Sun Surfer
Double Nickel Brewing Company

 

A serviceable warm weather option from Double Nickel. Bright gold pour with a fluffy pure white cap. The nose and flavor lean toward citrus, especially orange. The hop presence is stronger than most summer blonde ales as Sun Surfer is double dry-hopped with Mandarina hops. It's not a high end beer, but it will certainly succeed in taking the edge off the summer heat.

 

There is a lot of citrus here….and that citrus is orange just as advertised. Not sure this works for me but it’s certainly different.

 

Hazy, straw yellow (with a green hue) color. Good, lumpy head which is slow to recede. Wide streaks of lace left of the glass.

The smell is mostly very pale malted barley. There's a light citrus followed by a touch of berry sweetness. Initially, I didn't think there was much here, but there's a nice, but very subtle, complexity.

The flavor is soft but, like the smell, quite complex. It starts with the palest of malt tastes, but there is no graininess at all. Next, the citrus (orange) flavors come in. Decent body with a predictable level of carbonation. The swallow draws out some neutral bitterness. It would be easy to overwhelm the lighter flavors, but this is close to perfect in terms of balance.

This is NOT a big beer. It is more appropriate for soft-spoken, curious, philosophy loving beer drinkers. It's so delicate one might miss many of the flavors and smells

 

 

DNs usually solid, but for me this blonde was way overloaded with orange/tangerine flavor almost to the point of un-drinkable. If you enjoy a not so subtle punch of orange, this may work for you.

(12 oz can, 03/31/21; purchased cold 6-pack... poured into a fat tulip)

L: initially pours clear, but much finely speckled sediment enters with remaining ounces; foam fizzes away quickly, leaving thin, spitty collar... virtually no lace

S: bold sweet orange peel essence, floral undertone highlights; perhaps a grainy, bready, muffin-like malt character poking out from below... overall, bold expression, if a bit muddy

T: more orange up front, but with the floral, lightly fruity-herbaceous hop character meeting the orange in intensity; lightly bitter (bitterness of which the carbonation seems to influence)... relatively dry aftertaste, orange essence still singing, with perhaps some crackery grain notes scattered in the fruit soup, the presence of which may be what's preventing a full-on orange soda masquerade

F: light-bodied, but with a oily viscosity and slow finish; fizz at first, but it mellows out quick... subtle sense of alcohol warmth (and/or acidic hop spice?)... at any rate, a delicate nectar, eminently crushable

O: second can I tried from the sixer, but first time noticing (first via their website) that this is brewed with oranges; duh! makes sense now... quite nice; a crowd pleaser and an ideal warm weather swill; I'd definitely buy this again (1763)

 

Poured from a can into a Chimay goblet, it's a copper orange with a thin white head.

Aromas of fresh citrus float off the glass - lemon, clementine, tangerine, and blood orange.

The taste is primarily tangerine, followed by tangerine rind, with a hint of blood orange. There's a mild bitterness, like that of tangerine rind, to balance out the fruitiness.

Overall it's a nice, refreshing, citrus beer. I'm reminded of the quote, "Nice, nice... not thrilling, but nice." That basically describes this beer - it's not likely to thrill you, but it's a nice, refreshing, summer beer. There's not a lot of depth of flavour, but it's pleasant enough.

Aroma is bread/malts and slight spices. The flavor is citrus, wheat/malts, mild tropical fruit, almost Belgian wit yeast and a fruit/lemon zest finish.

 

 

Double Nickel Brewing Co. "Sun Surfer"
12 fl. oz. can coded "05/27/20-10:47:39". Sampled on 0/19/20.
$2.29 @ Total Wine & More, Cherry Hill, NJ

Notes via stream of consciousness: This is "brewed with fresh oranges", Valencia I hear, and "dry hopped with Mandarina". It certainly smells like a fresh orange. The body is a clear yellow-gold and the head is an average-sized cap of bright white foam. I've been waiting to see if it would drop, and it is, but slowly. On to the taste... the orange carries over clearly and it's bright and fresh. There's even some citrus pith character to it. It's like you might find in a freshly made cocktail or spritz. There's some basic malt behind that, lightly sweet and softly bready, and a touch of bitterness. Not a whole lot of bitterness is needed though as the acidity of the oranges helps to balance it out. In all honesty what this tastes like to me is if you had a blonde ale and added a big slice of orange to it. That's it, that's the review. In the mouth it's medium-light in body and somewhat crisp. I still have a thin but solid surface covering, and it's left some average lacing about the glass. Certainly a summer beer. Wort trying.
Review #7,035