Birthday
Norbrook Farm Brewery

 

A: slight haze; deep gold in color; 1+ finger finely pored off white head that receded to a thin cap; nice lacing;

S: ripe pineapple;

T: pineapple juice from start to finish; mild bitterness at the end;

M: medium to full bodied; moderate carbonation; moderately dry finish; soft;

O: nice;

Drank from a 1 pint (16 oz.) beer
Served in a tulip
Big thanks to my sister Vanessa for this thoughtful birthday gift.

A tight, fluffy, two-finger tall, bright white crown topped the hazy yellow ochre body. The head slowly dropped to a frothy mass. Thick, craggily rings and spotty droplets of lacing stuck along the sides of the glass.

The aroma was fantastic. Nice melding of tropical fruit and citrus notes. Mango, guava and pineapple were most apparent initially. Really punchy and sweet. Bit of juicy orange as well. Some powdery yeasty notes were also detectable. As the beer sat, the tropical notes mellowed and the dry citrus character intensified. Orange peel and grapefruit came to mind. Some dankness appeared too.

The flavor was significantly more citrusy and straightforward than the nose. Orange notes dominated. Both flesh and rind. White grapefruit appeared as the beer moved along the palate. The grapefruit turned more bitter and rind-like on the back end and the finish.

Nice soft, creamy, fluffy mouthfeel. Medium bodied for the style. The liquid contained a finer beaded, moderate effervescence that turned slick and smooth on the palate.

I had never heard of Norbrook Farm Brewery prior to receiving a four pack of this Birthday IPA as a birthday present, but this beer should definitely put them on the map. Thanks again to my sister for making my birthday even more enjoyable with this gift.

2023-05-27
16oz can served in a snulip. Can is dated 12013345, although I don't have a clue what that might mean. Got it in a retaliatory NBS BIF #17 strike.

Pours hazy amber orange with a big, dense, creamy head, which settles into a clumpy uneven topographical map. Smell is old hay, musty old hops. Based on the smell, I suspect this is very old, but I can't read the date. If I knew it was old, I would not leave a negative review...but since it's not clearly dated, I'm plowing on.

Taste is slightly boozy, has some of the unpleasant old hops notes from the aroma though not as powerful, moderate creaminess. Definite orange or orange blossom notes, though not enough to carry it. Some woody bitterness.

Mouthfeel is rich and creamy, fairly nice. Overall...I'm not impressed at all. It's not terrible, but I'm pretty sure I'd rather drink something else, so I'm not sure I'm going to finish this.

 

 

 

Poured into a pint glass from a pint can. Deep 3 finger head, off white, with great lacing as the beer is consumed. Brilliant amber colored body. Aroma is of citrus and hops. The first sip has the taste grapefruit and apricot, with a herbaceous tang followed by the bite of the hops (special "Birthday hops" that could have been from at the brewery, as they have hops growing there).

Tall can direct from the source about ten days ago. No canning date info could be found.

Pours out fully hazed, about medium almond Amber, minor head and equally minimal lacing left on the glass.

Ripe fruity sniff, with some obvious underlying sweetness.

Smooth in the mouth with carbonation seemingly on the lower end of things.

On the palate it’s tropical fruit overload...ripe melon, mango, kiwi coming to mind. Decent.

 

This'd legitimately smells like birthday cake. The taste, however, is far too sweet and unbalanced. Some burn in the finish. Overall, pretty drinkable but more of a “tried it once” brew. That said, looking forward to more from this place.