Slanted & Enchanted
Notch Brewing

Finally getting around to drinking and reviewing this thanks to my buddy Pat who bestowed a single can into my possession last weekend. I've seen this at stores but have never really felt the need to grab it for whatever reason. I'm glad to have it in my glass now, however. Let's see what this one is all about.

Pours a moderately hazy golden color with a little bit of a pale yellow undertone. Head is soapy and bone-white with excellent legs and lace, capping off a sudsy surface full of champagne-like bubbles. Similarly, nice effervescence seems to be rising from the bottom of my glass, continuously holding up the solid one-to-two fingers of rocky head. Great looking stuff. Very well-defined appearance.

This is dry-hopped with two hop varietals: Hallertau Blanc and Grüngeist, both of which have been developed by the Hop Research Center in Hüll, Germany. I've had a decent amount of beers featuring Blanc, but not many with Grüngeist (German for "green ghost," by the way), as the latter is far newer (by about 4-5 years, I believe). The aroma here is rather delicate, with floral and peach ring overtones blended with a little bit of herbal grassiness and light tropical elements. Passion fruit and slight guava combine nicely with the stone fruit and herbaceous aspects, while apricot and white grape also come across as parting notes. Not an overly-punchy nose, but one that feels pretty well-defined. I would say for a 4.5% lager that isn't really aiming for "IPL" territory, it's about where it should be, and thus, it feels satisfying and appropriate, though not incredible.

The flavor is husky grains and herbal, grassy hops right up front. Very coating palate with a surprisingly dense bitter component toward the end of each sip. Maybe a bit too much carbonation... gives it a carbonic acid bite, which isn't really encouraging to the beer's "sessionability." Lingering flavors of mango, passion fruit and peach with some lighter notes of cut grass and melon. There's also almost a "mineral"-like note, perhaps something to do with Blanc hops recalling white wine, and all of the associations that kind of comparison brings. A bit floral with a snappy Pilsner-like backbone... pretty good drinking, but not one I would really care much to revisit. I prefer Notch's more traditional offerings when it comes to actually drinking multiple in a session, but this is definitely interesting for what it is.

 

 

Golden color with a 4F head in a Pilsner glass. Excellent head retention.

Floral and sweet aroma.

Fruity and sweet taste followed by a dry, crisp finish.

Excellent beer. Dry hopped with German varieties Hallertau Blanc, Mandarina Bavaria and Huell Melon, my favorite German hops.

Complex flavors, very refreshing and easily drinkable. All in all, this beer has a nice addition of complexity from dry hopping the German lager. Refreshing, distinct, and delicious. Great beer.

16oz tallboy can, purchased at store.

A beautiful white head tops this nearly clear bubbly golden hued brew. Big herbal, grass, tea-like hop nose with some graininess in the back. Quite crisp and clean. Dry maltiness let the hoppiness shine, herbal and tea-like with perhaps some grape-skin within. Dry and crisp, easy to knock back more than a couple during a long session.

Touted as a German Hoppy Lager. Grassy, dank, buttery, lime and maybe some melon. Hmmm. Kind of weird. Maybe it's the grungeist hop? It's not the best. Some would say this is Slanted & Un-enchanted.

Consumed 11/20/17

A: Medium gold with some pale yellow highlights - clear - pours with a medium sized white head, fades to a wispy cap, retains a small collar and leaves some streaks of lacing

S: Decidedly non-traditional - not typical hoppy aromas, either - herbal and leafy, somewhat dank - white grapes, white wine, kiwi - light hints of pineapple, peach, melon - wet grass - some citrus, particularly lemon - hints of lager yeast - pilsner malts and some light bread at the base

T: Floral citrus and lemon - herbal and dank, with some touches of damp grass - white grapes, white wine, gooseberry - under-ripe peach and cantaloupe - not really tropical despite having some tropical fruits, as the white wine and dank herb flavors are more potent - fairly simple base, with some pils malt, light bread, grains, and crackers - touch of honey sweetness - very clean finish

M: On the light side of medium, medium carbonation, crisp

O: I'm pretty sure this is also the name of an ice cream

I was so excited to hear that Notch started canning their Zwickel that I briefly thought this could be the can. Nope. This is very unusual lager, with some really interesting fruit and herbal aromas and flavors. It's definitely worth a try, but it's not my favorite from Notch's stellar lineup.