Noble Star Collection: Basin Of Attraction
August Schell Brewing Company

750 mL bottle. Pours orange and a little hazy with a big white head that settles quickly. Smells of a grassy hops, wheat, light acidity. Tastes much the same. Bright hops, even though it's pretty old, light lime acidity, wheat backbone. Dries out and leaves a woody and hoppy aftertaste. Light and easy drinking. Very well-made berliner, as this series always delivers.

 

 

750 ml bottle from Rare Beer Club. Pours hazy orange with tall, long lasting, fluffy white head and lively carbonation. Aroma is of funky yeast, sourdough, wheat molt, lemon zest and spices. Body is medium and tangy. Herbal hops, funky yeast, wheat malt, citrus fruit, vinegar, spices and some woody notes fill the mouth. Finish is long and sour. Nice refreshing brew.

 

 

 

 

Had on tap. Slightly hazy orange body with a finger of white foam. Apricot, peach, pineapple lemon, orange, and that wonderful cypress wood make up the nose, but pretty faint in intensity. Taste takes all of those, adds some malts, apple, and lime, plus is slightly more acidic. Light, slightly sour and fruity, little dry and wispy for a berliner

 

Glass at Whistle Binkies on the Lake.
This was not as interesting as others in the series. Still solid. Light fruits that were closest to apricot and peach. Some mix of citrus. Soft tart with the fruit and hints of sweetness. Some dryness, possibly from the dry hopping. Dry hop flavors are soft. Nicely carbonated. Cloudy orange/yellow with a smallish but apparent white cap.

the more i drink these noble star series beers, the more i have a soft spot for cyrpess wood, i definitely think it offers something unique compared to oak, especially at this level of maturity. there is the mellowing without so much of the wood flavor, and not seeming to increase the bacterial sourness much, like oak used too many times. i really dig it, and this is a cool iteration of this berliner series, dry hopped and fruity but still real drinkable for what it is. a cool profile from the denali hops, which i am learning to love now too. a shade darker than some of them have been, but still mostly see though. did i mention how stoked i am to have this on tap in denver? hopefully here to stay! the hops are awesome in the nose, and the varietals are awesome together. i dont mind the little bit of extra malt in the flavor, because it doesnt add any perceptible sugar, and the fruitiness of the citra and the denali is awesome, orange peel and kiwi and not too much acidity for this to be drinkable. really pretty different, mature, bright, and interesting. a very advanced take on a berliner, anything but boring and generic, which so many of them are these days. great stuff!

 

Poured from 750ml bottle into glass. Label is stamped 'BOTTLED: DEC 2017'.
Cloudy, gold colored body. Half of a finger of fizzy, bubbly white head which reduces quickly. No lacing.
Acidic smell of lemon and citrus, along with a cypress barrel note.
Sour and tart taste with lemon and pineapple, along with green apple and cypress barrel. Quite dry.
Crisp and medium mouth feel, with fizzy carbonation.
Very little sweetness to balance out the sour and barrel notes. Kind of overall flat in expression.