Nelson - Alpine Beer Company

RaulMondesi

California

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

After I was punished by tha gutter water that is Blind Pig, it was one of those dayz cuz I was rewarded with this bad boi!

While sippin' on said swill, I fortunately became acquaintances with tha homie sittin' next to me at da bar (Hollingshead). It wuz tight like - homeboy is in to da syrup (like me), and because he was so nice (and into karma n shit) he ended up giving me a bottle of this out of the back of his truck. (Ima get you back, dawg!)

Anyway, dis thing done blow my mind! It got some hype, but unlike Halle Berry's nudie scene in dat dumb dumb movie, Nelson at least lives up to it! It wasn't like any other IPA I have ever had. When I drank tha thang, I knew it was an IPA, but at the same time, holy hell was it different! The finish was all silky like - kinda like this Persian girl I dated in high school.

Anyway, get dis thang. It dat good.

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2012 05:20:37 | More by RaulMondesi

tarheels86

California

4.2/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Tap at Toronado SD. Poured a clear straw/light yellow with excellent sheety white lace. Aroma is unreal, beautiful NZ hops shining forth: lots of rose wine, fresh grapefruit, fresh strawberries, peach, even fresh mint leaves. Taste is earthy hops, lots of butternut squash, grapefruit rind. Would love to try this again. 8/4/7/4/14=3.7

22oz bomber. Pours a clear yellow with a dense bright white head. Excellent lacing. Unreal aroma of fresh nectarines, raw mango flesh, Thai mango and sticky rice. Taste is rich, earthy mango flesh, dank Columbus hops, earthy/chewy hops. Very earthy, squashy, rich mango throughout. Un-f*cken real. So good. 9/4/8/4/15=4.0

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2012 17:53:08 | More by tarheels86

Mic-Lee

4.38/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Deep golden color. Smells strongly of grapefruit. Earthy, citrusy, grapefruit flavors in the hops. Unique Alpine dank maltiness. Medium body, creamy and medium carbonation. Good mouthfeel. Bright and satisfying taste. Bitterness only after it is swallowed, and it is minor. Smooth. Little alcohol taste.

Overall: This beer has a wonderful scent of grapefruit and white wine. It has the trademark dank maltiness of an Alpine brew as well. The smoothness of this beer is wonderful. Easy drinking, rich flavors, wonderful aromas and hops to satisfy. This one is a winner.

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2012 00:03:56 | More by Mic-Lee

EgadBananas

Louisiana

4.48/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a somewhat murky, light tangerine colour, with a whitish head. Little bits of lace. Aroma is tropical fruits, mango, herbal tones, and juicy citrus. Mirrored quite well on the taste with the sweet orange, mango and fruits. Mild bitterness, full of flavour. It's got a nice substantial feel, lower carbonation, but pleasant. Super easy to drink.

This is great. It's not a bitter bomb, but it's just a super flavourful, easy drinking IPA!

Thanks Alex! (LSUPT)

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2012 00:34:12 | More by EgadBananas

elgiacomo

Georgia

4.05/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

22oz bottle, unknown date. Served at around 45F.

Pours clear gold with a one finger white head that leaves some nice spotty lacing and holds a small cap with large bubbles.

Aroma is fruity hops, white grapes, melon (cantaloupe), some resin, onion and weed, a little pine and citrus, some caramel malt. Very good strength.

Flavor follows with resinous hops, white grapes, cantaloupe, fruity hops, decent caramel malt backbone with the rye lending a hint of spice on the finish. Some sweetness, moderate bitterness. Some alcohol on the finish as well.

Mouthfeel is medium-plus bodied, sticky and oily with good carbonation.

A very unique IPA. Those Nelson Sauvin hops are something else. Very good, but to be honest not as mind-blowing as I was expecting coming in. The aroma is definitely the strong suit, excellent.

Serving type: bottle

11-08-2012 00:43:11 | More by elgiacomo

DocJitsu

California

4.55/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a gorgeous orange-golden color that is impenetrable to light. Showcases an antique whit head that dissipates quickly. The nose is glorious. Juicy grapefruit to the hilt! Mouthfeel is wet and a little cottony toward the finish. A lot of grapefruit up front. The rye expresses itself in the middle, followed by distinct pine flavor. This is a magnificent beer. I can't believe how good this is. I'm not a rye fan, but this is phenomenal.

