Friends Giving
Double Nickel Brewing Company

A: Tarnished and cloudy orange has a deep haze with a medium rush of macro-effervesce. The capping is sticky marshmallow consistency, an off white color that was steady on the hold at two plus inches in height. Tons of chunky yeast floaties add to the appeal while a stratified ring of dense layering of lace lines the vessel.

S: Pineapple cup and pears on the nose. Hints of semi-dried tropical has a bit of sourness and tart character. With a bigger wiff i'm getting underlying notes of sweet peaches all with a low-moderate sense of awareness.

T: The flavor of tart orange and pineapple are first on the tongue, with some edginess of dry flowery cascade hops bringing a sense of grassy dry hopping. Pungent sour tropical as with the nose, has some pine and malty tones. Touch of holiday spiciness, spruce and grapefruit round out.

M: Good fullness, malty character with a spicy hold. Mid range carbonation texture.

O: Certainly lives up to its hazy marketing, Spicy tart tropical and sour tropical fruit mends with some grassy "C" hopping. Drinkability may be limited.

 

I look forward to this beer every year! It is delicious.

If you're into it, check out my weekly book and beer reviews at https://caitmackcs.medium.com/

 

 

 

 

TLDR: Fruity, Bitter. Hazy IPA
L: Great Honey colored haze
S: Good smell, slightly off fruit, very sweet
T: Good taste - Not a classic New England IPA but good
F: Great feel
Overall: Good NEIPA, but not true to a real NEIPA brewed up North. Color is great, reminiscent of natural honey. Smell is slightly sweet, almost of an artificial fruit flavor, slightly sweet for my taste but not bad.
Taste Is better than smell, Slight fruity start, nice body and a smooth but bitter finish. While the beer is good, compared to other NEIPAs it can't compete. While it is hazy, the hop profile doesn't match those of the staples brewed in New England.
Conclusion - Look Elsewhere for a REAL new England IPA

Double Nickel Brewing Company "Friends Giving"
16 fl. oz. can, "10/29/18 10:11:05"
$5.49 @ Total Wine & More, Cherry Hill, NJ

Notes via stream of consciousness: So let me first say that although I appreciate the idea behind this, with brewers collaborating to brew a special beer and then donating all of its profits to charity, I have to question the idea of each brewer adding hops to it kind of randomly. However, I see that it's brewed from Mosaic, Idaho 7, Nelson Sauvin, Amarillo, and Apollo which should all work together. So let's see... it's poured a murky, dark brass, almost russet brown body beneath a finger-thick head of white foam. It's interesting... I don't think I've ever had a beer exactly this color. The aroma is like sweet fruity perfume with a hint of pine to it. It's not as bold as I thought it might be, and I don't get a lot of specific notes. I am finding some berry, and some orange, and a little bit or pine and resin though. On to the flavor... well it tastes good. It might not look good, but it tastes good! Again, the hops aren't super strong but they still drive the flavor. What malt is there is basic and sweetish. I'm finding notes of orange, berry (blueberry, sweet red berries), gooseberry/white wine, some mild pine, a smear of resin, and a light dusting of spiciness. So there actually is a lot there, but that took me a while to find all of those things. The more I drink it the more it grows on me. A median bitterness balances it and it finishes fairly sharp and dry. In the mouth it's medium-light in body, and crisp but with a fine-bubbled carbonation. It gently bristles the tongue before becoming smoother - no problems there. So what to say about this beer overall? It's actually fairly unique, and I think it offers great promise, not that it'll ever be brewed again. My guess is that the amount of yeast in it has hurt it, muddling it up a bit, and certainly not helping its appearance. Of course haze is in, right? And haze supposedly helps with hop aroma, although clearly that hasn't happened here. Had it been allowed to settle clear I think it might have been an outstanding beer. As it is, I'll still take it. It's a bit pricey but it helps people out, and I get a beer for it, so I'm going to pick up some more if I see it.
Review# 6,370

16 oz can poured into a Weizen glass.

Appearance
hazy, murky, deep apple cider gold. 1 finger of creamy white head.

Nose
Passion fruit, guava, mango, peach, and candy sugar.

Taste
Earthy, piney, and dank. Light melange of tropical and stone fruits; peach, passion fruit, mango, and guava. Biscuity maltiness.

Mouthfeel
Medium bodied, crisp, bitter, and dry.

Overall
Good mix of tropical and earthy hops. Cheers for charity!