Sleigh'r Dark Doüble Alt Ale - Ninkasi Brewing Company

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

Arbitrator

California

3.43/5  rDev -9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Chilled '10 bomber into a glass. Purchased from K&L in Redwood City.

Also shared in '09 by ramnuts, but I never got around to reviewing it.

A: Pours a dark, but clear, maroon body capped by a fluffy light beige head. Great retention leaves sticky lace down the sides, with a thick collar and broken film adorning the brew. Some lace during sips. Nice.

S: Nuts, cocoa powder, oranges, green hops, raisins. Not altogether pungent, but it's broad and it's balanced.

T: Nuts, caramel, orange hops, some herbal bitterness. There's a strong baker's chocolate flavor along with lingering, earthy bitterness; they overwhelm the beer. Despite the bitterness, its finish is maltier than I expected; I was hoping for something cleaner. A bad expectation?

M: Almost a gritty, powdery texture that I didn't like, particularly since it made the bitterness stickier. It was unusual, though nothing seemed off when I poured a little into my hand (no floaties or anything). Just strange.

D: I remembered enjoying it last year, but this one is a bit of a letdown.

Serving type: bottle

10-27-2010 03:37:53 | More by Arbitrator

Bookseeb

Washington

3.4/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance pours a dark ruby brown with a thick off white head having good lace. Smell has a light roasted malt aroma. Taste of lightly roasted malts having a good balance with the hops ending in a light piney note. Mouthfeel is a heavy medium with good carbonation. Not a big or complex as expected, but still a simple easy drinking Alt ale.

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2010 01:32:21 | More by Bookseeb

PDXHops

South Carolina

3.38/5  rDev -10.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to Docer for this bomber, poured into a Duvel tulip. Exceedingly dark brown with a auburn tint. The foamy off-white head reduces fairly quickly, but a thick bubbly ring and islands remain. Scattered soapy lacing.

Rich malty nose- roasty, nutty and mildly sweet. Pleasant in a mild sort of way. Tastes a good deal more lively, with a fruity burst immediately followed by a surprising punch of herbal bitterness. Loads of maltiness- moderately sweet, plenty nutty and roasty, with a pronounced burnt quality to the otherwise clean finish. The viscous body seems to wrestle with the bitterness and a certain resiny grit. A few additional flavors reveal themselves right at the swallow- a touch of cocoa powder, a few raisins, a touch of citrus zest.

Overall impression: Perhaps not as smooth as it could be, but pretty tasty.

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2010 00:15:19 | More by PDXHops

kingcrowing

Vermont

3.38/5  rDev -10.6%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap poured into a tulip.

Pours a very dark mahogany brown with a one finger light brown head with some light delicate lacing.

Taste is quite malty as to be expected with the style, there's a nice earthy and slightly sharp flavor that rounds it is out well, it doesn't seem syrupy or overly sweet but it's making my lips sticky...

Serving type: on-tap

10-13-2011 02:31:40 | More by kingcrowing

CHickman

New York

3.34/5  rDev -11.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.25

Pours black color with brown showing at the edges where the light hits it, with a 2 finger frothy beige head that faded slowly and left good lacing as it went down, leaving a layer on top.

Smells of malt, grains, yeast, cardboard, light caramel, burnt wood and chocolate; pretty basic nose and a lot tamer than I expected.

Tastes like it smells, with malt, toasted grains, yeast, cardboard, light caramel, coffee grinds, burnt wood, lemon zest and bitterness, herbs, metal like a penny and chocolate. It’s got limited fruit with strong malty notes, and I’m not sure the bitterness added any balance. Roasted grains and malts negated any sweetness and this was pretty one dimensional tasting.

Mouthfeel is creamy and very smooth, with light watery carbonation, a medium body and slightly bitter finish that’s full of roasted malt. It got a little better and more flavorful as it warmed up, but not to the point that got me excited to drink it.

I bought it because I love the Slayer homage on the label, but thought it was average at best.

