Sleigh'r Dark Doüble Alt Ale - Ninkasi Brewing Company

AgentMunky

California

3.03/5  rDev -19.6%
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

Hoptometrist

Oregon

4/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Served on tap into a shaker glass at Laughing Planet

A- Poured a dark mahogany color with a nice frothy off-white head that left glass coating lace

S- Big rich caramel and toffee notes, some cinnamon and vanilla, light cocoa notes

T- Rich caramel and toffee notes, some cherry flavors, breadiness, and light orange peel notes.

M- Smooth, medium body, low carbonation, finished semi-dry

O- Very malt forward and not really any hop presence, which is rare for a Ninkasi beer (even their oatmeal stout is pretty bitter hop bomb).

Serving type: on-tap

12-07-2012 04:37:08 | More by Hoptometrist

sam_bliss

Washington

3.98/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 22 oz. bomber

A- I think this is a very pretty beer. Super dark but translucent red. Looked almost black but the red comes through when held up to the light. A thick off-white head dissipated rather slowly.

S- As the head dissipated, sweet malts come through with a bit of sprucey hop freshness.

T- Caramel, chocolate, and other sweet malts, with just a bit of smokiness. Surprisingly well balanced for such a malty beer. Fruity in a good way.

M- Pretty thick on the palate. Low carbonation and just a bit of stickiness. Just the right amount of warmth for a Christmas beer.

O- I love it. Tastes hoppier than I would expect from a dark double atlbier (though I've never had an ale described exactly like that before this), but less bitter than the IBU rating had me bracing for - this hoppiness works brilliantly for such a sweet beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2012 08:25:38 | More by sam_bliss

BucannonXC5

California

3.83/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

22-oz.bomber into a pint glass at my house on Dec. 1, 2012 (purchased the variety 4-pack for $15.99 at BevMo (with card) in La Mesa, Calif. (San Diego) on Nov. 27, 2012). Black, but not pitch black, with some brown in it with two fingers of dark tan head that lasted for quite some time. Pretty good retention all-around - wet and foamy on the sides, light lacing on the top.

Smelled black cherry, dark fruits, chocolate, plum, toffee and caramel.

Tasted those same dark fruits - black cherry, plum and regular cherries. Also chocolate, toffee, caramel and even a bit of brown sugar. Pretty bitter.

Full body. Surprisingly thin texture. Soft (below average) carbonation. Normal finish.

This was a pretty good beer, although I think it could have been better. I’m a sucker to chocolate and cherry in the beer and it worked here, but not as much as I would have liked.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2012 07:51:28 | More by BucannonXC5

UCLABrewN84

California

3.65/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a clear dark brown with a foamy dark khaki head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Small streaks of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of toasted malt and caramel. Taste is much the same with a herbal hop flavor on the finish. There is a medium bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer but I am liking the smell over the taste.

Serving type: bottle

11-30-2012 05:35:04 | More by UCLABrewN84

BeerManDan

California

3.58/5  rDev -5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Medium Dark brown when poured, with very little foam, but, a fair amount of lace on the side of the glass. The smell of roasted malts, caramel, fruit and spices was sort of weak, but after a few more sniff's, you could pick it up. The taste was of roasted malts, bitter/sweet dark caramel and a hint of dark bitter chocolate. On the palate, the 7.2% alcohol wasn't that much a factor. The bitter flavorless taste linger just to much. Overall, it could have been a touch softer.

Serving type: bottle

11-25-2012 23:20:41 | More by BeerManDan

TheSevenDuffs

Ontario (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Poured very dark brown with a small amount of light brown head.

S - Bready malts, brown sugar, and some noticeable alcohol on the nose.

T - Bready malts, brown sugar, warming alcohol and a touch of spice,

M - Light to medium body. Light carbonation.

Serving type: on-tap

10-03-2012 18:02:26 | More by TheSevenDuffs

ngeunit1

California

4/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Pours a dark red-black with a finger of frothy slightly off-white head. The head fades down fairly quickly leaving behind some light lace.

S - Aroma is a mix of dark, lightly roasted malts, dark fruits, chocolate, with some spices and some lemon and noble hops.

T - Starts off with a mix of dark fruits, dark malts, some molasses, and a touch of spice. Through the middle, some roasted character and chocolate comes through with some noble hop flavor. The finish is a mix of roasted dark malts, dark fruit, chocolate, some spices, and some alt yeast esters.

M - Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Feels smooth and a touch syrupy with a sweet and roasty finish.

D - Very drinkable. Nicely balanced Double Altbier. Nice malty backbone with some dark fruit, chocolate, and yeast character to balance.

