New Holland Envious - New Holland Brewing Company

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.63/5  rDev +12%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Interesting fruit beer. After the hole mix settles, getting the raspberry aroma, and dark reddish colour. Active carbonation. Some white winish taste in secondary. Big mouthfeel, not for everybody. A sipper in terms of drinkability.Some oak there. Balanced bitter, sugar and malt. Needs to line up on sour and bitter side.

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2012 21:11:17 | More by northyorksammy

womencantsail

California

2.15/5  rDev -33.6%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 1.5

Thanks? to Richard for sharing this one.

A: The pour is a dark amber color with just about no head at all.

S: Lots of overly sweet raspberries and some fake pear aromas as well. There's a mild tart and seedy quality to the nose.

T: Oh goodness, overly ripe (nearly rotting) raspberries with the pears contributing to the cloying nature of the flavor. And just for good measure, a distinct sugary flavor as well.

M: Medium bodied with a low to moderate level of carbonation and a bit of a syrupy feel.

D: This was just not good in any sense. Way too sweet and nothing even resembling balance at all.

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2010 20:46:35 | More by womencantsail

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3.28/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

What's New Holland doing making a fruit beer? If a brewery of their quality is going to make the attempt, it's easy to expect a rare success. And they deliver quite well.

A dark burgundy beer sides slightly on the brownish side. A light and somewhat fizzy head forms on the glass, resends quickly, and is slight on any attempt to lace. Though the color and clarity is supurb, I'd like to see a more froathy character.

Succulent and alluring aromas of fruits and berries swirl around a molassas aroma for a fantastic balance and seductiveness. The fruit character could be a combination of tart berries, or other fruits and doesn't exactly scream raspberries. In fact, the pears hardly make an impact on the dark fruits and bold malt scents.

Flavors of fruit acidity hit early on and then fade into the more robust berry-fruity flavors. Light vinyl flavors become a deterant early on but fades quickly. Any malty-molassas taste is very fleeting and avoids syrup sweetness in favor of grain and toast. Finishes with a grain-fruit blend.

Medium textured up front but the beer's light maltiness and fleeting carbonation leads the beer to a thin and grainy feel rather quickly. Mild astringency from fruit and maybe from grain become the final impressions as the beer fades.

Where the aroma in this beer is fantastic, the flavor hardly measure up and the mouthfeel takes a severe nose-dive. If the other beer components were up to par with its aroma, we'd have a superb beer.

Serving type: bottle

08-25-2010 15:21:59 | More by BEERchitect

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

4.03/5  rDev +24.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

New Holland Envious Vintage 2010 - roughly a year old.

Steadily poured, New Hollands Envious brought up a short head of creamy yellowed-tan foam. A rougher pour didn't fare much better. Knowing that this is a beer clean glass (that just held a massive head and beautiful rings of lace for a prior beer), I have to see this as a bit of a defect. The head retention is almost non-existent, and it drops immediately to a standard collar. Lacing is very minimal, and only left with each new sip. Beyond that, the body is an attractive, clear ruby-mahogany.

The aroma is malty, and it delivers a bit of the fruit promised on the label (pears and raspberry), as well as some oak and a little whiff of alcohol (heat, some coconut & papaya/mango). The fruitiness is not pronounced, nor is it specific, and most tasters will probably just pass it over, focusing more on the caramel and chocolate of the malt until it warms to room temperature and levels out. At that point, however, some Bourbon character also becomes noticeable, which is interesting (is that the source of the coconut I was finding?).

In the mouth it's supple and smooth, with a restrained carbonation and medium-full body. Perhaps that's the trade off for a limited head? Duly noted, and quite possibly to the betterment of the beer all around.

The flavor delivers more fruit than the nose suggests, and the first sip displays a delicate blend of soft, cocoa-dusted malt and fruit. It's initially more like pear with a little bit of that slightly grating flavor and tartness that pear has, but the raspberry appears across the middle as it warms, and then becomes even more clear in the finish. That's not to say that the fruitiness is bold, as it's certainly not, and I don't think anyone would consider this a fruit beer had they been given it to taste "blind"; the blend of malt and oak and alcohol dominate it too much for that. That said, however, the fruit really does enhance what I might otherwise consider an "old ale", and I find it quite interesting. I'd like to say it was delicate as well, because the flavor components mingle with each other so nicely, except that the alcohol stands out. A minor bit is fine, and although I don't want to find it in the aroma, I think a little bit in the flavor helps to round it and give it balance. That would be expected in an "old ale". It's a little more present than that, however, most likely due to the secondary fermentation of the pear juice.