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2013 03:51:31 | More by CHickman

Murchmac

California

3.33/5  rDev -11.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours a cherry brown with creamy white head and lacing down the glass.

Doesnt smell like much.

Tastes a bit nutty, a bit hoppy, some warming chocolate and toasty maltyness going on in the back.

Not a bad beer, enjoyable, some alcohol present. Have a had few from this brewery, ill reserve judgement till I have a few more. What i've so far i've liked ok.

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2010 05:46:53 | More by Murchmac

Murrhey

Montana

3.33/5  rDev -11.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3.5

Poured in a pint glass from a bomber. Love Ninkasi beers so I'm pumped to try this.

A- Dark, bordering on black. Paper thin white head, no retention. Well carbonated though.

S- Booze, molasses, caramel, chocolate. Brewing spices as well.

T- Roast malts and a sweetness that must be molasses. Coffee flavors that run dark and bitter.

M- Heavy, over carbonated. Like drinking fresh Coke.

O- Has too many big minuses for me to give it a great grade. Smell is weak, taste is weak, and mouthfeel is weird. That being said, I might actually buy this again. Something about it strikes me. Maybe it is the 7.2 percent ABV.

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2011 07:41:54 | More by Murrhey

ashleyobrian

California

3.3/5  rDev -12.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

I was terribly excited when I saw this beer, since I'm a big fan of Ninkasi and Slayer. I was less excited when I drank the beer. It's much more mellow than I'd expect from a seasonal beer named after a thrash-metal band.

Smooth, drinkable, malty, but a bit "flat" in flavor. Basically a typical brown ale in a nice bottle.

Serving type: bottle

11-10-2010 02:23:03 | More by ashleyobrian

Bfarr

Washington

3.28/5  rDev -13.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Dark mahogany with huge brown foamy head with good retention and lacing. Roasted malt and light caramel with herbal spice aroma. Very delicate malt character fluctuating between roasted malts, a little peat and something a little more bready, rye perhaps. Balance tips a bit in the end to a fairly dry moderate very light citrus hop flavor and bittering. Mouth feel is robust but with a moderate-high carbonation.

Fairly interesting flavors although they are a bit subdued as is proper for the style, except this is supposed to be a double. It seems very similar to Full Sail's wassail but I didn't taste it side by side but just had it recently. Easy to drink but not a whole lot to look forward to.

Serving type: bottle

10-28-2010 23:57:21 | More by Bfarr

Braz

Washington

3.28/5  rDev -13.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Deep dark brown with reddish hues. Substantial off white head that slowly recedes to a fluffy cloud like lacing. Aromas of fruity malt, dough and alcohol. Mild sweetness up front with a bittersweet finish. Finish is dry and slightly bitter. Alcohol flavor definately comes through as well. Slight roasted chocolate and cola notes. Nice smooth and creamy body with medium carbonation. It has a good feel and is drinkable but there are some strange flavor notes here that I'm not that crazy about. I'd have again but probably wouldn't seek it out.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2012 15:20:46 | More by Braz

GRG1313

California

3.25/5  rDev -14%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a crystal dark copper with a thin light tan head.

Nose is light fruity esters, pleasant but mild Nose gives way to some nice smoke, light coffee and roasted malt.

Medium to full mouthfeel with nice balance and a light champagne carbonation.

Flavors start malty and quickly go to big bitter hop and a grapefruit bitter finish. Front sweet malty character and midpalate are nice but short and this one ends with a big and long lasting bitter finish. I get a nice double alt character to this with some roasted malts, hints of smoke and roasted coffee. I get no winter spice character at all.

Nice beer; not what I expected but very good albeit not real comlex. A bit of an identity crisis on this one. Smokey with coffee tones with food.

Serving type: bottle

12-24-2010 22:22:43 | More by GRG1313

RJLarse

Washington

3.2/5  rDev -15.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I bought a bottle of Sleigh'r in a grocery store. Poured in to a pint glass.

Pours a red/brown color, clear with a bit of chill haze. One finger off-white head is both bubbly and frothy.