Serving type: bottle

09-27-2012 04:32:04 | More by ngeunit1

N3rdM3t4l

Oregon

4.28/5  rDev +13.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bomber purchased in Dec been ageing. Loved it in Dec hopefully it works even better now. Poured into standard pint.

A: dark red/brown like a the child of a red ale and a porter. Not much head from this 7.5 month old bottle and a sparse cap. Leaving adequate lacing.

S: Ethanol and dark malt. Big chocolate on the nose too. Reminds me of a 16% stout I once loved.

T: lots of chocolate taste, a little roasty, and a bit like slightly burned biscuits. The hops have setteled down a bit from what I remember but still there. A slight bitter note at the end then ethanol warming.

M: thicker side of medium with just enough chew. Smooth with just a bit of carbonation.

O: Good stuff at this age, the alcohol seems to be stronger and the hops a little less. Might have let it sit a little too long but it is still one of my favorites.

Serving type: bottle

07-26-2012 01:15:35 | More by N3rdM3t4l

LiquidAmber

Washington

3.95/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Review from 11/2010 notes. Poured into a Nostradamus flute glass. Pours a dark brown with red highlights; light head and lacing. Aroma of fruit, bread and malt. Medium body. Malty flavor with a peppery bite in the middle. Roasty and dark malt, light fruit, a bit of nut, some cocoa, mild hops. Dry spicy finish. A nice revisitable seasonal ale. This really grew on me as I finished the glass.

Serving type: bottle

07-12-2012 03:42:53 | More by LiquidAmber

MaltsOfGlory

Oregon

3.98/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

As far as I can remember, this is one of my favorite Ninkasi beers, but I haven't had it in a while, and the brewery has expanded a lot over the last couple of years. A interesting (and aggressive) pour yields a one and a half finger head into my standard pint glass. The head is about half creamy and fluffy looking and half somewhat soapy and bubbly, but that is probably due to the aggressive pour. The head is an extremely light brown, maybe even more off-white than light brown, that's how light it is. The lacing looks like it will be great, but we will have to see for sure as I get down the glass. The head retention was pretty good, it hung around for quite some time. Now, after about 5 minutes, I still have some bubbles on top of the body. The body is very dark, but for sure not black. It has some black in it, but also brown and ruby. Visibility is zero. I can't really see the carbonation due to the color. Overall it's a nice body, slightly unique for a winter beer - having red in it and all, but then again I'm not familiar with the style. Either way it's still a good look. We will see how the lacing goes, but this is a good looking beer so far. On the nose I get just a wonderful malt smell. Very full, rich, deep malt aroma. Roasty and chocolatey too. Perhaps a touch of coffee on the nose as well. Not a whole lot in the way of hops, and frankly not a whole lot other than the great malt smell. It's a solid 4, but a few other aromas could go a long way. With that being said, it still smells great. Yeah, this is a nice beer, pretty close to what I remember too. You get that nice, chocolatey malt flavor up front. Frankly it's not as dominating as I was expecting, which is a little disappointing, but it's not the end of the world. It's also extremely sweet, malty sweet. I like the sweetness, but it may be a hair too much. Not much going on in the way of hops at all. A little bit of spices perhaps, there seems to be something other than delicious malts going on here. Kind of like a cinnamon vibe. I doubt it's cinnamon that's in here, but something in that realm. This beer is more than just your average winter beer, but just by a little bit. I don't think it has enough to be a 4.5. It's a solid 4, but let it be known that it's a little more than just a nice malty beer. The mouthfeel isn't bad. It's slightly thinnger than I would like, but it's not bad. It for sure has some thickness to it, just not quite as thick as I want in a hearty winter beer. The carbonation is for sure low, but that works in a winter beer. It may be a hair lower than it should be, but overall it's good for the style. It has a slightly creamy feel to the mouth as well. Even though I really like the mouthfeel, it does have some areas it needs to improve on. It's really right in between a 3.5 and a 4. The lack of carbonation and body makes me want to give this beer a 3.5 for feel. However, the carbonation and body are both very close to being spot on, and I really like the slight creaminess, and really the overall feel, enough to give it a 4. For being 7.2% ABV, this beer is DAMN drinkable! I would have never guessed this beer was 7.2% if the bottle didn't say it. It really drinks like a 5.5% or a 6% beer, great drinkability. Overall it's a solid beer. Not the most amazing beer ever, but for sure one I will have again. There really isn't anything wrong with the flavor at all, it just doesn't have enough pizzazz to be more than a good beer. So, overall, it's a good beer.

The flavor really started to get sweet. The malts still played a big role, but I would say that the sweetness may have become more dominant.