In conclusion, I have to give New Holland credit for this one. It's unique. It's interesting. And it's fairly well-done given the process that it goes through. I see it as a special occasion beer, fitting in well with holiday dinners or specialty meals; and I think the suggestion of pairing it with grilled stone fruits on the label is brilliant (those and a buttery, earthy, ripe soft cheese and crusty bread would be magnificent!). On the other hand, I haven't tasted it fresh, and perhaps aging has done wonders for it. I'll never know.

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2011 20:23:17 | More by NeroFiddled

TMoney2591

Illinois

2.95/5  rDev -9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Served in a Dogfish Head snifter.

I do so enjoy my random pickups at Whole Foods. If only my wallet would shut the hell up and stop complaining... This impulse buy pours a slightly translucent ruby brown topped by a half-finger of glowing ecru micro-foam that apparently has somewhere important to be. I don't know if I've ever seen a head disappear so damn quickly and completely. The nose comprises a cherry/grape Robitussin cocktail, along with cough drops, candi sugar, and a slight oaky shoulder is tittilatingly exposed to keep the interest up. I didn't know they made barrel-aged cold medicines... The taste holds notes of sad pears (you can taste some tears in there, I think), red apple flavoring (the artificial kind, baby), and blackberries up front, buoyed by a backbone of walnut, oak, caramel, and rye bread that only bobs to the surface near the back of the throat. The body is a limply heavy medium, with very scattered traces of carbonation and an oily feel. This beer makes me sad.

Serving type: bottle

06-25-2010 00:05:50 | More by TMoney2591

drabmuh

Maryland

4.03/5  rDev +24.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

From the brewer, "Envious is a unique beer, a hybrid of many techniques. Its high-gravity malt-fermented base is blended with Michigan pear juice and chardonnay yeast for a second fermentation, before being aged with raspberries and oak. Unlike any style or beer before it, it must be tasted to be appreciated. Envious will be available on draught at select establishments later in the month, and 22-ounce, foil-necked bottles are scheduled to hit the streets on April 1st."

Beer is brown and clear forms a diffuse head of large bubbles that cling to the glass leaving a lot of lacing on the snifter. Carbonation is moderate.
Aroma is dominantly sweet, lots of pear aroma, lots of fruit in general, some alcohol.
Body of the beer is thin which cuts the sweetness slightly making it more drinkable. Fruit flavors are really high, there is almost a liquor like feel to the finish of this beer, like bourbon. There isn't much hint of the oak, at least not to me, there may be a slight raspberry flavor to the whole thing. Drinkability is OK mouthfeel is good.

Serving type: on-tap

04-07-2010 18:46:00 | More by drabmuh

metter98

New York

3.23/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

A: The beer is clear dark reddish brown in color. It poured with a short off white head that quickly died down, leaving a thin collar around the edge of the glass.
S: Light to moderate aromas of raspberries and dark malts are present in the nose-as the beer warms up, pears also become noticeable.
T: The taste is similar to the smell, except that flavors of dark malts are also noticeable. Neither sweetness nor tartness is present.
M: It feels light- to medium-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer is rather malty for a fruit beer and tastes like it has some off flavors, as the malts don't seem to mesh well with the fruit.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2013 22:37:30 | More by metter98

russpowell

Oklahoma

3.33/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

2012 vintage pours chestnut with thin tan head. Average head retention & lacing

S: Cherry juice, figs

T: Follows the nose, some baker's chocolate hidden underneath up front along with raspberry. Raspberry tartness as this warms, some oaky woody notes as well, a bit of black cherry as this warms. Fishes with cherry juice, a touch of dryness & a bit of raspberry & figs

MF: Light bodied with some what annoying dryness, subtle carbonation, really needs a bit more to push the flavors on show.

