North By Northwest Holiday Ale

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

Bottle from lb4lb (thanks, man!) - hazy copper beer - aroma of apple, cherry, caramel, dough, light tartness - light herbal bitterness, with some vanilla, cherry, and overripe apples - finishes with some orange rind and doughy character - reminds me a bit of certain Fuller’s vintage ales.

Bottle. Doesn’t keep a head and the aroma is pretty sweet with some spicy cinnamon and apple. Flavor has some honey but its mostly baked apple. Dry, long finish.

Bottle courtesy of lb4lb. Pours mahogany/amber with a fizzy white head. Smells of roses, caramel, hints of cherries, some toffee. Taste yields lots of rosy character, some raisin, bits of caramel, touches of citrus and some subtle bitterness. Some alcohol is also present here. Low carbonation (similar to a cask beer) results in a somewhat flat but oily mouthfeel. Finish reveals some bitterness. Interesting, but a little unbalanced.

Draft at NXNW. Poured yellow hazy. No nose due to the cold temp. Not sweet on the taste as most BW’s but very drinkable. Not sure about the English Strong ale label and not quite a barleywine either. Sort of a tweeer style that is very good nonetheless. Limit 2 at the bar.

2007 bottle, 9% abv. The menu at the brewpub calls this a barleywine, but ESA fits. Pours burnt orange to toffee brown color with a medium sized soapy head. Aroma is very fitting for a Christmas beer. Brown sugar, creme brulee, cinnemon sticks, bread crust, almonds, and maybe a slight bit of citrus zest. Sweet cinnemon and toffee flavor, some gingerbread, brown sugar, donut glaze....in all honesty the malt flavors of this remind me of what a more malty 90 Minute IPA would be like. Similar quality. Some bitter lemon zest and coffee roast appear in the finish with a toasted nut aftertaste that’s only mildly bitter. Medium bodied, warming aftertaste, but not hot. Medium carbonation, very drinkable. In fact, it’s a little TOO drinkable. For a 9% beer, I would like some more slow-sippin’ chewiness. Still, this has a pretty nice flavor.

Thanks to fly for this, and I agree that with a little more polish and technical merit, this one would be rated extremely highly. As it stands, it’s still a very nice holiday beer, with a hazy dull orangy/deep coppery color and aroma of caramel malt, honey, figgy fruit, nutmeg, plum, and cherry, with those aromas intermingling to give a complex flavor, with the malt, x-mas spices, fruit, cabernet, and honey notes coming through at various times. I had to decant this one carefully toward the end, and it seemed to get better as it warmed. This is a very nice and unique beer.

12-29-07 bottle.
Cloudy yellow orange with a decent head. Smells more like a sour or a lambic. It is fruity and really not bad. Can taste the alcohol - not very well masked or balanced here. Strong flavor and okay palate. Overall, not horrible - just not my favorite style.

Pours murky, hazed orange with a nice offwhite head and some yeast. Smell is nicely rich, thick tart maltiness with alcohol well hidden. Taste is tart/sweet malt, and a hint of alcohol. Typical flavors of the style, but nicely made and much better to me than most of the style. Worth a try.