Sleigh'r Dark Doüble Alt Ale - Ninkasi Brewing Company

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

stoutfiend27

North Carolina

4.15/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

bomber received in the latest with james...

a-pours a dark cola brown color with ample carb bubbles as it fills the glass....small one finger slight off white head..

s-rich nutty malts...reminds me a lot of naughty goose....chocolaty and roast...

t-zero hops..this is all malt...rich caramel and toffee...some nougat and a bit of nuttiness...finishes rich

m-creamy and smooth...carbonation is great and this really coats the mouth well...

d-easy drinking and would def seek this out again

overall another solid brew sent my way...thanks again bro

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2011 01:48:45 | More by stoutfiend27

industrialswill

Washington

4.13/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This could very well be my first double dark alt. It's quite good.
Dark brown, nicely carbonated. The smell hints of hoppyness and roasted malt. Very smooth and balanced beer.
This bomber didn't last very long!
Another winner from Ninkasi and a nice way to treat yourself on a cold, grey winter night.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2011 00:34:54 | More by industrialswill

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

hreb

Washington

3.58/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Cold 22 oz bottle served in pint glass. Beer pours dark cola brown with a medium dark tan head. Slight aroma of phenol.

Taste is full and nutty, with a healthy load of hops and a little chalky bitterness. Secondary flavors of citrus. A little yeasty, too.

For a beer that is both as strong and as dark as this I am finding it surprisingly bland.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2011 01:23:38 | More by hreb

burnheartsMKE

Wisconsin

3.45/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

I spent this evening at my best friend Ryan's house recording vocals for a new rock & rock record we've been working on together. It just so happens that both Ryan & his wife are Armenians. It also just so happens that tonight is Armenian Christmas Eve and I happen to be in an Armenian Christmas mood. What better way to celebrate their holiday AND work on a rock record than with a bottle of what I can only imagine is a seasonal liquid tribute to the mighty rock group, Slayer.

It pours a heavy brown with deep shades of red
A warming aroma & thickish white head
And tastes like fresh fruitcake with cranberry and nuts
Leave Santa the cookies
'cause this ones for us.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2011 06:29:31 | More by burnheartsMKE

Offa

California

4.1/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This is an excellent, full-bodied beer, fairly balanced, interesting with good complexity.

Very dark copper-brown, it has a medium tan head steadily shrinking to a creamy thin top, then foamy ring and a little lace.

Aroma is dark caramelised, very toasty barley with dry leaves, hint of wood, very toasty and caramelly overall with hint of caramelised bacon.

Taste is a lot of toasted barley (singed, almost burnt), caramelised dry leaves and wood, black pepper. A burnt-pepper bitterness just dominates dark toffee sweetness at finish but backs off before becoming too bitter. Bitterness lingers with some hints of sweet, dark dried fruits and a light winey element. Bitterness is just a touch too assertive at end but it has good character and flavour. Feel is good, solid, not heavy.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2011 01:04:32 | More by Offa

BDTyre

British Columbia (Canada)

4/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Nice dark altbier. Looks almost like a porter, but a little more brown in the body.

Malty, almost smoky in the nose. Slightly sweet. Nice, roasted taste with a bit of smokiness and coffee to it. Faint hints of chocolate and caramel. Very light and enjoyable.

Light in the mouth, but fitting for the style. A nice dark take on the alt style.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2010 06:13:14 | More by BDTyre

Stigs

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - pours with a bit over a finger of slightly creamy, thick light tan colored foam. the beer is mostly clear, very deep amber in color. small patches of wet lace left behind.

S - rich chocolately malts, toasted nuts, crusty bread, and malted candies.

T - begins with traces of porter-like roasted malt, chocolate, roasted nuts and a slight bit of coffee before turning sweeter. caramel, toffee, and some dark fruits creep in. light bit of citrusy and earthy hops come alongside moderate bitterness.

M - thin to medium bodied, with moderate and fizzy carbonation. sweetness brings some dryness as well, though goes down a bit oily. finish only slightly chalky.

D - nice balance, warming but not harsh, and overall pretty tasty. very well suited for the winter months.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2010 02:21:25 | More by Stigs

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

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

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

hoppyhampy

California

3.48/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

22oz bottle poured into a tulip glass. No freshness info. This bottle has been in my fridge for a month or so and I am just now getting to it. Pours a lovely light brown color with an inch of lumpy foam. Good lacing. Sweet malt on the nose with slight roasted notes and an herbal bitter quality. Hints of dark chocolate. Fairly full bodied with a nice, round mouthfeel. Good carbonation. Good drinkability for 7.2abv. The nutty taste of the roasted malt prevails all the way through to the finish. The bitterness that comes from the hops doesn't really complement the rest of the flavor profile. I don't think the style needs this much hop bitterness. They stayed true to the style but I feel like they upped the hops along with the alcohol and the result is too bitter. Not bad though. Something different but nothing great.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2010 05:57:18 | More by hoppyhampy

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

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

Ghenna

California

3.53/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a dark amber with respectible off white head.

Nice roasted malt/coffee smell. Taste is a little dry. You get a lot of the roast flavors, but not much else. Not a sweet beer, not a bitter beer, definitely a roasty beer.

Beer is medium Bodied, which leads to it being fairly drinkable. Roast flavor though asks for a little of your time between sips.