An alright fruit beer but not one I would seek out again. New Holland has generated more disappointments than hits for me, they aren't punching up to the weight of most of the Michigan beers I've tried. I really don't see this getting better with age,,,

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2012 05:08:09 | More by russpowell

rhoadsrage

Illinois

4/5  rDev +23.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

(Served in a chalice)
A- This beer pours a deep brown body with a creamy beige thick film of head. There is a light carbonation of big bubbles gliding up the glass.
S- The deep full aroma of raspberries is followed by a berry leaves and woody finish.
T- This beer has a mellow brown malt flavor with a raspberry note and some oaky flavors with fruity notes in the finish. There are faint pear flavors as it warms and a overipe fruit flavor grows in the finish.
M- This beer has a medium mouthfeel with a soft fizzy in the finish and no alcohol heat noted.
D- The fruity flavors get a bit syrupy but it is a nice mix of pear and raspberry flavors with the brown malt and more subtle fruity esters. This beer has some nice dubble qualities.

Serving type: bottle

06-12-2010 20:58:54 | More by rhoadsrage

jlindros

Massachusetts

3.03/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Thanks, or maybe I should say no-thanks to John D. for this one, vintage 2010.

Very light head, semi clear dark marroon rosy brown color.

Nose sweet malts and syrup, weird fruits, light raspberry, pear, lighter dark reddish malts, fruit juice light apple juice.

Taste fruit juice, pear, apple, light grape, raspberry, light syrupy malts, sticky extract, no real malts, watery, light iffy syrup on the finish, little sticky and gritty.

Mouth is lighter with little carb.

Overall meh,

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2011 18:44:05 | More by jlindros

mdfb79

New York

2.63/5  rDev -18.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Poured from a 22 oz. bottle into my Duvel tulip.

a - Pours a deep purple/red color with one inch of off white head and high carbonation visible.

s - Smells of dark fruit, especially raspberries. Also smells of sweet fruit juice, oak, and chocolate.

t - Tastes of roasted malts, chocolate, and dark fruits, but it isn't working for me. The combination tastes a little bit weird, but I can't seem to put my finger on it. Also a little bit of alcohol, which is surprising since it's only 7.5% ABV. Not very enojoyable.

m - Medium body and high carbonation.

d - I thought it smelled pretty good, but the taste was not good at all. Wouldn't buy again.

Serving type: bottle

07-20-2010 00:49:38 | More by mdfb79

beerthulhu

New Jersey

3.28/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

- Ale brewed with pear juice, raspberries aged in oak.

A: Cola pour with red brick highlights glisten from the light upon exit. Dense black coloring with a khaki head that was slight in statue and short in stay. A good rate of carbonation bubbles are seen creeping up the vessel edges. Sloppy thin lace.

S: Black raspberries are dominant, both tart and sweet notes mingle. Average strength at first the aroma doesn’t hold long, limited in complexity smelling of an average raspberry fruit beer. Expected a bit more from the aroma level, dark malts and complexity.

T: Sweet and tart blackberry notes upfront are quickly consumed by a dry berry bitterness. Wine like palate, the dark malts hide the pear juice which does happen to appear in small flashes with long sips and hold. Smooth flavor, again as with the nose holds little surprise and complexity but is well rounded and clean. A bit of tartness occurs on the swallow.

M: Tightly bubbly carbonation, strong body, wine like berry alcohol fuels the mouthful.

O: Not sure how envious people would be of missing out on this. An average fruit beer experience I expected more from. Really smooth, sweet and tart, clean, don’t know how the aging would affect this but in the end brought little excitement to the table and is one easily forgotten.

Serving type: bottle

05-30-2012 23:33:24 | More by beerthulhu

tavernjef

Minnesota

3.78/5  rDev +16.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Gorgeous dark pour of purpley brown to settle in the glass with a mighty murk of the darkest mahogany. Great color! A small unlasting crown of dark beige drops down to a collar of thin bubbles and some decent lacing coats the glass in shreaded droplets.

Nice malty aroma that's lush and deep, wholesome and clean with a nice touch to some fruityness upon it. Its nose is heavy on caramel with some raisinyness and smaller notes to papaya, pear, and cocoa. It does, however, fade a bit as it gets warmer.

Taste doesn't bring in the amount of malt I was hoping for given what the aroma eluded to. I hate when that happens, well in most cases anyways. This is still good, but a little disappointing, as there doesn't seem to be any real long lasting tone or flavor to it. More on the fruit on the taste with some yellow raisin, pear, dark berry, cranberry tanged, and plum while the malt is barely doing anything other then keeping a lower ended carbonation. Which is a better aspect for what it offers as its smoothness and semi creamy nature is quenchingly nice to behold. However, there are areas of emptyness, but here is where my score lowers and up the body score since that seems to help the overall then what the taste does.

