NXNW Black Ale Tasting
So after waiting four weeks for the black ale to age and carbonate, it was finally time to taste the batch. Since this batch was a mimic of a black ale made at a local microbrew, I decided to go ahead and run off to the microbrew and try their black ale right before I tried mine (the trip was a sacrifice I was more than willing to make). The general elements I could get from the microbrew black ale were:
- Strong initial hop taste
- Slight sour hop ting
- Slight dark/burnt flavor
- Smooth body and carbonation
Using this as a baseline measuring point, I went ahead and tasted my black ale.
The first thing I noticed was the color was almost identical to the microbrew beer as a solid black.
It was also interesting to note that the head and carbonation of this beer was identical to the Bavarian Hefeweizen batch. The aroma was mildly hoppy.
I’m very happy to say that the taste is very similar to the microbrew black ale, which is as close to a success as you can come with a mimic batch. The initial hop taste and the slight sour ting were both clearly there and made for a nicely balanced taste. The body and carbonation was clean smooth.
Overall, a great beer that achieves the taste it was designed for.
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