Barrel Aged Deep Orbit: 'Nanna Rays
Other Half Brewing - Center Street

fobab 2022.

There must have been some bad barrels or bottling based on the reviews, I thought this beer was fantastic.

We are trending to an amazing 2022 of stouts if these breweries keep the banana beers flowing. Other Half did a full line collab with Binny’s in late 2021 and ‘Nanna Rays was the one that caught my eye. It is a spin off of their Deep Orbit series which I have had before but never quite like this. The beer is soft and velvety and the banana bread vibes sing throughout. Each sip brings you in with that intense baked good flavor. The beer is quite harsh in terms of raw booziness but I think that actually keeps the beer alive. It could be too much pastry if that kick wasn’t there. My favorite Other Half brew to date; keep ‘em coming.

I am very confused how on earth this has a 4.4 on untappd, it is awful! Shimming black pour with a brown collar and faded webbing. Nose has plenty of hot bourbon, coconut, chocolate, and general table sugar, but not really getting banana. Taste is a disaster, as GuyFawkes wrote, "tastes like banana runts candy dunked in ethanol." No semblance of balance, chocolate, coconut and vanilla are just sugary roadkill near the finish. Feel is hot, cloyingly sweet, light yet viscous. Drain pour

Pours an oily, viscous black color. No head whatsoever at any point. In fact it essentially looks still.

Aroma is oddly muted with a strong coconut and chocolate note coming through but not much else. Not getting any banana, vanilla or barrel.

Taste is at least more varied than the nose. Notes of coconut, vanilla, banana runts, all waft overtop of a sweet base stout that has notes of chocolate, milk chocolate and sugar. The barrel character is subtle and features mostly on the back end. However this beer is hot - like burn your throat hot. I know its 16%, but even so its distractingly hot. Finally, the banana on this is brutal. Banana runts is 100% what this tastes like and its not good.

Feel is thick, viscous, with very light carbonation. Given that it comes across as syrupy almost. Would like a bit more carbonation to liven it up a bit.

Overall this was not great, and at $20 a bottle I was expecting so much more ... its good for everyone this was a one and done.

A collaboration with Binny's Beverage Depot. Released October 2021; drank 12/6/21 @ the Yarchives.

Black appearance.

An even pour yielded almost no dark tan head; no lace.

Banana runts, coconut, booze heat & faint oak notes in the nose.

Thick, sticky mouthfeel.

Banana runts, coconut, chocolate syrup & harsh booze heat flavors.

Sickly sweet & excessively boozy; a complete misfire. Avoid this one, especially for the price.

Thick, black, syrupy. It's what you expect from a 16% abv BA dessert stout. I have not encountered the base beer. Very coconut forward, relative to the other additives. Banana is moderate but present, and the vanilla fades to the backdrop. Good barrel presence, smooth for the abv but still a nice boozy heat, some pepper spice and hints of honey, melon and cinnamon.