I like what New Holland is up to with this brew and look forward to more like it in the future with hopes that they rock my beery world a bit more then Envious did.

Serving type: bottle

07-07-2011 01:11:01 | More by tavernjef

mactrail

California

3.93/5  rDev +21.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On tap at the downtown Holland tap. Pear and raspberry aged in oak according to staff. Rich and kind of gamey with a dark dried
cherry taste. Very fragrant like Cherry Coke. Roasted malt and gummy worms. Dried pears and a yeasty bready taste. Intriguing and hard to categorize flavors make this an experience to try if you like fruit beers. Maybe they'll make a sour version to satisfy the geeks. Long musty aftertaste like a trip to Belgium. Nice mahogany color in the tall tulip.

Serving type: on-tap

09-19-2011 22:59:23 | More by mactrail

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

3.08/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

"A fruit beer aged in oak" I figured why not.

Appearance: A rich amber in color with a creamy off white head and some lace.

Smell: Strong smelling from the start. Some tart cherry. Fruity and strong smelling, bourbon.

Taste: Odd flavor combinations. There is a distinct fruity flavor, oak, vanilla and sugar. Together its like chocolate covered cherries soaked in bourbon. Hint of vanilla mid sip. Alcohol is very pronounced and almost detracts away from the other flavors trying to pull through. Oak is there with a woody/earthy tone. The fruit notes get overpowered. A bit hot especially for the relatively low abv.

Mouthfeel: Full bodied, lingering booze on my breath, though it is not that strong, I am led to think this ale was aged in bourbon barrels.

Drinkability: This one is a nitecap for sure, a bit abrasive but still interesting and worth the try.

Serving type: on-tap

08-25-2010 13:46:49 | More by Stinkypuss

OWSLEY069

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +23.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a clean deep amber, almost reddish, with a tan head. In the aroma, small tartness, pears and berries. In the taste, a bit oaky and sweet to tart pears, and a end of a mixture of berries. A smooth and medium bodied mouthfeel, with a small dry fresh berry aftertaste. Nice presence of oak, big pear presence with a nice small tartness. I bet this would age nicely.

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2010 15:39:14 | More by OWSLEY069

scruffwhor

Illinois

3.78/5  rDev +16.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Cola brown mixed with dark ruby colors. The head is off white and retains for about twenty minutes of sipping.

I get raspberries in the noise with some charred oak, dark mufins, and a little pear. Smells like a slightly tart desert beer or apertif.

The taste starts with pear juice and medoium roasted malts. The middle has the oak come into play. This gives off a light char and woody flavor to thi otherwise fruity beer. As the beer warms, you can feel a little alcoholic warmth. This only adds depth to the somewhat watery, juicey texture of this brew.

The texture was lacking, but all in all I liked this beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2011 13:55:47 | More by scruffwhor

jrallen34

Illinois

2.53/5  rDev -21.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

I drank this from the bottle into a tulip...The beer pours a watery clearish medium brown. There is a very light tan head, gone right away, no lacing...The aroma is medium giving off mostly dark fruits and alcohol, not at all sweet, light peaches...The feel is very light, waterish with hardly any taste. Light alcohol with bad fruits. This is horrendous.

Serving type: bottle

06-01-2010 01:08:48 | More by jrallen34

Tone

Missouri

3.88/5  rDev +19.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a clear, dark red color. 1/3 inch head of an off-white color. Great retention and great lacing. Smells of raspberry, sweet malt, slight roasted malt, and hint of coffee. Fits the style of a Fruit / Vegetable beer. Mouth feel is sharp and crisp, with an average carbonation level. Tastes of raspberry, sweet malt, hint of roasted malt, hint of hop, and slight alcohol. Overall, good appearance, body, and blend.

Serving type: on-tap

11-15-2010 21:32:10 | More by Tone

twiggamortis420

Texas

4.33/5  rDev +33.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22 oz bomber of the 2011 vintage courtesy of lackenhauser. Pours a surprisingly dark brown color with a nice cap of beige head. Decent retention and lacing.

Nose shows a bit of sweet, oxidized malt before diving head-first into a fruity delectable ménage-a-trois of pears, raspberries and figs. Very exciting and juicy.

