Saffron IPA
Mantra Artisan Ales

 

 

 

 

L- Dark straw amber beer with a decent quarter inch head that dissipates quickly. Looks okay.
S-Saffron, piney and sweet citrusy hop aromas are very much present. Very sweet and strong aroma that lasts long in the nose. Smells great.
T- Bitter from the hop, sweet malt, nice spicy and floral saffron, and an earthy flavor that I can't quite put my finger on. Extremely tasty.
F- Crisp but sticky to the tongue.
O- A very well balanced and easy IPA. Very well made.

 

 

Purchased during a recent trip through Nashville.

Poured from a bottle into a tulip glass. Brownish yellow color with a good head and nice lacing. Floral and herbal smell and taste. A slightly sweet citrus taste. Rich feel. Tastes better as it warms a bit.

 

 

 

Pours a deep amber coloration with a medium, foamy head. Smell is quite sweet and floral, with an intoxicating saffron note and hints of citrus. Taste follows the nose, being dominated by a floral saffron note, but nicely balanced by slightly zesty citrus notes and a spicy cardamon note as well. A little biscuity malt and pine in there somewhere as well. Finishes with a light/medium bittersweet bitterness and more of that floral saffron coming through. Smooth mouthfeel with a medium body and carbonation.

This is quite an unusual, but very well executed beer. While it may be just a little too floral and unique for its own good, it's still nicely balanced and quite tasty in it's own way. Definitely one of the better beers with exotic spices I've had.

 

 

 

 

 

Wow! Very unique flavor and aroma! You have to try this!

Looks like an IPA. Orange and flat hazy
Smells like juniper
Tastes like the juniper made its way into my beer
Feels medium bodied and fairly easy to drink.
Overall it seems to floral to enjoy. The juniper is too strong to be enjoyable. The taste fades to a dry finish and that gives it a somewhat redeemable quality. Fair, but let's change it up for the next one.

Thanks to Grizzarky for this one from NBS Bif #5. 12oz bottle poured into 10oz goblet. Poured poured a clean, clear golden amber color with just a thin cap of white head that dissipated quickly, and left very light lace.

The aroma had a solid malt base, with some citrusy hop notes. I'm not real familiar with saffron, so I suspect that the floral tones I get in the aroma, and on the tongue, come from that. Not really getting any of the cardamom the label says this beer contains. Pretty similar taste profile, a good, solid "traditional" American IPA, with a little something extra.

The body was fairly typical for the style, perhaps a touch on the light side, and finished semi-dry. Drinkability was nice, the beer went down easily and smoothly. Overall, a nicely solid beer, one that would be in my rotation if it were local to me. Worth trying if you see it.