Bridge Hanger
Northbound Brewpub

 

draught
Almost clear, medium dark chestnut color. Moderate, medium dark roasted malt aroma. Taste starts off with a bit of molasses, and slightly sweet at first, then medium heavy roasted grain & caramel in a subtle way, in the taste. A bit of bite, leading to the finish.

IBU: 22

 

a belgian dark strong with a cool candy sugar vibe to it, lots of character from the grain too, and a real clean fermentation profile that hides its alcohol well. like all the recent northbound beers i have had, this is really well made, but maybe also a touch on the safe side. while the quality has been excellent, im not positive the beers have been as innovative as i sometimes like to see, but its hard to argue with execution at this level! some molasses and even maple sweetness to this, but its not sugary overall, just with some layers of it in here. dried red apple, date, and white pepper nuance here, some bran muffin breadiness, and an abbey type malt richness that gives this a regal vibe without making it heavy. i love the high carbonation with the belgian yeast, i think thats what these styles need fundamentally, and they have that aspect dialed here. i also like how the yeast esters are obviously belgian and familiar, but reserved enough to not take over this beer, its balanced and comes in waves, also warming up predictably well. this almost has a barleywine coziness to it, but without the weight, and a nuttiness persists on the palate with the dried fruit after each sip. maybe not as deep and rich as some of these, but i like it as a fall sipper, and it was killer with a little meat and cheese plate out back on a brisk evening!

This beer arrives a clear orange-red color. The head is a half inch of off white foam that recedes slowly leaves nice rings of lacing. The aroma is full of strong banana, some anise, hints of clove, maybe some dates in the background. The taste is much more spice forward than the aroma, and much more intense. Lots of anise, tons of allspice, bits of clove, mild backing banana. The mouthfell is medium-full bodied with a sharp carbonated bite. Overall, I enjoy this beer. It shows quality, but isn't mind blowing.

Generally speaking I feel like Northbound Brewpub brew solid, yet hardly ever revolutionary, examples of various styles. Bridge Hanger is no different.

There is no doubt about the nature of this brew, as the Belgian yeast takes a dominant place in the flavor. Besides the overwhelming yeast-flavor, there are undertones of bananas, citrus, and caramel. As most Belgian-inspired ales Bridge Hangar is quite drinkable with a light body.

This is not at all a bad introduction to the Belgian Dark Ale, but it is also not a beer which leaves a sizable footprint.