Benedict Amber Traitor Ale
Fort Nonsense Brewing Co.

 

Picked this up a a few weeks back at Joe Canal's in Parsippany as this can was on the clearance rack. Never had anything before from Fort Nonsense and with a name like this, why not have this beer right around the fourth? This turned out to be a bit more easygoing than I would have liked but this was a serviceable beer that didn't let me, or my country, down at all...

Not surprisingly, this poured red and nutty with a nice, subtle shine to it as quite a bit of light as able to seep through. A massive head topped it off but that was probably due more to the beer's age than anything else, even though there wasn't a date stamped on the bottom of the can. The aroma could have been more potent but there was some bread, fall fruit, and caramel in it although they were quite tough to discern. Thankfully, the taste was better as the apple, malt, and dough emerged once this fully warmed up. Nice lacing as there was a thick and rocky ring near the top with lots of thin, wavy coverage the rest of the way down my pint glass.

The hops were here and like the alcohol, I could barely detect them. Chewy and cloying, this was a full beer that was quite malt-forward and somewhat sweet with enough of a loaf to make this feel like a meal in a can. Some warming and a very subtle bitterness lingered in the aftertaste but overall, this left me wanting a bit more. Sure, a fresh can would be great but like so many brews I've had lately, a date for reference would be my first wish! This was a decent example of the style that had quite a bit of potential to it...

Fort Nonsense Brewing Company "Benedict Amber Traitor Ale"
1 pint can, seemingly without production codes or freshness dating

Notes: Mostly clear medium to deep amber colored body beneath a short head of khaki colored foam. Good head retention and lacing. Malty aroma with caramelish and bready notes and some background hops. The flavor follows suit with caramel, bread, and nuts but I think it may be a little too far towards the malty side for repeated drinking - one glass is nice unless you're a malt head. It's sweetish but not too sweet with a median bitterness in the 30 IBU range, and it eventually dries in the finish as the malt fades and some mild earthy hops lingering. Medium bodied with a dextrinous edge and gently crisp-then-smooth in the mouth.

7/8/19....deep reddish brown with fizzy 1/4 inch light tan foam head., Caramel, toffee ready nose. Rich nutty flavor, light caramel sweetness closed by a swift short bitter hop. Ready. High malt content. Real nice.

 

 

 

I had this on draught at the brewery. Pint pour. It pours a hazy, medium amber color with a thin, ecru-colored head and lacing. The head dissipated very quickly leaving a thin sheen of lacing. There's not much to the nose: about all I can smell is sweet malt and whiffs of caramel and apple. The taste features sweet malt, caramel, nuts, and a hint of apple. There is almost no hop presence. It's slightly sour at the finish. This ale is light and crisp with moderate carbonation, and it is very easy to drink with an ABV of only 5.4%. Overall, this is an easy drinker but it could be improved with more caramel and bitter hops. I'm confident this new brewery will improve its flagship beer and I'll try it again soon.