Serving type: on-tap

11-04-2012 02:18:34 | More by DocJitsu

mikereaser

Pennsylvania

3.83/5  rDev -13.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Part of the blind bif 7, paired beers

Well after a cold from hell and then a pesky storm that we were lucky to skirt for the most part, I am ready to dip into my very generous box from quirkzoo that I received awhile ago. Inside were 12 hobo wrapped bottles and one very nice Crooked Stave shirt. The wait has been killing me but I wanted to hold off until this cold was gone so I could enjoy these beers.

1.a
Pours a golden orange with an inch of white foam that leaves some good lacing down the glass. Right off the bat the aroma of this one is very juicy. Lots of citrus hops and boy is it smelling divine! I don't want to stop smelling it. Its just too damn good.
Nice amount of bitterness but nothing that overtakes the flavor. Very resiny with a hint of soapiness. This is very drinkable. The flavor doesn't knock you over like the aroma does, but its very enjoyable. Very dry finish, sort of reminds me of plink the elder but I don't think its the right bottle for it.

1.b
Pours the same as 1A but a little darker and with just a little less amount of foam. The lacing is not as pronounced and sticky as 1A. In comparison to 1A this has a lot of the same citrusy notes but way more subtle. A little bit more of the malt comes through. Now this one seems a bit more ramped up in the flavor. There is a bigger malty backbone to it which helps bring the flavor of the hops forward. Less bitterness as well. Its thicker bodied than 1A as well.

So these seem to be two different beers, one seems like an IPA and the other a DIPA. Its neat to see how the higher the maltiness really seems to bring out the hops in the flavor while the other one is all aroma. Both of these beers are really good and I was in need of some good hops so these hit the spot. So lets see what I was drinking…

1A is Alpine Nelson
1B is Alpine Pure Hoppiness

I really wanted to guess Alpine on a hunch but never had, and both were wants in my book. Hell of a good start thanks to quirkzoo for a great start to this bif for me.

Serving type: bottle

11-02-2012 04:43:59 | More by mikereaser

Vonerichs

Illinois

4.13/5  rDev -7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

The color is an unimpressive murky golf with a contrasting white head. What is impressive is the spider web of lacing.

Great aromatics... White grapes, grapefruit, and peach with a bready malt.

Delicious citrus hop profile showcases orange, grapefruit, and white grapes. There's a nice rye malt finish but is more bready than peppery.

Mouthfeel is clean and sticky but that sticky gives way to a lingering dryness.

This is a fantastic beer that does a great job showcasing the hops.

Serving type: bottle

10-21-2012 20:13:58 | More by Vonerichs

CAMRAhardliner

Ontario (Canada)

4.93/5  rDev +11%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Had this at the brewpub in Alpine two weeks ago. This review's from notes.

Pours a clear deep gold, just a touch darker than straw, with a creamy, pure white head that lasts the whole glass and drapes the glass with lace trails. Gigantic hop aromas in the nose - lemony, NS white grape skin, some resiny bitterness, very potent. The taste is awash with hop flavors - citrus, white grapefruit, tropical fruit, white grapes, it runs the gamut. A crackery malt base shows itself here and there, but never gives any semblance of 'balance'. The mouthfeel is light bodied with a medium carbonation level and mouth-coating hop oils. The finish is long and very bitter.

This is a majorly hoppy and complex IPA. Nelson Sauvin hops taste amazing at this hopping rate. A must try if you get a chance.

Serving type: on-tap

10-19-2012 02:03:54 | More by CAMRAhardliner

yamar68

Minnesota

4.73/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

HUGE thanks to quirkzoo for this one!

Hazy honey golden body, tons and tons of beading, dense milky finger of paper white head leaves tremendous gobs of lacing.

Hops explode from this beer... syrupy mango/citric sweetness gives my nose an orgasm. So intense, massive stuff. Faint spicy herbal qualities, fresh oranges, just delightful I think. Grapefruit bitterness evolves as it warms.

Incredibly thick tropical fruit, definite Sour Diesel flavors are everywhere, pleasant bitterness transitions into a clean, thirst quenching finish.

