Ninkasi Believer Double Red

Brewed by Ninkasi Brewing Company
Style: American Strong Ale
Eugene, Oregon USA

Pours a rich copper bronze with a good creamy head that clings to the side of the glass. Rich malt sweetness fills the aroma. Touches of dark fruits, could be berries and a rich mahogonay finish. Warmth in the mid palate, quite complex but finishes a little bile-like - but not in a bad way. A 1-beer on a winter night for me.

Cask Stillage from the Jug at the GABF, Colorado Convention Center 24/09/2009 Hop aroma. Bronze coloured strong in alcohol and a little fruity with a hint of bitterness in a crisp and dry malt finish.

2009 Bottle - Pours out a dark amber with a small, quickly dissipating tan head...aroma is dry, oily hops, slightly floral, roasty malt...flavour is similar, nice hop presence, bitter citrus and dough, burnt sugar, caramel...nice carbonation and a lingering bite...tasty.

Bottled. Pours a very deep deep amber with decent head retention. Very hoppy on the nose with some vegetable type notes. Bitter at first then mellows to a nice mix of the hops and malt. Medium level of carbonation that fades quickly, light on the mouthfeel.

Again, another nice beer out of Cali brought back by Buddy. Pours pitch black. Aroma is pretty neutral. Nothing special and that’s made it average in my opinion. Taste was dark chocolate, some earth and plenty of smoke. Overall, decent. And wish i would have had a couple more. Thanks pal!

This is a fine example of the somewhat recent "Double" Red Ale category. Featuring a big, bold, toasty, malty backbone that supports a tremendously copious amount of citrus hops. Well-balanced, I’ve experienced this ale on several occasions to find that once in a while it will come across as just a tad acrid. (could be old product on the shelf?). If you enjoy straightforward malt richness balanced by a good dose of citrus hops and smooth bittering then this is for you. After half a bomber you’ll never know that it hides nearly 7% abv. After two you’ll be pretty sure it did. Let it warm up a bit, listen to some Television, gulp it out of a tulip glass and savor the taste of Oregon.

Had this at a tasting last night in Post Falls Idaho at Enoteca. 22 oz bottle. Color was bright and clear. Nose was soft but pleasently floral. The beer was excellent. Strong malt but smooth and easy to drink. Hops were slightly tart but not over poweringly so. There wer grapefruit notes that blended well with the malt. This is beer is worth investigating further. I plan on stopping into Enoteca and having a full bottle for myself. :)

Very deep red/amber pour, nice white head, decent lacing. Lots of grapefruit up front and a malty finished. a little muddled, but nice.