I'm not sure how to feel about this beer. Initially, this is my first experience with an alt (which I bravely will be brewing in the next few weeks). With a beer this dark I usually expect it to deliver a little more sweetness. It smells delightful, to be sure, but taste is simply roasty. If that is your bag then this beer will be awesome. I think it would be much improved if it had a bit more sweetness to it. Then again that may well just be the style.

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2010 02:29:31 | More by Ghenna

felipe2toes

California

3.58/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a deep dark brown with a thick off-white head. Leaves a good amount of lacing on the glass.

I'm not really picking much up on the nose. Roasted malt.

Taste is definitely more pronounced than the smell. Very bready and malty, there's some nuttiness as well. Nice bitter hop finish that matches the malt well.

Good mouthfeel, nice carbonation and dry finish. Good drinkability as well.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2010 05:04:13 | More by felipe2toes

ebrauser

Utah

4.15/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

From a 22 to a pint glass

Appearance: Reddish brown with a thick, slightly tan head that bounces a little with a touch. The beer itself is crystal clear and leaves a slight lacing

Aroma: Spicy and woody, full but not particularly rich.

Flavor: Spicy with lots of dark fruits abounding within the malt. A little syrupy sweet with brown sugar, though hops break through to wrap up the taste with bitterness then spice.

Mouthfeel: About a 3/5 thickness but not coating. Feels a lot like a root beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2010 05:23:12 | More by ebrauser

pnwclimber

Washington

3.88/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Mid to dark brown. Pebbly head doesn't stick around too long.

S: A bit of a alcohol smell, but not much else.

T: Nice taste. Biscut flavor and a little fruity. Mild hops.

M: Mid range body but clean.

D: Very drinkable.

I really like this brew. I would buy it again ... and again ....

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2010 06:38:07 | More by pnwclimber

rayre

California

3.73/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Appearence: Dark brown with a fairly decent cream colored head, that eventually gives way to some nice lacing.

Smell: Not overwhelming, predominantly roasted malts, but nothing distinctive.

Taste: Almost like a nut brown. Roasted malts... picking up on a touch of apple. Hoppy without it being overwhelming or the main focus of the beer. Hints of chocolate as it reaches the back of the tongue. Not as complex as I was hoping for.

Mouthfeel: Fairly crisp and light. Good carbonation.

Drinkability: Very drinkable and light for a winter ale.

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2010 05:18:48 | More by rayre

flagmantho

Washington

3.58/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from 22oz bomber into a pint glass.

Appearance: rich brown hue with a clear body and two fingers of frothy ivory foam. A good looking beer.

Smell: bready, biscuity malt aroma. While these aren't really my favorite malt characteristics, I admit they are relatively well done here.

Taste: the aroma comes through directly in the flavor here. Bready, biscuity malt and actually quite dry. Earthy hops are mild but provide a nice contrast and balance to the malt. Really, this tastes more like a nut brown ale to me, but it's not too bad.

Mouthfeel: medium to medium-light body with a decent level of carbonation. There's a nice creaminess here that I wasn't expecting, and which I really rather like.

Drinkability: this beer has a good feel to it, but I just can't get behind the dry, biscuity malt flavors -- they just don't turn my key. Still, a decently crafted brew.

Serving type: bottle

11-30-2010 04:31:44 | More by flagmantho

100floods

California

3.5/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

SLAAAYYER!!! kinda.

Pours a nice crisp herbal, off-brown, cream white head. Interesting balance between malt and hops. It leans towards the sweeter side. This is a very malty, dark, herbed beverage. I feel like I'm drinking an extremely toned down shot of Fernet. The flavors remind me of winter. There's definitely a nice pine malt/hop bitterness to it that seems to be the main theme of this drink. Notes of pine and annis are definitely in your face. I've had a cookie that resembles the flavor of this beer. The mouthfeel is smooth and is easy to drink. The herbal notes are definitely not bad, but I think after one of these bottles, I'm good for a week or two. This is my third bottle in two months. It definitely makes you want drink it again, just not in a hurry. This is definitely one of the more unique holiday beers.

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2010 02:35:07 | More by 100floods

DamDweller

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Ninkasi Sleighr Ale, 2010

Pour a dark dark brown color with a small cream colored head. Smells like nutty chocolate with a hint of mint. The taste is strong on chocolate and hops. It seems more like a porter than an altbier. The nutty smell isn't really there on the tongue as would be expected from an altbier while it also has strong carbonation. The mouthfeel is great. It drinks very clean and crisp. The sweet chocolate lingers on the tongue well.

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2010 01:32:43 | More by DamDweller

OregonPaul

Oregon

4.68/5  rDev +23.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

If you like Malty winter beers this is for you. It is a wonderful departure from the typical over hopped holiday ales. It's simply not overdone making it a joy to have and have and have. Although I usually say away from cold winter brews, I find this one enjoyable served at a typical fridge temp. Buy as much as you can...

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2010 05:04:46 | More by OregonPaul

Elimination

Oregon

3.75/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A fairly light black slightly see through no head

A bit Of roasted malt in the nose some toffee and Carmel but it's hard to pick up

Taste is slight roast malt coffee chocolate but nothing stands out to hard I'm a little disappointed by this usually ninkasi is a brewery that really jumps out and brings it strong but this is sort of weak

Very light mouthfeel despite the abv

A pretty good beer overall but doesn't do a whole lot for me

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2010 01:37:38 | More by Elimination