Overall, I can see why this beer is so highly sought after. I could drink only this beer everyday for the rest of my life and die happy.

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2012 23:55:00 | More by yamar68

pschul4

Illinois

4.48/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

150th Review! Huge HUGE thanks to ehammond1 for an unsolicited box with this, duet, and some pint glasses. Total class act

A- Pours a dark golden orange with a 1/2 inch head that quickly receeds

S- Boom. Nelson sauvin hops hit you right away. I can't put my finger on the exact scent they give off but its similar to a pine cone in a grapefruit. Simply stunning

T- The steal the show, tons of that fruity yet piney taste along with just enough rye and malt to keep everything clean. Leaves that familiar rye bite on the back end of the sip

M- Super smooth for the style. It works amazingly

O- Can't thank you enough Eric this was a big want of mine for a long time and it really lived up to my hopes. Trade for this if you don't live near Alpine!

Serving type: bottle

09-29-2012 01:46:13 | More by pschul4

harrymel

Washington

3.93/5  rDev -11.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bottled last week.

Light golden with a 3/4 moon of white foam atop and nice clarity. Smells like pineapple, sweet mangos, pine and a gobs of sweet malts. I like the nose, as I do with most Sauvin beers. Flavor is sweet and bitter with good bits of the character from the olfactory. I like the slight oxidation I get in Alpine's beers - nice woodiness. If this was in any other kind of beer, I'd be upset, but it is well played here. Medium bodied with sharp, tight carb and a semi dry finish. Nice beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-18-2012 05:44:02 | More by harrymel

IKR

California

4.05/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: Light Amber color with a modest-sized white head that faded fairly quickly.

Smell: Primarily Piney hop aromas with some citrus fruits thrown in..

Taste:The pine aromas carry over to the taste, but I also get some grape-like and citrus notes. The rye adds a bit of spicy notes. i can't really pick up the malts in the taste. The finish ends with the grape notes, a bit of rye spiciness and mild citrus notes.

Mouth-feel: Medium body with a medium level of carbonation.

Overall: IPAs aren't really my thing but this is a good beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-16-2012 23:44:27 | More by IKR

dtmets84

New York

4.03/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to saru96!

Poured into my HF snifter.

Pours a dark amber with a light foam leaving a tiny bit of lacing.

Nose is rather tame. Citrus and very faint hops.

Taste is hops. Get that orange taste w some caramel malt notes

Decent body and the taste seems to linger.

Second time having this guy and I felt the first one did this guy better justice then this bottle.

After have expo hoppy yesterday this guy is a more subdued second.

Serving type: bottle

09-15-2012 22:50:47 | More by dtmets84

coreyfmcdonald

Georgia

4.78/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

22oz bottle into a tulip

A: Pours a slightly hazy dark golden color with a finger of very dense head with a vigorous pour. Amazing retention and tons of lacing.

S: Lots of Nelson Sauvin hops upfront - I mostly get peach and musty grapey barn farm-like aroma. tough to describe, but very typical Nelson Sauvin. Maybe a touch of caramel sweetness, but the sweetness is mostly fruity.

T: Very interesting. The Nelson Sauvin hops again are very prominent. I get grapes and must first and foremost with some mango and citrus in the background. The hop/malt combination also allows for some great mango and vanilla sweetness. I typically dont like much sweetness in my IPAs, but this is certainly welcome. The bitterness is balanced and on the lower end. Complex and very well executed.

M: On the thick side with low, creamy carbonation. I've never really seen carbonation like this in an IPA - very soft. I very much enjoy it. It really helps the flavors come out of the beer.

O: I love this IPA. Complex, interesting, well put together, and balanced. One of the best I've ever had.

Serving type: bottle

09-11-2012 01:44:26 | More by coreyfmcdonald

mcintire78

Massachusetts

4.05/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

a: Pale gold to straw in color with a large, two finger head, but only a small bit of carbonation. Head dissipates very slowly leaving significant lacing.

s: Strong smell of citrus up front, followed by an almost flowery hop smell. Was expecting more rye, but the citrus is overpowering.

t: A very gentle start up, that ends strong with rye. All in all, a very mellow beer.

m: Gentle is the only word for it. Very light carbonation and a lack of bittering hops makes for very easy drinking.

d: High drinkability, much higher than I would have thought from a West Coast IPA. You could down these one after another.