The appearance turned out to be...eh, not bad. The lacing was there, but it wasn't that pretty. It was somewhat patchy and EXTREMELY soapy and bubbly. It didn't look like your average lacing at all, rather - worse than average. I'm not quite sure how to grade this because the head was nice. The body wasn't really amazing, but better than average I supposed, for sure unique regardless. The lacing wasn't bad, just...not my cup of tea. I'm going to give it a 3.5 for appearance. I could give it a 4 but...I wouldn't say I've cut this beer any breaks, but there have been a few grades that I gave a 4 to instead of a 3.5 already.

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2012 09:32:55 | More by MaltsOfGlory

brotherloco

California

3.85/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

22oz bomber. From Winter 2011 pack. Served in a goblet.

Pours a dark, slightly translucent brown with a 2 finger beige head. Settles fairly quickly. Lots of lacing left in glass.

Aroma is mostly dark malt, slightly sweet, slightly roasted. Dark fruits. Bright hops in the background.

Flavor is dark roasted malt with a ton of fruit notes. Fruit is lighter and sweeter than the nose. Apple, pear, banana. Spicy hops mix things up. Caramel sweetness sneaks through. Alcohol is mostly hidden.

Medium bodied with medium-light carbonation. A touch thick.

Overall, solid and smooth. A nice winter brew, and mild given the biggish ABV.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2012 07:37:03 | More by brotherloco

climax

Missouri

3.78/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

This one pours a beer bottle brown with a medium size tan head. Retention and lacing are good; the big bubbles and patches of foam take a while to scarper off.

The nose is all malt; yet slight wood tones and ripe fruit seep their way in. Roasted chocolate tones and spice do a decent job of keeping things interesting.

50 IBU's seems high for the amount of bitterness I get, yet the finish is quite resinous and dry when I think about it. The alcohol announces itself much more in the taste, and accents the malt-heavy profile quite well. Ripe cherries and chalky yeast flavors do a good job of adding some spunk.

The medium body has a nice chewy quality. That, mixed with the dry chalky finish, makes for a good mouthfeel; perhaps the highlight of the beer for me.

If your looking for a malt-centric beer to cuddle up to while waiting for Santa, this may be a good stocking stuffer.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2012 05:21:58 | More by climax

augustgarage

California

3.8/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 22oz bomber into my Uerige sticke.

Auburn liquid, nearly clear with bronze highlights and a beige cap. Pasty lacing, good retention.

Very mild toasty malt notes in the nose - little else.

Intensely malty palate entry with hints of the woodshop. Potent and focused astringency leads to the dry, malty/woody finish with additional touches of earth and peat (grassy/peppery notes from hops?). A touch of cocoa and roast coffee comes out as well. Vague spice sweetens up the aftertaste a tiny bit - alcohol offers a nice kick.

Light-bodied, smooth, warming, gently carbonated mouthfeel.

While the aroma doesn't lead you to expect much, this packs a singular malty punch without excessive astringency. The specialty malts are well displayed but in no way overwhelm the base malts.

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2012 05:40:10 | More by augustgarage

Hophead101

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

blind beer #3 from flexabull

A:3.5 pours a very dark brown, almost black color. off white head that wasn't very big and didn't last too long. left a decent amount of lacing as it was consumed.

S:3.5 roasted, caramel malts. some spices in there. nothing too exciting or overpowering

T:3.5 very similar in taste as smell. caramel malts, roastiness, bread, biscuit, brown sugar. still getting some spice as well. also some dark fruit nestled in there.

M:3.5 decent. slightly thin at first. good carbonation.

D:3.5 so so. not too complex.

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2012 00:56:20 | More by Hophead101

SaintMarysGirl

California

1.58/5  rDev -58.1%
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

djbreezy

Washington

3.95/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

appearance - dark but slightly transparent, medium head

smell - malts and dark fruit

taste - malt, sugar, fruit hints (date, fig type thing going on)

mouthfeel - medium body due to high carbonation but light mouthfeel

overall - tasty malty beverage from ninkasi, not their best, not their worst

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2012 16:42:14 | More by djbreezy

DarthKostrizer

California

3.88/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Look: Dark brownish red in color with a 1/2 inch head and very good retention

Smell: Some dark fruit and brown sugar

Taste: Again like most Ninkasi beers this guy is very malty. Notes of caramel toffee and burnt sugar are present

Mouthfeel: Medium body and mildly carbonated

Overall: This is a good winter beer and I would recommend it and drink it again

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2012 19:00:00 | More by DarthKostrizer

laituegonflable

Australia

3.6/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a copper colour, quite clear with tan head, minimal but a decent fizz to it. Lace is nice and sticky. Looks rich, but maybe a bit thin.

