Double Nelson
Bellwoods Brewery

 

 

Got this one at the brewery during the annual summer swing-by. Review from notes. Cheers!

From a 500ml bottle into a snifter
Bottled 16 July 2015

APPEARANCE: Pours a three finger, medium looking, very creamy white head with great retention. Beauty head on this one. Hazy burnt orange in color with higher levels of carbonation for the style. Head fades to a full cap and leaves lots of nice lacing down the glass. Full wisp remains until the end and leaves some decent lacing as the glass empties. Good looking stuff.

SMELL: Pale malts, caramel malts, honeydew melon, pineapple, passion fruit and light grapefruit as well. Nice stuff.

TASTE: Pale and caramel malt notes, melon sweetness with some nice pineapple, passion fruit and bitter grapefruit in the finish. Aftertaste is bold and lingering with plenty of hop bitterness and tropical fruit notes. Flavorful and enjoyable.

PALATE: Medium body and medium carbonation. Very creamy on the palate, goes down smooth and finishes slightly dry. Some bitterness lingers.

OVERALL: Really good. Like a stronger version of their monogamy Nelson IPA. Well engineered too. Enjoyed this one quite a bit and definitely prefer it over Witchshark.

 

 

Reviewed from notes

Pours an golden-orange/amber colour, a little more than a finger of white head, little lace. Smell is bright and hoppy, tropical fruit and dank herbal-grassy notes, bit of pineapple and melon, also present is a moderate amount of sweet grainy malt. Taste is bitter and hoppy out front pineapple, orange and melon, a bit of grassy/dank hops, honey-sweet malty middle, drying finish. Lightly carbonated, med-full body, drying feel. Another solid hoppy offering from these guys, no surprise really and something I would like to see again.

Well, Jeffo completely destroyed me on yet another annual trade. I'm a broken, quivering mess but it just so happens that I have some great beers to drown my sorrows with. Cheers, buddy!!

Pours a hazy, copper-orange with a finger+ of thick and creamy, off-white head. Nose is super dank with candied orange and dried mango, some honey and anise, and a bit of sweet caramel candy.

Taste is a nice balance of sweet pale caramel malts and fruity, dank, oily hops along with a touch of cedar. Medium+ body, creamy smooth below medium carbonation. Really nice stuff. Thanks again, Jeff!

 

 

 

 

On-tap at Bellwoods. Served in a tulip.

A -White foam settles to a partial cap, thick collar, and splotches of lace. Transparent bronze body.

S - A mixture of Nelson hops and fruity malts. Almost amber ale in character - perhaps some crystal. Very dank and weedy, but definitely on the balanced side of the style.

T - Taste drops off a fair bit. Quite bitter, with more vegetal and astringent hop flavors. Bready malts and a lot less sweetness.

M - Medium-full body, oily and resinous, some alcohol warming. Dry finish, carbonation is spritzy at first but dies out rather quickly.

D - Again, this feels like it is 3-4 years behind the US in aesthetic. Wish there was less bitterness and more dank and fruity Nelson flavor. Still, a pretty solid brew from a region devoid of DIPAs.

 

 

 

Do they call it "Double Nelson" because after having one you insist on drinking a second? This sun-kissed golden-orange ale may look modest but don't let its apparent familiarity fool you - this is a damn good DIPA with some unique qualities (though the ability to maintain a clean, clear complexion after the bottle sediment is introduced is not one of them).

You'll read a lot of flavour descriptors regarding Nelson Sauvin hops, the most common being a strong resemblance to white wine. It's true of this beer that there are prominent grassy and gooseberry components not unlike a New Zealand (hey, that's where these hops are from!) Sauvignon Blanc. All other flavour notes (passionfruit, tangerine, grapefruit, mace, allspice, melon) are up to interpretation.

And I won't say 'no' to any of those. Double Nelson is an intricate beer who's flavours can transform sip to sip like a chameleon changes its colours. But the overarching characteristic is that similarity to dry white wine; this is likewise bright, fresh, crisp, with abundant fruitiness and a grassy-green gloss. I don't generally recommend DIPAs as pre-meal libation but this one makes one hell of an aperitif.

I initially thought I would have preferred a lighter malt bill but now I've got to hand it to Bellwoods - this is exactly the right balance. The light caramel flavours not only blend beautifully with the cedar and resin notes but also absorb any residual acidity. It's the malt - not those deliciously fruity hops - that allows this 8% beer to disappear by the gulp rather than having to be slowly sipped out of necessity.

If you ask me Double IPAs add to one's quality of life - that goes double for ones like Double Nelson that have super smooth drinkability and really interesting flavours. Offerings like this no doubt increase the longevity for their brewer. And there's certainly no doubt that Bellwoods' introduction to the Toronto beer scene has also improved the quality, standards and long-term well-being for beer in this town too.

Unique hop assault, and tangerine and lemon flavour. Grew on me Fresh tasting. Having it with food helped immensely. Another good new hopped Bellwoods.

 

 

A great presentation of the Nelson Sauvin Hop. The gooseberry flavour that many describe when tasting Nelson Sauvin is certainly in evidence and it blends well with the tropical and earthy notes that are present as well. It's a shame this is a one-off as I think it is the best IIPA that I've had from Bellwoods. i think I'm a convert to Nelson Sauvin!