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2012 00:09:00 | More by mcintire78

match1112

Illinois

4.35/5  rDev -2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Big thanks go out to ehammond1 for sending this!

a: murky dark orange body with a slow and steady rise of bubbles from the botton. head is dirty white and stands a half inch tall leaving a nice spider web of lacing as this beer goes down all too quick.

s: nice and mello nose to this one. aromas of grapefruit, spice, rye and a little caramel blend nicely.

t: wowza! this is incredibly good. burst of grapefruit up front is nicely smoothed over by the rye.

m: nice carbonation level. the rye gives this a med-full body. little dry and bitter on the finish but is amazingly well balanced.

o: awesome! i grew up stealing sips of rye whiskey from granddad and have had a love for rye ever since. this beer fills that need very well. so smooth and drinkable! can't get over how awesome this beer is. if you havent had it, you need to.

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2012 00:55:42 | More by match1112

barleywinefiend

Washington

4.13/5  rDev -7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Poured a slightly hazy golden orange with good carbonation with a promising creamy like white cap, bubbles and moderate lacing. I did spot a little bit of hop oil sticking to the glass

S: Very nice and aromatic. A hefty dose of orchard citrus and tropical fruits; mainly pineapple, mango and orange zest with a light bread, slight pepper and even a touch of honey??

T: Flavorful indeed. The immediate thing I notice is balance. There is a nice breadiness to balance the truckload of hops poured into this. Initially my taste buds get a big passion and tropical fruit blend (kiwi, light pineapple, mango, white grape) with a little green characteristic. Like I would expect a liquid jungle to taste like. The finish is sweet, pretty dry and lighly bitter. Did I say pretty balanced?

M: Medium bodied, sweet, fruity and bready. The rye presents a bigger beer than what you would expect.

O: I can see why this beer is coveted. Also, rye is a love/hate and I seem to find it a difficult task to find one I routinely enjoy so I think mixing rye and Nelson hops together takes balls. Alpine has big balls. Well done but a tad but overrated and hyped. Yeah, i said it.

Serving type: bottle

08-17-2012 11:04:36 | More by barleywinefiend

jaasen64

Massachusetts

4.26/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

22oz bottle thanks to Airfoil (picked up from brewery exactly 2 weeks ago). Poured into Lawson's snifter.

A- Pours a little bit hazy dark orange slightly amber. About a half finger of white head that quickly recedes. Not too much carbonation. Some light layered lacing.

S- Citrus hops, grapefruit, balanced with Bready/caramel malts. A little bit above average aroma strength and very pleasant smelling.

T- Citrus, grapefruit hops that blend with lightly sweet bready caramel malts with a hint of honey and a sweet citrusy finish that lingers for a little bit. Very nice balance and quite tasty.

M- Medium bodied, maybe slightly thicker then your average IPA, smooth, goes down easily.

O- This was a very nice IPA, that is typical to the other Alpine's that I've had. Alpine definitely nails the balance between hops and malts in their IPAs and I love the malts that they use. I liked Duet a little bit more, but Nelson is very good too. I would definitely drink this beer again.

Serving type: bottle

08-11-2012 01:46:50 | More by jaasen64

xnicknj

Pennsylvania

4.43/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

on tap at toronado san diego

Pours a clear copper amber color with a crop of beige head resting on top. Patches of lacing accumulate on the glass while drinking, with some wisps of film retaining on top.

Punchy, hoppy nose highlighted by the great addition of rye to the profile. Some hints of slightly sweet fruits and citric peel. Mild malt scents and a bit of caramel. Faint alcohol presence.

Waves of hops crush the tongue right up front with plenty of citrus fruits. Grapefruit and pineapple accompanied by rye spiciness. Bitter and pleasant throughout with a soft tempering of bready malt and caramel character. Light sweetness and dryness on the back end with a soft warm glow.

Medium body, decent carbonation, sticky and dry on the tongue for a bit. I've had this a few times, but I'm pretty sure this is my favorite Alpine beer so far.

