Sleeping Chamber
Wondrous Brewing Company

Very nice head production; excellent retention and lacing. Beer is surprisingly cloudy; most "unfiltered" WC IPAs still wind up being more or less clear, but this one borders on opaque. No visible sediment.

The first note I notice on the nose is an intense floral aspect. Subsequent sniffs reveal fairly heavy dankness, pepper, earth, white grape, lemon, orange. This is an absolute showcase for Nelson and Wakatu hops and rye malt.

Not quite as dank on the palate as it is on the nose, but it's not quite as ... anything. A bit watery and lacking in punch. Despite proclaiming the WC IPA throwback bitterness, it's moderately bitter at most (although certainly more so than the ubiquitous haze bombs). Tasting notes include stone fruit, white grape, white bread, grapefruit, and mango; the rye comes through quite nicely, as well, with a pumpernickel-and-pepper bite on the back half.

A touch oily (not in a bad way); crisp and lively. Medium dry.

1889
Name: Sleeping Chamber
Brewery: Equilibrium Brewing
Location: Emeryville, CA
Style: WCIPA
ABV: 8.5%
Date: Unknown
Working through these beers Jay gave me, I chose Sleeping Chamber. I do not know anything about this beer or this brewery. I got the can the other day; the label looks like a medieval painting. I was told this is like Nelson from Alpine. I served the beer at around 44 degrees using a Black Tuesday glass. The pour created a frothy and airy two-fingered off-white head with excellent retention. The slow dissipation left lots of lacing on the glass. Amber yellow with golden yellow hues, charting the beer around SRM 6. The beer is hazy with yeast. Overall the appearance is above average for this style.
Nosing the glass, I smell oranges, gooseberries, floral, grapes, malty sweetness, biscuits, crackers, earthiness, rye, a tropical guava/passion fruit, and grassy. The aromas are mouthwatering.
The Nelson hops come through well; I taste gooseberries, chardonnay grapes, oranges, passion fruit, floral, and some dankness. The other flavors are malty sweetness, grassy, spicy rye, earthiness, and a biscuity.
The mouthfeel is astringent and carbonated. The body is medium-plus, has a medium carbonation, and has a dry and crisp finish.
The first sip, my palate, did a cartwheel. I was not expecting the Nelson hops to push through that hard. The Wakatu pairs beautifully with other flavors. The rye makes the beer edgy in a good way. I want to know the story behind the name because you would stay awake after sipping this beer. Fantastic beer; elated Jay sent it!

Unfiltered west coast rye ipa with Nelson and NZ Wakatu. Pours with a slight chill haze. Bit of rye spice on the finish. The nose is floral, with a light touch of white wine grape. Some bitterness on the end. Guava and lychee and some rye spice on the nose, with a sip that follows. I’d sure like another.

 

Sweet tropical hoppy, white wine grape, and faint hint of floral lime citrus nose on this one! Taste follows with a slightly malty, tropical hoppy, and lime citrus bitter finish. I drank this two and a half weeks after canning date and, while it is still tasty, you can tell that the Nelson has fallen off a bit. Still enjoyable, but I think this would have been better fresh.