Stinging Nettle
Machine House Brewery - Georgetown

I had this beer on cask at Special Brews in Lynnwood, WA.

Appearance: medium amber-red hue with a moderate haze. Head is a thick layer of frothy ivory foam, which has a lot of staying power and sticks around a good long time -- due in part, no doubt, to being served on cask. It has a real air of legitimacy to it.

Smell: malty, with some caramel and toffee character, along with a distinct herbal note. I wouldn't have guessed stinging nettle, but it adds a complementary dry note and is pleasant.

Taste: malty caramel character with more of that herbal flavor. The nettle provides good contrast with the otherwise sweet malt; it manages to be on the sweet side but still impart a certain astringency. I find it balanced and very enjoyable.

Mouthfeel: medium-rich body with a low but well-integrated carbonation. I think it has a great creaminess -- those who deride cask as "flat, warm beer" are missing out.

Overall: this is a really delightful beer. it is both drinkable and interesting, atypical and approachable. I dig it.

Bottle thought about gushing as I opened the cap, but didn't do a full Old Faithful. Initial pour, even attempting to be gentle, yielded a 20/80 beer/head split. Slowly worked that towards a more manageable ratio. Sticky thick head that even as it recedes doesn't yield all the way, leaving a nice solid lid on the beer and incredible lacing in the glass. Body is murky and a darky amber colour.
As I drink down, though, the lacing seems to slough off easily leaving a cleaner glass than initial impressions would indicate.

Medium bodied nose gives some sweet grains and a spicy vegetal note that is obviously the nettles, though it kind of weaves in and out of smelling specifically LIKE nettles for me. The vegetal note and the sweet core kind of clash for me.

Thankfully the flavour doesn't carry the same sharply sweet pang as the nose, instead leaning into more dulled flavours of lightly grainy malts and earthy hops, and letting the vegetal nature of the nettles act as a bridge between them. The finish then becomes spicy (nettles again) as well as some bitter earthy hops. Long lingering aftertaste that has the ghost image of some of the sweetness that wasn't actually present as well as the earthy hops, fading into a final act that is 100% just stinging nettle flavour. Which is what I came for.

Thinner body than I would have anticipated based on presentation. Moderate carbonation both in aggressiveness as well as size, and it's easy to drink.
I'd gladly drink this again, probably on a warm afternoon. The presentation of the nettles is really well done, and is something I was excited about, so it may not hit for everyone, but for me I enjoyed it as it was pretty much just what I was looking for.
I need to keep grabbing stuff from these guys when I see it, because the last couple I've picked up have been very pleasant.

Poured from the 500 ml bottle purchased at Special Brews in Lynnwood. Beautiful amber brew and long-lasting froth in the Affligem chalice. Intriguing herbal aroma. Quite sudsy in the mouth with lots of malt flavor and a sharp edge. Unfortunately this gets quite bitter after some sipping.

I guess "earthy" is the word here. At first it doesn't taste much like anything except an English IPA. But it definitely has a musty, mushroomy, and increasingly astringent sort of flavor. It also seems very malty, more so than the modest ABV and body would suggest. Overall, this is highly flavorful but the honeymoon is over once the bitterness takes hold. But still, more power to Machine House!

 

Poured into a Fremont pint glass. Pours a slightly hazy, medium orange amber with a big three finger off-white head with good retention and thick lacing. Aroma of biscuit malt, an herbal element that must be the nettles, and light grassy hops; a little woody and earthy. Flavor is semi-sweet biscuit malt, greens, woody and earthy, finishing with earthy biscuit and dry grassy hops. Medium bodied with good light creaminess, nice mouth feel. The profile is a cross beween a dark mild and a British IPA (I noticed while pouring that this is a couple of months old, so the hops may have faded a bit although I believe it was stored in a cooler for that time). The nettles provide a nice rustic flavor that is reminiscent of some woody saisons, although the malt here is classic English biscuit. The finish is odd, but quite pleasant with the woody flavors melding well with the grassy hops. I like this quite a bit and will check it out fresh next time I see it's available. This brewery is doing a fine job of producing authentic tasting English style cask ales and this is one of them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Half Pint @ the brewery.

Nice dark golden amber bitter. Soft head. Medium body. The carbonation is spot on for a firkin pour. Agressive earthy bitterness from the nettles, light malt, and floral Brambling hops. A really nice strong bitter/IPA from Machine House.