Taste is nice and smoother than expected. I was a little concerned when it poured dark, I was wondering how pears would compete with dark malt and raspberries...but they manage to hold their own to my delight. I like the way the malt is dark, yet not overly bold...think how a dunkel compares to a stout. I half expected this beer to be some sort of sour when I saw that it had raspberries and pears, but that is not the case...and I actually think it makes the beer stand out from the crowd better. It is a fruit beer with a tasty balancing malt backdrop. I was pleasantly surprised by this beer...I really enjoyed the fact it is very unique, thanks Steve!

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2012 00:09:45 | More by twiggamortis420

bluejacket74

Ohio

3.98/5  rDev +22.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22 ounce bottle, vintage 2011. This has been sitting in the back of my fridge for a while now, so I figured I might as well drink it today. Served in a flute, the beer pours a reddish/brown color with an inch tan head. The head stays around for a little while, and there's a small amount of lacing. Aroma is malty and fruity, the brew smells like dark fruit, raspberries, pears, caramel, chocolate and a bit of oak. It tastes like dark fruit (raisins, plums), chocolate, caramel, pears, and some oak and raspberry. I certainly didn't expect the chocolate in either the aroma or taste of this brew, I was thinking this was going to be a little more tart (like the back label says), but I don't think this brew is tart at all. Mouthfeel/body is medium, it's a bit creamy and coating with moderate carbonation. I think this is a good overall brew. It's not quite what I expected, but the more I drank it, the more I ended up liking it. I'll have to pick up another bottle the next time I see it again.

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2011 00:42:45 | More by bluejacket74

Brent

Kentucky

4/5  rDev +23.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Certainly not what I expected from a beer touting the use of pears. No bubbly fruit tonic here - more of a strong ale that chewed its way out of a pear tree trunk. A bit on the boozy side with a distinct alcohol note that seemed even bigger than the abv listed. Sweet malt, with caramel, raisin and some rosin, all lending deep, dark fruit notes.

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2010 14:22:07 | More by Brent

drpimento

Wisconsin

2.03/5  rDev -37.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

Sounded good, but falls down pretty bad. Bottle opened with barely a pop. Aroma of rasperries was immediately all around. Color is a brownish amber. Flavor is at first raspberry, then pear and the oak. The oak doesn't fit at all. Also a weird flat texture in the middle and end. Wouldn't cook with this either. None of us want to finish it.

Serving type: bottle

06-30-2010 02:38:23 | More by drpimento

brewdlyhooked13

Ohio

3.78/5  rDev +16.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance - wasn't really sure what to expect with all the 'purpling' on the label and bottle neck. As it goes, this was a fine looking dark caramel amber color. The head is a light coffee/mocha color that looks nice but fizzles away all too soon. Thanks to a healthy bead, it holds at a thin cover and thick collar.

Aroma - a sweet, fruity, raisiny whiff. Some Tootsie Roll style chocolate as well. Interesting...

Taste - crackery, grainy malts, certainly sweet but not syrupy. In fact it comes across a bit thin. The raspberries and oak come through evenly, softly, elegantly. Just a touch of tartness on the swallow, the beer has balanced flavors throughout, very nice. For a non-big beer, this is impressively put together, a variety of ingredients working in harmony without any one component being bossy.

Mouthfeel - the softer flavors wouldn't work nearly as well if the body didn't hold them up. Sturdy weight, lighter carbonation, pretty smooth.

Drinkability - at 7.5%, I'm not sure how long I'd cellar these, but a few years would be a good experiment. As it is, I bought only one and am in no position to seek out more, but this bottle is easy-drinking.

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2010 02:48:27 | More by brewdlyhooked13

oline73

Maryland

3.88/5  rDev +19.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I had this on-tap at the brewpub in Holland. Served in a New Holland goblet.

Appearance: Mahogany with just a little bit of off white head that fades away quite quickly.

Smell: Sweet fruity malt, I'm picking up raspberries. There is also a hint of caramel.

Taste: Sweet malt with caramel and mild roast. Also picking up Raspberry and oak. The finish is mildly bitter.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with tingly carbonation and a finish that is quite dry.

Overall: This one grew on me as I drank it. I thought the use of fruit was tasteful and there was a nice balance. Not sure why this one is rated so low, oh well.

Serving type: on-tap

09-05-2011 04:31:59 | More by oline73