Smell is faint, dark fruit and sugar aromas like dates and brown sugar.

Taste is a roasted malt flavor up front, with a sweetness like bread, and then a dry bitter finish.

Mouthfeel is fairly thin and light with a fairly clean feel.

A drinkable brown ale in an unusual style. I doubt I'll see this after the holidays, but ti was fine while it was here.

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2011 23:36:22 | More by RJLarse

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.15/5  rDev -16.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Consumed at a recent DC area tasting. Served in a SAVOR snifter.

Pours a moderate caramel-brown color. Really, really murky without any real head formation or lacing afterward. The nose brings some light caramel and toffee plus a bit of bready easta nd some light toast. Flavor is mostly just a touch of caramel with some very light hopping and then some bread. Mouthfeel is medium with a bit of booze. Not bad, but not something I'd look for again.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2011 00:29:51 | More by Thorpe429

Klsfgiants15

California

3.1/5  rDev -18%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 3

Poured into a tulip glass.

Appearance: Very dark brown/black. Tan head, but not worth admiring.

Smell: I sense a big roasted chocolately smell that is very pleasing. But I'm also detecting some kind of soured smell too. But this beer is definitely fresh. So I'm not sure where that sour smell comes from.

Taste: The first thing that I think of is a mixture between bread and crackers--It's got a lot of texture to it. It later moves into that big chocolate taste that was prevalent in the smell. The aftertaste is a little hoppy and citrusy. It's an interesting change in taste from beginning to end. The more this beer warms up the better it tastes.

Mouthful: It's almost like it's not in my mouth. Very absent in feel.

Drinkability: Not a bad drink. There isn't too much to it. Its kind of a let down for how dark and strong of a beer this is. But the alcohol and flavors mix well.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2011 07:55:04 | More by Klsfgiants15

MadTown1000

Virginia

3.08/5  rDev -18.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured from a big 22oz brown bottle into a glass. A dark chocolate brown, appears caramel colored and more transparent around the edges. Almost no foam in the pour, but it appears a few seconds later, maybe a third of an inch of brown stout foam.

Smell is not overpowering, but I can smell it from a foot away. Sweet like malted milk. Shortly after the pour, the smell fades away.

Very, very complex flavor. Starts a little bit sweet, quickly overwhelmed by an alcohol sting, which then transitions to increasingly more pronounced and more floral hops, leaving a hops-and-alcohol aftertaste. Some over-roasted barley underlies the whole thing. A+ for craftsmanship and complexity, but the flavors that end up dominating are not pleasant IMHO.

This beer demands to be sipped slowly - between the 7.2% ABV and the sharp hoppiness, you would not be well advised to consume in quantity. Mouthfeel is interesting between the alternating flavors, but so many sharp flavors predominate that this doesn't weigh in its favor in my rating.

This would be a fantastic beer for someone (for example, the one raving about it sitting next to me.) Just not for me.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2010 03:35:52 | More by MadTown1000

gpogo

California

3.08/5  rDev -18.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A- Dark brown, clear, with a cream colored head. Head dissipated and left a thick lacing. Decent carbonation keeping a foamy cap.

A- Clean malt aroma with a light fruitiness. Slight toasted nutty malt aroma. Seems a bit unbalanced, light on the maltiness.

T- Initial bitterness. Toasted barley taste, almost a burnt malt flavor. Finishes clean with a faint astringent taste.

M- Smooth medium body with moderate-high carbonation.

D- Not bad, but I wouldn't seek it out.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2011 04:20:30 | More by gpogo

doughanson78

Washington

3.08/5  rDev -18.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

22oz bottle poured into a snifter.

A: Deep brown/red. Half finger light tan head with alright retention and good lacing.

S: Bready malts. Light piney and floral hops. Some spiciness in the back ground. Light nose.

T: Toasted bready malts upfront. Some hops in the middle with a touch of spiciness. Very light taste on this.

M: Light body. Medium carbonation. Slight slickness.

