Oh My Darlin'
North 5th Brewery

righteous little beer here, totally one of a kind, odd for this time of year? maybe, but i loved it, and really it was my favorite beer i had from these guys while i was in town. its a festbier base, so probably not the freshest, but thats not really the point, its done with orange and cacao nibs, such a cool idea, and such a unexpected base beer to end up getting this treatment, never heard of such a thing, but i love the liberties taken here, ambitious and awesome, really super well executed! i like the choice of a festbier for this, some nice pale maltiness, obviously well lagered even though all the extra action in here, light brassy colored brew, just off clear, average white head from the tap, and in aroma and flavor its solid on its own, bready european grain, old world lager yeast, crisp and cool with a touch of middle sweetness, no sign of being tired from likely being made in the fall, some light noble hop snap, but mellow there, would be excellent on its own im sure, but this is not really about that, its about where they take it with the orange and chocolate elements, and its pretty darn cool. big aromas of oily orange zest and earthy bitter cocoa that hits like high end dark chocolate, light roasted natty process coffee beans, and brownies from the box, i love the full spectrum chocolate profile with the orange of course, a timeless combination, but also with the grain this has, german and full of character, an expected synergy thats actually brilliant. an honesty to the orange part, quality apparent in the nibs, love the dosage of both in here, bold but still leaving room to appreciate the festbier at the heart of this. orange lingers with a little baking chocolate bitterness, freshness from the orange i think is helpful too, and there is very little sweetness overall here, so its real drinkable, especially with the lively carbonation, not out of season with these extras at all. these flavors are just wonderful together, and this was a truly unexpected and impressive glass of beer, like no other. highly recommended!