North By Northwest Holiday Ale

Brewed by North By Northwest Restaurant and Brewery
Style: English Strong Ale
Austin, Texas USA

Cleveland tasting

Thanks to whomever cracked this open at crizay’s house. It was a refreshing change of pace though a tad predictable. I’m sure North by Northwest makes some great beers. I wouldn’t consider this one of them. It falls into the ’safe and drinkable’ category.

Aroma / Appearance - A pale white head danced above the bronze body trapping the chocolate dipped peaches and tapioca pudding underneath. Everything was cohesive but hardly exciting. The white bread base did little to make me want to spend more time than needed exploring what was there.

Flavor / Palate - A breakfast buffet of peaches and glazed Krispy Kreme donuts is complimented by bread. A trace of cheap processed ham lurks in the background. This was acceptable but given the circumstances I would probably pass on it in the future. It just doesn’t do enough for me to make it worth further inspection.

Shared at Cleveland tasting 3/15 Bottle: Pours a hazy gold with a white head. Aroma, light spices, yeast, some fruits. Flavor, spices, yeasty, sweet malts, fruits, and a bit doughy.

2007 draft at NXNW. Copper in color with 1/4" of white head. Sweet and malty in taste with notes of fruit. Extremely drinkable, went great with dinner (pork tenderloin). This is among the best beers I’ve had.

2007 bottle shared by notalush. Pours orange with slight white head. Aroma of citrus, along with spices and some sweetness (apples?) Very malty and fruity to the taste. Pretty light carbonation with a minerally finish. Some alcohol warming as well.

Bottle shared by notalush: Pours a muddy, deep orange with and off white head. Fruity aroma of apple skin, musty yeast and some peppery alcohol notes. Mildly carbonated. There’s apparent peppery alcohol along with light toffee sweetness. Some mild fruit skins and crisp apple notes. The finish has a lot of peppery spiciness. Kinda tasty, but nothing memorable.

Bottle shared by notalush. Very rich pumpkin, apple cider aroma, pepper and holiday spice. Delicious and complex. The flavor disappoints, though, harsh and pissy, dry, metal, with a totally off finish that at the back becomes bready. Sad after such a great aroma.

Bottle, thanks notalush. Hazy orange pour. Aroma is of cooked apples / spices. Kind of subtle apple in the flavor also, mildly sweet, with a malty finish.

Thanks to notalush for bringing this one out. Deep amber beer, slightly cloudy with a white head. Earthy, spicy aroma. Lots of herbal character as well. Sweet pale caramel malts. Cherry, apple, pear fruitiness with a soft figgy/raisiny character. A soft fruity and toffeeish character. The palate is a bit thinnish, but otherwise it works.