Noon Day IPA - Nantahala Brewing Company

wedge

North Carolina

3.88/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

@ Nantahala

Solid orange-amber color with a slim white head that leaves some lace on the glass. Smells of sweet orange and general citrus zest, fruit, and a touch of caramel. Sweet zesty citrus and fruit again in the flavor. Maybe a bit too much malt sweetness which cut down on the drinkability for me. Medium bodied, somewhat textured in feel, with a decent bitterness. Solid...I'll be revisiting this one.

Serving type: on-tap

07-21-2012 20:05:11 | More by wedge

Brewsed

North Carolina

3.75/5  rDev -11.1%

03-21-2013 00:04:20 | More by Brewsed

jorrx003

Florida

4.25/5  rDev +0.7%

01-13-2013 22:07:50 | More by jorrx003

RevRaymer

North Carolina

4.5/5  rDev +6.6%

10-26-2012 03:51:28 | More by RevRaymer

brentk56

North Carolina

4.23/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Arrives with a slightly hazy honey color with an impressive head; nice retention and lacing

Smell: Grapefruity, with a slightly floral aspect; slightly bready

Taste: A little bit of bread and then we are off to hop land, with grapefruit and floral hop elements leading the way; nice, floral/bitter finish with a touch of sweetness

Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate carbonation

Overall: One of the better IPAs brewed in NC - this is an up and coming brewery that bears watching

Serving type: on-tap

09-22-2012 19:57:02 | More by brentk56

wceaton

North Carolina

4.5/5  rDev +6.6%

09-08-2012 21:50:36 | More by wceaton

Gatordaddy

Maryland

4.5/5  rDev +6.6%

07-07-2012 16:22:11 | More by Gatordaddy

SlowWideTurns

North Carolina

4.25/5  rDev +0.7%

07-05-2012 01:14:55 | More by SlowWideTurns

akorsak

Pennsylvania

4.15/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A half gallon growler, from Hops and Vines in Asheville. My first run in with Nantahala.

A: The IPA is amber orange, translucent with a bit of a glow. A huge head, over three fingers on the first few pours, is white and leaves thick lace all around the glass.

S: Grapefruit, a rich citrus hoppiness, wafts out of my glass immediately. I'll be frank, I was surprised as the robustness of the aroma. A light caramel base underlies the hops, their zestiness a mighty fine aspect.

T: The taste stresses balance, bringing more caramel and downplaying the hops a bit - just a bit. The caramel and biscuits are light, breadier. The hops bring grapefruit and orange, flavors that go together nicely. A deep inhale just before each sip draws in more of the hoppy zestiness - a refresh of the powerful first sip. The hops are never bitter, resulting in a very smooth drink. Makes me regret not making the drive out to Bryson City.

M: The hoppiness is surprising, the most oomph of any of the AVL-related beers that I've had over the past week. A good IPA. Makes me wish I had another growler.

Serving type: growler

06-02-2012 01:34:15 | More by akorsak

Kegatron

Pennsylvania

3.55/5  rDev -15.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On tap @ Revolution Pizza & Ale House (Charlotte, NC) on 3/11/12. Served in a pint glass.

Pours a clear golden copper, with a thin covering of white head. This maintains some foamy edges, leaving back some light swathes of lacing. The aroma smells fresh, leafy, and a bit piney, with some crisp green grapefruit character in the nose and then sweeter backing notes of bready grains and tropical tones of pineapple and mango. The malt and fruit are leaving the biggest impression on me here.

The taste is also on the sweeter side, with tropical fruit and herbal character that sits on top of a zestier feeling bitterness. The malts sticks to that juicier hop flavors to keep the overall profile on the stickier side but this does finish with more of an assertive presence, as light resins and leafy pith linger with some dryness. Then mouthfeel is medium bodied and sharp on the tongue but does get more creamy and slick feeling along the sides. Alcohol is well hid.

There was definitely more to like than dislike with this IPA but the sweetness here gave this an overall softness when I was looking for more of a crisp bite from those hops. This went down easy enough but some additional assertiveness here would have been nice.

Serving type: on-tap

03-14-2012 19:06:08 | More by Kegatron

carrollmel7

North Carolina

4.5/5  rDev +6.6%

03-03-2012 22:09:42 | More by carrollmel7

Finatic

Florida

4.47/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Poured from a sealed growler into a chilled pint glass.

A: Pours a light golden color with a finger head. Excellent lacing retention that sticks to the glass throughout.

S: Huge hop bomb with a lovely piny, resinous aroma.

T: Oodles of floral hops with a nice piney aftertaste.

M: A medium like carbonation to it, very easy drinking.

O: My session IPA when I visit my buddy's cabin in NC 4-5 times a year. Always head to the brewery once or twice when I'm there and always leave with 4-5 growlers of Noon Day.

Serving type: growler

12-12-2011 16:38:52 | More by Finatic

tclapper

North Carolina

4.25/5  rDev +0.7%

12-03-2011 23:53:40 | More by tclapper

GehenHerzog

North Carolina

5/5  rDev +18.5%

11-26-2011 13:56:54 | More by GehenHerzog

dirtylou

Washington

3.93/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

on-tap, duckworths ballantyne

an IPA from a brewery I've never heard of in a town i just heard of the other day (see - Bill Bryson - "The Lost Continent") with a BA rating of A- noted on the list - yeah, I'll check that one out

appearance: shaker pint, hazy orange body - filmy head

smell: hop cones, noticeably bitter, earthy malt

taste: nice IPA - a little rustic - moderate bitterness, citrus rind, bready, grassy, not very refined but pungent and to the point.

mouthfeel: assertive bitterness, medium body

overall: good stuff - glad i went for it

Serving type: on-tap

11-24-2011 05:24:54 | More by dirtylou

merlin48

Kentucky

4.2/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Draft at 12bones in Asheville. Slightly hazed golden orange body topped by a small offwhite head that leaves wispy patch lacing.

