668 Neighbor Of The Beast - New England Brewing Co.

JMD

Connecticut

4.18/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: Light auburn with orange tones, and big foamy head that fades slowly. Leaves big clumpy lacing down the glass.

S: Sweet aroma of candied fruit and belgian yeast. Hints of spice and faint hops.

T: Nice balance of sweet and tart. Sweet candied apples and pears. Some belgian funky yeast and light spice. Hints of banana and clove. Finishes with some light tart hops. Very balanced and smooth.

M: Full bodied. Creamy and velvety texture.

D: Not the best begian pale ale I've had, but still a great interpretation of the style. Aside from the 9% abv, this beer goes down very easy. Smooth and creamy, and packed with flavor. Another solid offering from NEBC.

Serving type: can

12-03-2010 02:36:27 | More by JMD

pengs68

New York

3.75/5  rDev -6.9%

05-19-2013 00:59:01 | More by pengs68

AJ01923

Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev +11.7%

05-18-2013 01:50:50 | More by AJ01923

Emkehr

Connecticut

3/5  rDev -25.6%

05-17-2013 17:03:23 | More by Emkehr

dbrauneis

New Jersey

4.01/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Pours a hazy golden apricot to peach in color with some moderate amounts of gentle visible carbonation and some deep golden yellow + orange highlights. The beer has a finger tall dense foamy creamy light beige head that very slowly reduces to a thick film covering the entire surface of the beer with a slightly thicker ring at the edges of the glass. Moderate to significant amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Moderate aromas of pale malts with some lighter aromas of citrus/orange rind, spicy yeast, coriander, and clove.

T: Upfront there are light to moderate flavors of pale malts with a touch of candi sugar and just a hint of caramel. There are some lighter notes of spices - clove, coriander, and spicy yeast. Additionally there are some light fruit flavors including pear/grape and citrus/orange rind. Light amounts of bitterness in the finish but it fades pretty quickly.

M: Medium bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. Light amounts of dryness.

O: The beer is really easy to drink and the 9% ABV is extremely well hidden - I was shocked to notice that it had that high of an ABV. There are some good flavors in this beer and it is likely the best Belgian style beer that I have had in a can.

Serving type: can

05-16-2013 23:02:59 | More by dbrauneis

PhillyStyle

Georgia

4.08/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On-tap at the Cask Republic, New Haven, CT:

The beer appeared a nice amber color, but it seemed to have a light reddish or orange tint to it. The beer had a dense, creamy off white head that we well retained. The beer gave off a moderate aroma...malty with a hint of citrus. The taste, defiantly Belgian, but it also had this slight cherry taste to it, which I thought was very interesting. The beer had a heavier feel to it, but it was smooth, creamy and pretty easy to drink...although I would probably not drink too many in one sitting. Overall, a good beer and one that I will try again when I see it.

Serving type: on-tap

05-16-2013 20:56:50 | More by PhillyStyle

mctizzz

New York

4.75/5  rDev +17.9%

05-15-2013 21:50:40 | More by mctizzz

Rec5194

New York

3.75/5  rDev -6.9%

05-15-2013 02:29:58 | More by Rec5194

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -6.9%

05-15-2013 02:12:42 | More by Rifugium

ejimhof

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -25.6%

05-13-2013 23:50:55 | More by ejimhof

tectactoe

Michigan

3.71/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Belgian strong in a can, woo! 668 pours a completely opaque, golden-amber color with some lighter, sunburst orange in the center. It's capped with a creamy, slightly off-white head that has decent retention and leaves a very small amount of spotty lace behind. At first, there appeared to be some sediment, but upon further inspection, it was just small carbonation bubbles rising up.

The aroma is densely packed with floral and peppery hops. Belgian yeast is also heavy in the forefront, and I don't think anyone is surprised by that. Clove and peppermint spices round out the edges along with a hard-to-discern, sweet and almost tart fruitiness. Overripe banana, pear, and some other fruit I can't quite put my finger on. Very unique aroma, pungent in its own right with plenty of stuff going on.