O: It's decent. Nothing special at all. Nothing bad.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2011 03:17:58 | More by doughanson78

SolomonGrundy

California

3.05/5  rDev -19.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

OK, ya know I'm a gonna have to do it...

Pours a dark rust colored amber as though the "Angel of Death" were "Raining Blood" into the glass...Two fingers of creamy smooth head dwindles "piece by piece" into a short crown, as though it were "necrophobic" and didn't wish to die....Medium carbonation promises some great drinking to come. Weird to say this, but it's a s though a Guinness Stout were laid upon the "altar of sacrifice" and all the aromas were captured and "reborn" into this ale. It's a near perfect copy, aroma-wise, of the World's best selling stout. Maybe, perhaps, "Jesus Saves" this from patent infringement through a couple of slight nuances, like a hint of allspice way in the back. You'd have to be "Criminally Insane" to think this didn't smell a lot like the aforementioned iconic ale of the Emerald Isle, though...maybe minus the super-heavy metallic notes of Guinness, though...The flavor is like a malt "epidemic" - very malt forward all through the drink, but particularly right upfront. There's a certain tang to it that, again, hearkens back to Guinness. I'm starting to get the feeling this isn't an accident...too much is similar. The malt tang gives way to a long, malty middle and then the hops kicks in, "postmortem" from the malt and leaves you with a nice, bitter wash. Not super cheap, not super expensive. Good beer, but unless you really like Guinness Stout, you'll think you spent too much money on the bottle.

What I like most: The Label artwork and beautiful appearance.

What I like least: the curious similarities to Guinness Stout.

Verdict: You can find this beer cheaper under a different name, but all old school Heshers have to drink it out of deference...

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2010 23:34:33 | More by SolomonGrundy

AgentMunky

Alabama

3.03/5  rDev -19.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured from a 22 ounce bottle into a Koningshoeven chalice.

A: Little to no off-white head. Clear brown sugar.

S: Fruity-sweet and malty. Raisins. Smells a bit like a BSDA. Flat.

T/M: Eh. Thin, yeasty, and lightly sour fruit. Red candy licorice? I'm generally unimpressed.

O: Not a fan, to be honest. It's an okay beer, and I wouldn't recommmend or have again; but still, I'm not a huge fan of altbier in general.

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2012 05:48:37 | More by AgentMunky

Halcyondays

California

3/5  rDev -20.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

22 oz. bomber,

A: Pours a deep red with a medium white head, good lace.

S: Cracked wheat and bread, pumpernickel, roast, and toast.

T: Lots of crystal malt, toast. Piney hop finish, definitely an Americanized big altbier, tastes like an Imperial Red almost. A bit unpleasantly bitter at the end.

M: Medium-bodied, but a chalky finish, has a bit of a carbonic acid feel which I not a huge fan of.

D: It's OK, very inexpensive for the bomber ($3.50) which helps, just wish there was something more to it.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2010 04:55:37 | More by Halcyondays

mdcrouser

Missouri

2.53/5  rDev -33.1%
look: 5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

That's an outstanding looking brew - steady head, chunky like snowfall on fence posts from the beginning, but it melts down a bit to only ring the glass. Like deep brown bricks, with hints of orange around the edges - strong looking beer.

The smell is disappointing at best - a puzzling combination of chalk, tube sock, and a hint of toasted malt.

Unique malt foundation - not sweet, just solid, with heavy hops to balance it out. Grassy, with a bit of cinnamon and other spice.

Good carbonation, it's just unfortunate that what's carbonated isn't that good.

Really didn't enjoy this one - just not my kind of beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2010 03:42:33 | More by mdcrouser

SaintMarysGirl

California

1.58/5  rDev -58.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 2

it has a sweet smell almost flowery and has no head at all very weak no foam at the top. smalls like nail polish very alcholic heavy mouth feel but can seem moderate aond some what watery has a very sour taste with a bitter finish it lingers little but not to much when you swollow i didnt like it myself but it i liked beer i might

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2012 03:30:50 | More by SaintMarysGirl