Smells rich and Christmassy, with lots of dried fruit - raisins and sultanas with some dried apple, cinnamon, nutmeg and a hint of ginger. Treacle and molasses as well make it a bit too sweet, but it's a yummy Christmas beer.

Taste is far more sour, with the fruit esters dominating for the most part. Pear and fig with sultanas, raisins and a slight banana phenol joining in on the mid-palate. Spice comes in on the back with cinnamon, nutmeg and clove and an underlying boozey heat. Could actually use a bit more of that sweetness that put me off a bit on the nose, it feels a bit detached and needs more of a backbone on which to float that complex spice.

A bit drying and spicey at the edges, yet the body is decent.

A good Christmas beer, but some more sweetness on the palate would go a long way to balance it out.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2012 05:18:43 | More by laituegonflable

mithrascruor

California

3.5/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

22 oz. bottle poured into a mug.

Appearance: Pours a dark brown color, a bit amber in the light. Minimal bubbly head dissipates in a few seconds.

Smell: Dark, toasty caramel malts. Quite mild overall.

Taste: Toasty malt flavor with sweetness coming and going, but never to strong. A bit of the Oktoberfest spiciness. Some bitterness in the aftertaste.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied and mostly smooth, with quite a bit of carbonation.

Drinkability: Easy to drink, nice flavor.

Nothing too special, but an enjoyable beer. Good flavor, and easy to drink. Has a wintertime feel, but neither too sweet nor too strong.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2011 03:40:32 | More by mithrascruor

lacqueredmouse

Australia

3.5/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle purchased earlier in the year in California, brought back to Sydney, and shared with @LaitueGonflable on Christmas Eve.

Pours a lovely clear amber hue, with a fine, if slightly filmy head of pure white. It's a nice Altbier colour. Lightish body, with a touch of the gelatinous thickness to it, but less than I expected from a 7.2% ABV beer. Looks decent enough.

Nose is grainy and malt forward, with the sweetness being very forward. Rather mild all up; I enjoy a bit of sharpness in a good Alt, and while this has a singing slight funk to it, it doesn't quite capture it. Not bad.

Taste is clear and pleasant. A touch of greenness and some metallic resonances. Again, the malt sweetness is tempered and pleasant, but the grains could be upped a little more to give that classic heavy German malt character. The lack of this is disappointing, as it doesn't really have much other interest, or a twist on the style, to compensate. Feel is light, but not bad.

Not bad all up, but a little average. The problem is that it's not that interesting, and it's not even that classically "Altbier". Solid enough on its own terms, but Ninkasi can do better.

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2011 04:46:10 | More by lacqueredmouse

RJLarse

Washington

3.2/5  rDev -15.1%
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

Vancoubeer

Washington

3.65/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On the brewery's website it mentions this has an IBU of 50. So I was a bit confused because the draft form of this I had was a chocolate malt bomb that had bitter chocolate flavor and no hop bitterness. However it was not a bitterness I would rate at 50. It pours a very dark brown, almost black, as the label indicates. It formed a white head, which indicated that this was not as dense or containing as much roasty tones of a stout but was going to be an interesting experience. When I smelled it, it really did not have much of a scent due to it just being taken out of the fridge. But there was a bit of that dark malt scent. After the first taste, you get that maltiness up front and through the rest of the sip. There are no hops but was a bit disappointed that the chocolatey malts I got on draft was not in the bottle. It was kind of subtle. So this is totally a draft beer for sure. The mouthfeel was medium and the carbonation was the way you would want it. Overall, I gave this a 4 because its a solid beer but get it on draft. Its a much more pleasant experience.

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2011 03:25:58 | More by Vancoubeer

draheim

Washington

3.68/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz bottle (2011) into a weizen glass. Pours a clear mahogany w/ a rich billowing head that sticks around. Tiny bubbles rise by the millions from the bottom of the glass. Looks like a doppelbock or a dunkeweizen.

Aroma is dark/caramel malt, maybe a hint of banana & clove - that could be my imagination though.

Taste is crisp, biscuity, malty, fruity w/ a nice hoppy finish. Clean, dry, medium body.

I'm not really sure what a dark double alt is, but this is a decent winter warmer.

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2011 05:35:52 | More by draheim

elNopalero

Texas

3.98/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This is a ruddy amber, a little like a darker, cloudy apple cider.

The cinder comparison is apt, as hints of it come across the flavor profile. (I’m thinking of Michigan cider, warmed with cinnamon, not hard cider.) There’s hints of cinnamon and cloves, as well as a hop profile that reminds me of pine sap and squeezed grapefruit.

It’s a unique one, and it’s tasty—not your typical holiday ale!

Serving type: on-tap

12-18-2011 06:15:05 | More by elNopalero