful burnt orange-brown hue.

Smell- a bit of flavorful toffee sweetness, little hop character.

Taste- Not an attacking flavor, its mild malty character hits mid mouth and has some hop bitterness on the back end with some warming alcohol.

Mouthfeel- medium bodied, yet a bit thinner than expected.

Overall- A decent session beer. It's 10 below right now but I still can't quite call this something for winter with such a mild taste.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2013 04:46:49 | More by Sark

DeekNayvuz

Montana

4.25/5  rDev +12.4%

01-12-2013 02:00:59 | More by DeekNayvuz