A taste of… Buckbean Black Noddy

Reno,

Nevada

USA

Preface:

On Tuesday 10 June 2008, at the height of what local on-air-meteorologists have called a dangerous heat wave, a box of “Yeast Samples” arrived at my door. As you can (pun intended) see, it was canned beer. The packaging was less than successful in that all cans suffered a dent or two. However, none were punctured. They were also quite warm to the touch before they were refrigerated. I can (again pun intended) only hope this has not affected the product.

That said, I offer the following tasting notes…

Appearance:

The press announcement referred to Black Noddy as in the style of Bavarian Schwarzbier and it looks the part. My trusty mini-Maglite revealed that it is actually a deep garnet red brew. As you can see from the picture above, the head was thin. I can attest that the brew was poured rather cold. I will post an addendum with the results of a “proper pour.”

Aroma:

Naturally, a brew poured too cold will have its aromas impaired. However, even chilled, there is a chocolate malt aroma on first impression. The second impression is the first amplified.

The first impression is malty grain followed by whiff of orange scent that I might miss if I wasn’t looking for it. Finally a richer malt aroma greets the first sip.

Mouth feel:

There is a medium bodied brew. As noted on the can, 5.2% ABV is neither flabby nor over endowed.

Flavor:

There is dominance (evocative word to use when talking Teutonic) of chocolate malt here it is as close to style as I have experienced. Is it the real thing? I can boast of sampling the real thing in Munich in 1988 in the presence of folks who knew their schwarzbier.

Finish:

The presence of the hops is long lasting but is a joined by a flavor I associate with some of the citric herbal teas that were so popular in the late 1970’s.

Comments:

A dark beer as a “summer seasonal” brew is not usual. This is an exception. It has flavor that holds up to a chill and would work well in the BBQ environment as well as with traditional grilled/charred meat, poultry and vegetables.

The brewery Site: http://www.buckbeanbeer.com

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