Nelson - Alpine Beer Company

beerguru14

Arizona

4.33/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pour, Color, & Aroma:
I have the plea­sure of vis­it­ing the hills of San Diego many times a year due to hav­ing sev­eral of my wife’s fam­ily mem­bers liv­ing there. It just so hap­pens there is a gem of a brew­ery down the street called Alpine Beer Com­pany. They quickly became a place I made sure to visit any­time I was near. There­fore, Alpine being my favorite brew­ing com­pany, I wanted to review one of my go to sea­sonal brews.

This beer pours a nice cop­per gold with a slight hazi­ness. The head was a beau­ti­ful white color. Head retained itself for sev­eral min­utes leav­ing a nice lac­ing along the glass. The rye is promi­nent dur­ing the ini­tial sniff, fol­lowed by cit­rus, mostly a nice orange and grape­fruit aroma. There were also hints of caramel, bis­cuits, a bit of mango, a slight pear and another aroma that was hard to put my fin­ger on that could have been some­thing sim­i­lar to a cream/vanilla ice cream.



Taste:
This beer has a great fla­vor. There is a great hop pres­ence with a nice rye back­bone. The hops added a hand­some zesty grape­fruit to the already fla­vor­ful grain bill. Can’t imag­ine a rye beer that is more bal­anced than this. A hint of grape, orange and an earthy fla­vor slowly make its way up the palate. The malts are a lit­tle more dif­fi­cult to iden­tify only due to the other fla­vor pro­files that are right up front, but there was a faint caramel and bready flavor.



Fin­ish & Body:
The beer was light as well as very dry. The alco­hol gave me a slight warmth going down, and even at 7%, this beer was smooth! The beer could eas­ily be con­sumed due to its light body and very smooth finish.



Final Thoughts:
This is a great exam­ple of what a bal­anced rye beer should be. The brew­ers cer­tainly choose the best hops to com­pli­ment the rye used in the grain bill. The com­plex­ity of the beer would make this a dif­fi­cult beer for a new comer to the beer scene. If you are ever in the San Diego area, do your­self a favor and look these guys up! Prost!

Serving type: bottle

07-26-2011 01:34:53 | More by beerguru14

smarcoly

California

4.03/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a DFH tulip glass with a smallish head. Nice yellowish-orange color which reminds me of a hefe.

I was extremely pleased with the aroma. I love the aroma of a hoppy IPA, but this one was different. More fruity (pineapple, grapefruit, citrus) than piney or floral. Does not have a signature IPA aroma.

Taste is a lot different than I expected from an IPA, but in a good way. Very mild on the hops which makes it easily drinkable for those who dont prefer hoppy bitter beer. If you are doing an IPA tasting with some buddies this is a great one to mix in as it adds a different tasting experience to a flight.

Mouthfeel was decent with mild to medium carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2011 15:07:53 | More by smarcoly

Gambac

California

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

Picked this up at Best Damn Beer Shop in San Diego, poured into a Sam Adams Perfect Pint

Not much head, kind of surprising. Beer was a nice golden color, and had a decent amount of lacing from said minimal head.

Lots of citrus in the smell. Got a little grapefruit among the smell, always nice for an IPA

Taste had a lot of grapefruit, but also some pine and a little other fruits - thinking oranges. Minimal pine resin, something I definitely enjoy. Catch a little bit of rye right at the end, seems to fit with the brewer's intent

Good amount of body, decent amount of carbonation. Still, incredibly smooth and easy to drink

My first experience with Alpine, and happy to be introduced. Have heard of the quality beers they produce, and this golden IPA did not disappoint. Can't wait to head back down to SoCal and try a few more!

Serving type: bottle

06-18-2011 20:04:26 | More by Gambac

kinopio

Massachusetts

4.9/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

22oz bottle served in a tulip glass.

Very little head. The color of the beer reminds me of a an unripe tangerine.

The smell is the best part of this beer. Its amazing. I spend more time smelling the beer than tasting it. A nice balance of floral and citrus notes. A bit of hay and alcohol.