Aroma of pink grapefruit, pine resin, and hints of honey.

Medium body and carbonation. Very clean.

Taste has an assertive hop bitterness that is ideally balanced by the pale malts and just a hint of honey sweetness. Grapefruit,pine resin, and a hint of florals provide a solid bittering hop presence. Finish is clean and even.

Very well balanced. An excellent pint to accompany good bbq.

Serving type: on-tap

09-25-2011 15:44:03 | More by merlin48

callisbeers

North Carolina

4.43/5  rDev +5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Served on tap at the brewery. Nice yellowish orange color with nice layer of head and good retention. The IPA smell I love, citrusy, grapefruit with just a hint of pine. And the taste to match. This is a well balanced IPA, not too much bitterness but enough to let you know what you are drinking. Mouthfeel is just right as well. Not sure is if it was just the perfect storm, being in the mountains on a nice summer day, hanging at the brewery on a Sunday evening with family, that is the reason I really really enjoyed this beer. But whatever the reason this was one of my favorite IPA's. I bought a growler event though I live 5 hours away. I'll be back!

Serving type: on-tap

09-07-2011 11:31:51 | More by callisbeers

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

4.13/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Lightly hazed, golden-yellow body with a sustained, just barely off-white head fed by some streaks of sustained carbonation.

Smell: Citrusy, fruity grapefruit aroma, growing a bit as it warms, and paired with pine resins and lightly floral hints. Yeah, you've got some malt accents of pale malted barley and honey, but, predominately, it's a hoppy nose.

Taste: Pale malts with hints of honey and a flash of sweetness, then, resinous pine, white grapefruit lending plenty of pith and a slight citric quality. Moderately bitter. Meager malty rebound gives a bit more honey and golden syrup. Drying, bitter finish with a lingering resinous flavor in the mouth.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium carbonation. Slight discernible oiliness to the mouthfeel.

Drinkability: A good, no-nonsense, punchy IPA.

Serving type: on-tap

11-03-2010 22:07:12 | More by ChainGangGuy

blackie

Virginia

4.1/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

a: standard glass, the beer is a hazy, rich golden in color, with a light layer of white carbonation

s: bright tropical and citrus hop nose, fresh grapefruit and orange, resinous and pungent - skunky in an "herbal" kinda way, simple pale malt body lets the hops have their way, very nice

m: carbonation on the lower side, body lightish

t: citrusy hop flavors on a body of clean pale malts, more tropical flavors underneath, grapefruit pith bitterness, hops pushed to the foreground here

d: great drinkability and a very nice ipa from a brewery I hadn't yet heard of, maybe it was just the setting, but this one went down with ease

taken with a half-rack of pineapple-habanero ribs at 12 Bones

Serving type: on-tap

09-24-2010 19:54:28 | More by blackie

beer2day

North Carolina

4.28/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

On tap at the Mellow Mushroom in Asheville.

Cloudy, hazy gold pour with thick 1/2 finger of deep cream head. Pretty decent retention and good lace.

Earthy, peaty nose with lots of herbal, floral hops. Has a very raw quality.

Lots of malt balance the hops very nicely. Bready, thick, and chewy middle. Floral sweet finish.

A little on the thick side for a true session IPA, but 2 of these went very well with lunch.

Serving type: on-tap

08-22-2010 12:02:36 | More by beer2day

mklinger

North Carolina

4.2/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I had 4 pints of this beer across two days at River's End Restaurant at the Nantahala Outdoors Center.

Served in a pint glass, this beer was a bronze color -- golden with amber hints. It was slightly hazy as often seen in IPAs. A solid 1 inch head was on it each time it was served & it left lots of nice lacing behind.

Aroma was strongly grapefruit initially, with some orange & piney resin. Really nice hop character. Not a lot of malt in the aroma, but maybe a bit of toasty, bready aroma. This beer has great fresh aroma -- up there with a lot of my favorite classics, Two-Hearted Ale, Sweetwater IPA, Stone IPA. Really nice hop character. Given that they've only been selling beer for a couple weeks, this beer was as fresh as it gets.

Taste was similarly strong in character. Lots of great hop flavors balanced out with both some nice malt character including a bit of caramel sweetness & some Munich bready character and with some solid hop bitterness. This isn't a super bitter beer (not a Stone IPA), but it has enough bitterness for good balance. This beer was really about hop flavors & aromas more than bitterness.

Nice mouthfeel, thin enough to be drinkable but full enough to be malty in body. Well carbonated, too. This was a wonderfully drinkable IPA.

Serving type: on-tap

06-19-2010 15:03:31 | More by mklinger

mikesgroove

South Carolina

3.9/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Another new one from a new and up and coming brewer.

The pour was nice, deep amber color with a light haze to it at first. Smoothing over the top was about a finger and half depth of white fluffy head that settled down nicely and left some light touches down the sides of the glass. Aroma was light grapefruit, touches of orange, sweet notes of buttery malts and light tangerine. Carries over well into the taste as the crisp hops jump on the tongue immediatly and let their presence be known.Nice quick hit of bitter grapefruit up front melts into a nice malty backbone that carries it through into the lightly dry finish.

Overall a really solid offering here. I had a good deal of IPA's today and this one can hold its own for sure.

Serving type: on-tap

06-06-2010 15:57:44 | More by mikesgroove