All Night Ale
Nodding Head Brewery

Reviewed on-tap at Nodding Head, this EDMA pours a matted deep brown with some thin woody highlights. The thin, bubbly off-white head recedes quickly to nothingness and doesn't seem to stick to the glass at all.

Slightly roasted malt and a nutty character are present in the nose. Some coffee but not as pronounced as I would have liked judging from the description. Some dim vanilla and sweet caramel malt aromas linger as well. Mild but very nice. The highlight of this selection.

A hint of espresso is present initially but it quickly deflates; somewhat disappointing for a brew claiming to be brewed with espresso and being named accordingly. A light roastiness lingers throughout. Very mild and I suppose true to the style. Some semi-sweet milk chocolate arises in the finish. Solid but not terribly impressive.

Thin and a bit watery in texture with lower carbonation. Kind of dead on the palate. I understand the characteristic mouthfeel of the style isn't generally very full but this is just a bit lacking regardless. Expectations of big coffee were, I suppose, a bit unrealistic for the style. Wishful thinking set me up for a fall this time, but a solid brew nonetheless.

You can smell the coffee in Nodding Head's All Night Ale as it sits before you. The glass sits before you, almost black in color, with a frothy head of tan atop. It's distinclty coffee-like, and a touch caramelish.

In the flavor the coffee is not as strong as the aroma might suggest, and some more of the mild's malt characteristics come through with some caramel and a touch of chocolate. It's made with espresso from Cafe Loftus (136 S. 15th St. - right around the corner), but it doesn't come across so much as espresso as just rich, nutty coffee. There is a touch of acidity noteable as you progress through the glass, but that's part of the coffee experience, and it's almost expected here.

It's creamy smooth in the mouth with a medium-light body and moderate carbonation. It's a really nice, soft and well-balanced beer, particularly given that it's coffee-infused, and I found it both highly enjoyable and drinkable. And the fact that it's a mild only lends to that. If anything, what might keep me from having more than a couple of imperial pints of this would be the caffeine. Well worth trying.