Taste almost rivals the smell. Tons of orange. The juicyness, lack of carbonation and drinkability make me wanna chug this beer despite the 7% abv.

An elite IPA that needs to be smelled to be believed. Duet and Pure Hoppiness are solid IPAs from Alpine; Nelson is a step above.

Serving type: bottle

10-29-2011 00:01:15 | More by kinopio

UWDAWG90

Ohio

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

Brought this home with me from San Diego Beer Week and had a couple shipped back as well. Can't get enough of this one.

A - Pours a pale golden peach color, with large fluffy white head. Head retention is huge. Lots of bubbles, good carbonation.

S - The fruit just explodes from the first, nice hoppiness as well. Smells of Grapefruit first with what seems to be peach or apricot.

T - smooth an d buttery, here's where the NZ hops come through. A little sour or bitter with and end tatse of grapefruit

M & D - Good carbonation, very easy to drink.

Overall very good beer, love the hops and fruit flavors in this one.

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2009 23:40:00 | More by UWDAWG90

AndyGz

California

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

Wow, do I have a new favorite IPA?

Very light in appearance, it almost glows.
Clear Citrus and Mango notes predominate the nose.
Hop notes sweeter than I've ever experienced in anything this light. Delicate, frothy, small bubble carbonation.
Light, crisp, refreshing.

I LOVE this IPA.

Serving type: on-tap

06-15-2011 09:09:28 | More by AndyGz

Bartzilla

California

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

Had this at the brewery and filled up the growler. Excellent beer. Very fruity, but in a grapefruit kind of way. Looks like orange juice. So clean, refreshing, and goes down easy. I could pound this stuff all day long. One of these days, I will.

I always look forward to new beers from Alpine as it seems they can do no wrong. The sleeper beer hit of San Diego. Great job.

Serving type: growler

08-21-2006 02:59:59 | More by Bartzilla

SweetNessa34

California

4.75/5  rDev +7%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

[SOURCE]: On-Tap at BluePalmsBrewHouse. Served on the day of arrival (4/9/09) shortly after tapping

[SERVING TYPE]: Pint Glass

[SMELL]: Amazing "nose" - packed full with a potent bouquet of fresh, lightly fruity hops combined with a crisp Rye aroma- jumps out at you from this super pale white/gold ale.

[APPEARANCE]: Super pale white/gold ale + light white, fluffy head

[TASTE]: Bold, dynamic combination of assertive flavors is almost startling in comparison to the super pale, light appearance. Clean, crisp Rye intermingles with a heavy dose of super fresh, slightly fruity hops and is balanced by a very minimal malt back - for an incredibly light, fresh and flavorful overall

[DRINKABILITY]: Intense combination of hops and rye flavors are very well balanced with minimal malt back. Thus, the overall result is a very drinkable beer that is light, fresh and jam packed with flavor + aroma.

[OVERALL]: very drinkable, extremely fresh-flavored RIPA (especially when poured shortly after tapping)

Serving type: on-tap

04-20-2009 07:05:19 | More by SweetNessa34

breals

California

4.63/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

This is a beautiful beer in all aspects. I love the color, probably the lightest IPA you can find. It has about 7% ABV which gives the body but it's still a "light" IPA. The one aspect that sets this beer apart otherwest coast IPAs is that it doesn't have a harsh bitter finish, this might be due to the New Zealand hops.

This is my new favorite beer. I'm lucky enought to live 15 miles from the brewery and I go there bi-weekly to fill my cache of growlers.

Serving type: growler

08-30-2009 03:22:36 | More by breals

PPIBrian

California

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

Another great IPA from the Alpine Beer Company. The unique character of Nelson Sauvin hops from New Zealand adds a wonderful grapefruit/citrus flavor that blends well with the malt. This beer is a light copper color, slightly hazy, with nice head with lots of lace that clings to the glass as you drink it. Light and slightly fruity aroma, with a touch of rye malt that goes very well with this interesting southern hemisphere hop. Overall impression -- this is an exceptionally smooth beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2010 09:11:53 | More by PPIBrian

Rayman

3.55/5  rDev -20%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - Poured into a chilled 16 oz glass, the bottle itself was just pulled from my refrigerator at the said temperature. Yellow golden hue that is transparent with a very light head.

