Big Whig - Noble Ale Works

OlieIPA

California

3.86/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Poured into a Firestone Walker Pub glass and served in the low 50 F range.

A: Light and clear copper hue. White frothy head that descends into a thin layer foam a few minutes after the initial pour. One note: Hazy appearance when poured at the brewery itself. Decided to cold crash and seemed to clear out the beer.

S: Mild hints of pine and grass with some biscuit malt backbone. Reminds me of an Alesmith or Taps like IPA....at least in approach.

T: Very well balanced. No significant or stand out flavors. This particular beers signature feature is its clean flavor profile.

M: Typical; slightly dry and light to medium body.

O: A good beer; true to style. Beers like this make this an up and coming brewery. Keep up the good work Evan!

Serving type: growler

02-12-2013 02:57:09 | More by OlieIPA

Popp24

California

4/5  rDev +6.1%

05-15-2013 21:38:33 | More by Popp24

MoistPope

California

3.75/5  rDev -0.5%

05-14-2013 05:10:15 | More by MoistPope

Bnoise11

California

4/5  rDev +6.1%

05-13-2013 02:40:46 | More by Bnoise11

tourdot

Wisconsin

2.75/5  rDev -27.1%

05-12-2013 06:11:11 | More by tourdot

mroberts1204

California

3.5/5  rDev -7.2%

05-09-2013 00:46:29 | More by mroberts1204

kojevergas

California

3.16/5  rDev -16.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

1 pint 6 fl oz brown glass bottle with standard pressure cap acquired at a local SoCal beer store and served into a conical Samuel Smith's pint glass in me gaff in low altitude Los Feliz, Los Angeles, California. Reviewed live. Expectations are average; I'm not big on the beers I've had from this brewery so far. I try to support locals. Cost was $5.00.

Served cold, straight from the fridge. Side-poured with standard vigor as no carbonation issues are anticipated.

A: Pours a two finger beige colour head of decent cream, nice thickness, and good (~4-5+ minute) retention for the fairly high ABV. Body colour is a dull unfiltered cloudy yellow-copper. Abundant floating yeast are readily visible. No bubble show. Decent for the style, but there's nothing unique or special here.

Sm: Heavy dominant grapefruit, with some underlying pine hop character. Pale malts, resins, honey. Floral hops. Intriguing, but I'm not sure the hop selection here was ideal. A bit of biscuity yeast when I look for it. No alcohol is detectable. A bit of hop oil. A mild to moderate strength aroma.

T: Hm. Grapefruit hop character, resinous floral hop character, and a bit of nectary hop oil. The light citrus is interesting, and it works well with the simple pale malt body. Honey lightens it and adds a pleasant balancing sweetness, but it never gets too sweet. Nor does it get too interesting; it's a rather simple IPA. No yeast character comes through in spite of the abundance of visible yeast particles noted in the appearance. No alcohol comes through, thankfully. I can see what they're going for - an IPA that conforms to the image of "West coast IPAs" in order to sell bombers at $5 a piece. And hey, it worked here for me. But it's not a bold or experimental beer, and by chasing others they've created a boring product. Decently balanced, but fairly pedestrian.

Mf: I like the softness, but it's too thick for its lack of deep and/or diverse flavours. Overcarbonated. Smooth and wet. A bit oily. Decent presence on the palate.

Dr: An uninspired IPA that will likely gain acclaim for its conformity. It seems more effort was put into the label and marketing than into the beer - which is kind of the point. Many people will happily spend $5 per bomber for this stuff, but I will not be one of them. An enjoyable if forgettable IPA. There's potential here, but this brewery needs to focus on innovation. Hides its ABV well. Drinkable stuff. I do like it, but it's poorly priced for its quality in a market oversaturated with better cheaper beers.

C+

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2013 05:10:46 | More by kojevergas

GRG1313

California

3.5/5  rDev -7.2%

03-28-2013 04:43:56 | More by GRG1313

mactrail

California

3.25/5  rDev -13.8%

03-27-2013 05:39:38 | More by mactrail

2beerdogs

California

3.5/5  rDev -7.2%

03-23-2013 05:23:57 | More by 2beerdogs

RedneckBeerz

North Carolina

4/5  rDev +6.1%

03-20-2013 12:41:16 | More by RedneckBeerz

Alek

California

3.25/5  rDev -13.8%

03-20-2013 02:16:56 | More by Alek

Beerbuddy21

California

3.75/5  rDev -0.5%

03-12-2013 01:04:06 | More by Beerbuddy21

Jessenimmo

California

3.5/5  rDev -7.2%

03-10-2013 21:01:20 | More by Jessenimmo

CEDAMA

California

5/5  rDev +32.6%

03-01-2013 05:54:01 | More by CEDAMA

drewone

California

3.75/5  rDev -0.5%

02-26-2013 06:01:12 | More by drewone

Hopulence

4.75/5  rDev +26%

02-21-2013 06:36:25 | More by Hopulence

mvdillman

Indiana

4.25/5  rDev +12.7%

02-20-2013 17:07:06 | More by mvdillman

ezperkins2

California

3.25/5  rDev -13.8%

02-18-2013 19:04:15 | More by ezperkins2

miadw3

California

4.25/5  rDev +12.7%

02-17-2013 01:41:47 | More by miadw3

12owls

California

4.25/5  rDev +12.7%

02-09-2013 21:42:53 | More by 12owls

st9647v3

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +6.1%

02-08-2013 21:57:32 | More by st9647v3

EricSS

California

3.09/5  rDev -18%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

served on draft at obriens in san diego

Apperance - golden amber with haze. No head , but lace forms down the glass

Smell - floral hop aroma, slightly sweer, not complex. Very hard to pick out anything else.

Taste - while not bad, its nothing to write home about. Slight piney hop taste on the front with a pure bitterness on the back end. Some grain does push through right before the final biterness, but its hard to catch.

Mouthfeel - it has a medium body. Mouthfeel is better than taste in my opinion.

Overall I have only tried this beer on tap and their "IPA" from bottle before. I lthought the normal IPA was better. They may be the same beer with a new name. I have no idea if this beer is old and has lost hop profile, but I will most likely not order again. I feel like the bitter finish is not balanced out by anything else. Which some people may like, but I prefer slighly more balanced IPAs. In San Diego that's not hard to find.

Serving type: on-tap

02-05-2013 03:34:21 | More by EricSS

baybassboy

California

4/5  rDev +6.1%

02-02-2013 18:31:30 | More by baybassboy

UCLABrewN84

California

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

On tap for the 4th Annual LA Beer Week Beer Festival at Union Station in Los Angeles, CA.

Pours a clear golden orange with a foamy khaki head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Tiny dots of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt, citrus zest, and herbal hop aromas. Taste is much the same with a medium hop bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a good beer that is tasty and refreshing.

Serving type: on-tap

10-03-2012 04:06:06 | More by UCLABrewN84