Serving type: on-tap

07-31-2012 19:25:36 | More by xnicknj

DarthKostrizer

California

4.23/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks Ehammond1

Look: Pours a semi translucent orange color with a 1/3 inch head and good retention with some spotty lacing

Smell: The beer has quite a strong hop aroma bringing forth some nice tropical fruits and there is also a slight grape note. The rye adds a subtle spice

Taste: The beer starts out the same way as the nose with some tropical fruits pineapple and peach stick out with a subtle grape undertone. Mid palate the rye spice picks up and to me it seems like the rye spice actual fights with the hop flavor just a bit which creates a unique flavor but throws me off just a bit

Mouthfeel: Not quite medium body and medium carbonation

Overall: I really enjoy this beer and I wish Alpine wouldn't be so fucking stingy with their disto of this.

Serving type: bottle

07-04-2012 05:06:21 | More by DarthKostrizer

DavidST

Texas

4.48/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap poured into a long glass, unknown freshness. This was poured a hazy golden amber color with a smaller laced leading off white head. The smells are of oranges, citrus fruit, grapefruit and sweet malts. The feel is medium with a nice creamy carbonation. The taste is very balanced and good, lots of bitter hops, citrus fruit, good stuff.

Serving type: bottle

07-02-2012 23:23:19 | More by DavidST

JRO

4.38/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Had this beer on tap at the pub in Alpine and later out of a 22 I brought back to the midwest with me.

Of the three IPA's of theirs I tried (Pure Hoppiness and Duet), this was actually my favorite. The level of rye perfectly balanced out this IPA and made for a delightful experience. Pure west coast IPA with all hops and zero sweetness, but manages to be smooth enough to not leave a chalky aftertaste and instead have you reaching for more.

Definitely glad to have made the trip out to this gem of a brewery. It's worth the trip.

Serving type: on-tap

06-25-2012 14:02:51 | More by JRO

WillCarrera

Illinois

4.4/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

22 oz bottle, no bottled on date, picked it up at the brewery yesterday so it should be pretty fresh. Poured into a tulip glass.

A- Pours a very slightly cloudy orange color, produces a thin white head, decent retention, spotty lacing.

S- Huge juicy hop aroma, lots of tropical fruit, oranges and grapefruit, a bit of earthy dankness, also some black pepper spiciness. The aroma is absolutely amazing.

T- Similar to the nose, more tropical fruity hops, mild dank earthiness and some peppery spice, malt is light and bready.

M- Medium-bodied, maybe a bit on the light side, smooth feel, medium to low carbonation, dry and peppery finish.

O- A pretty awesome IPA, great work with the hops from Alpine once again, it doesn't quite stand up there with Bad Boy or Pure Hoppiness, but it still rocks.

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2012 04:27:08 | More by WillCarrera

argock

Virginia

4.43/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Served on tap in a Shaker pint at Downtown Johnny Brown's (San Diego, CA).

A: Darker amber than Duet with a similar short cap of off-white head which leaves a valence of lace at the top of the glass.

S: Huge hop aromas with spicy, somewhat earthy edge presumably from the rye. The hops aromas combine tropical fruits like pineapple and mango with lime and peach but with a leafy, raw, earthy, spicy edge from the rye. The malt component is more robust than Duet with some caramel-toffee but it works due to the rougher edge to the hops profile.

T: The is a very hoppy wand moderately bitter beer but very complex. The passion fruit and pineapple flavors are most prominent but they have more roundness due to the earthy, herbal nature that the rye adds. This beer just seems more leafy and raw hoppy than Duet, and I think it is a more challenging beer in many ways. The malt contribution is bigger than most IPAs although this works well to have more toffee to work with the earthy nature of this beer. Really an incredible IPA that I was blown away to find and try (on multiple nights).

M: Medium-bodied but with a thicker slicker feel. The carbonation and dryness quotient is low-average on this beer.

O: Nelson is a more contemplative beer than Duet (I was lucky enough to get to try the back to back on separate nights), but I think it has a bit more to offer as well with a more complex hop aroma and flavor. I liked them both a lot, but I would pick Nelson if I could have just a beer or two.

Serving type: on-tap

06-24-2012 03:11:33 | More by argock