S - Smell was very pleasing and a strong citrus aroma which can only be described as piney and grapefruit. The smell of this American IPA alone makes my mouth water

T - Having the privilege to try a lot of IPAs this ranks up there really well. Its not your average IPA, that being said the initial taste goes in well, but after it is sharp. The taste of rye really comes in that instance. It feels as if your mouth puckers a bit and just wants to keep drinking.

M - Mouth feels a bit puckered, perhaps because this is where the grapefruit characteristic comes out. If i were describe this after taste. I think it is what gives the characteristic of the grapefruit used and that gives it a personality. Which is strong flavorful and tad bitter like a grapefruit

O - This is definitely a must try because this beer will not disappoint the IPA enthusiasts. It will definitely be a plus if you do like grapefruits.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2012 03:15:03 | More by Rayman

chefguy

New Jersey

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

Alpine Nelson is an unbelievably great beer if you like your Hops piney and resinous. Nice light amber color, good carbonation, grapefruit aromas, smooth mouthfeel with a meduim body and just enough malts (including Rye) to give a malt back bone to the hops. As a Hop freak, this is one of my all-time favorite beers. Tastes like a pine tree air freshener steeped in dirty bongwater....just incredibly good. about my only complaint is the head retention is a little lacking.

update 2/29/12
Love this beer so much i've been getting shipments from an SD area friend. always UNBELIEVABLY good, one of my top 3 faves all-time. I hear the brewery has a taproom next door with great BBQ, i'm making a special pilgrimage from NJ soon just to experience it. urge you all to buy, trade, beg borrow or steal this beer...you'll LOVE it!

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2011 00:37:19 | More by chefguy

arukasa

California

4.28/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A light amber, golden color with a thick, persistent head that leaves significant lace. Quite floral nose with light hops. Grapefruit nose becomes more prominent as the beer warms up.

There is a rye bite and bitterness that is amplified by the grapefruit nose. Light hop bitterness. This combination gives an almost salty "zing" that clears the palate. Good carbonation, smooth mouthfeel with a bitter salt/rye kick.

Overall, this is a great second or third beer that will cleanse your palate for what's next.

Serving type: bottle

08-15-2011 03:30:25 | More by arukasa

alanforbeer

South Carolina

4.95/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

First beer review ever, so I thought it might as well be one of my favorite beers of all time:

I've been fortunate to enjoy this beer both on tap at the brewpub and bottled. First time I had it was on-tap at the pub, and immediately afterward I bought 1/2 a case of the stuff to take back home with me. This is a truly unique IPA and, as stated by Alpine, a far cry from many of the flavors that characterize other American IPA's.

Appearance: Translucent straw. Verges on an appealing orange in certain lighting situations. Simply beautiful, with lots of floaties in the glass. Really fine lacing.

Smell: Grapefruit. Overwhelming grapefruit. It drives me crazy how exceptional the nose is on this beer.

Taste: Again, grapefruit and nicely balanced bitterness. I don't have the world's most refined palate, but I can sense the rye in there as well.

Mouthfeel: Medium to light. Dry finish and reminiscent of white wine. Perhaps a bit on the light side?

Overall: Most refreshing beer I've ever consumed. For me, only Sculpin might be comparable in terms of drinkability. I could put down three bombers and still be ready for more (if still standing...). Some folks may be turned off by the uniqueness of this beer, its a bit on the fringe of the style, but it is certainly deserving of its high rating. There's no "grade-inflation" going on here...

Serving type: bottle

09-18-2011 19:08:05 | More by alanforbeer

airfoil

California

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

Pour from a bottle gave a golden color with a nice white head. Earthy, fresh hops in the nose. Medium bodied with upfront clean natural bitter NZ hops.Refreshing beer with the alcohol pretty well hidden. Long finish really accentuates the unique flavor profile. Awesome.

Serving type: bottle

09-26-2011 21:27:38 | More by airfoil

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