A bouquet of hops jumps out from the first sip - a nice banquet of floral, flowery, and leafy flavors that caress the tongue rather than thrash it. Some light ashy flavors couple with some bubblegum-like spice from the yeast, right alongside a strong helping of coriander and clove spices. Bitterness gets a bit stronger towards the middle, but never gets "high". Phenols are mild - actually, very mild considering this beer is 9% ABV.

The fruit flavors seem a bit muted at first when compared to the aroma, but they start to come out a little more as 668 warms up. Mushy banana, crushed pears, and maybe even a slight hint of grapefruit rind. Tiny amounts of Candi sugar are present in the finish, leaving your mouth with a soft sweetness. Medium bodied, snaps the tongue with high carbonation and a wet mouth feel.

Decent Belgian strong ale, but nothing to go crazy over. Way too easy to drink for 9% ABV, though. Tasty and unique although some of the hop and spice combinations are a little less than desirable for my taste buds. Still a good beer, recommended to fans of Belgian-style strong ales.

Serving type: can

05-12-2013 16:43:17 | More by tectactoe

BlackBelt5112203

South Carolina

3.96/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Huge, huge thanks to beersndrums for this one! This has been a big want for me, partially because of the awesome name and partially because of the awesome reviews.

12 oz can poured into a tulip at cellar temperature.

L – Pale amber color with a 2-finger bubbly, rocky, white head. Decent retention but not really much lacing. Hazy with a good amount of bubbles.

S – The aroma isn’t very powerful, but I get Candi sugar, apples, oranges, bready malt, coriander, and peppery yeast.

T – Starts off sweet with bready malt, Candi sugar, and apple and orange esters. As the taste progresses, grainy malt and spicy coriander and peppery yeast appear. Approaching the finish, bitter herbal and earthy hops shine through.

F – Medium-bodied with good carbonation, a sticky and mouth-coating feel, and a bittersweet, spicy, earthy, and dry finish. Sweet Candi sugar, earthy and bitter hops, and spicy yeast all linger for a nice while. There’s a nice throat-warming sensation from the alcohol, as well.

O – This was a pretty good beer. The appearance wasn’t as clear, the head wasn’t as everlasting, the aroma and taste weren’t as complex, and the mouthfeel wasn’t as creamy as some of the better Belgian examples, but it was tasty nonetheless. Furthermore, it was very drinkable, especially considering the 9% ABV. Maybe the best part was that it was in a can! I never thought I would see a Belgian-style ale in a can! Thanks for giving me the chance to try this one, Jared!

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2013 03:07:09 | More by BlackBelt5112203

GreesyFizeek

New York

4.25/5  rDev +5.5%

05-11-2013 04:29:55 | More by GreesyFizeek

Curloftheburl

Connecticut

4/5  rDev -0.7%

05-10-2013 20:25:50 | More by Curloftheburl

MastaShonuf

California

4.25/5  rDev +5.5%

05-10-2013 05:28:03 | More by MastaShonuf

bigedct

Connecticut

4/5  rDev -0.7%

05-08-2013 02:29:47 | More by bigedct

cadaugherty

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -6.9%

05-08-2013 00:14:48 | More by cadaugherty

cnbrown313

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +5.5%

05-07-2013 13:56:03 | More by cnbrown313

laxer8811

New York

4.25/5  rDev +5.5%

05-06-2013 01:46:11 | More by laxer8811

PrimeBeer

Connecticut

4.25/5  rDev +5.5%

05-03-2013 05:17:56 | More by PrimeBeer

quirk6

Connecticut

4.25/5  rDev +5.5%

05-03-2013 01:45:37 | More by quirk6

bootdown21

Connecticut

4/5  rDev -0.7%

05-01-2013 13:35:35 | More by bootdown21

scootsmal

New York

3.75/5  rDev -6.9%

04-30-2013 15:11:38 | More by scootsmal

Bizoneill

Connecticut

4.25/5  rDev +5.5%

04-26-2013 15:29:01 | More by Bizoneill

ManMoosePig

Connecticut

4.25/5  rDev +5.5%

04-25-2013 01:21:54 | More by ManMoosePig