Borealis
Alliteration Ales

 

On tap Garden City, served in snifter. Dark brown/black appearance with a nice present creamy khaki head that laces well. Standard and enjoyable Baltic profile, charred and roasty, light notes of chocolate with a good minerally funk.

Taster at Boise winter Ale fest. A real nice offering from this new brewery. Dark brown pour, beige bubbly head. Aroma is equal parts sweet, roasty and chocolate. Taste is lightly bitter, sweet chocolate notes and a really nice feel all around. My first and best choice at the festival

the better of the two beers ive had from alliteration so far, but they are both solid, i think we can expect good things in the future, although i also think my standards have come down a little since living in idaho, less exciting stuff than was happening in colorado by a mile, and making classic styles well feels like a rarer win these days. anyway, this is bold, well executed, and has a great texture, i think a nice choice for this time of year, and they got the fermentation right, which is the challenge with this style. its deep dark brown from the tap with a short tan head on it, looks well refined and shiny. the nose and taste show robust roasted barley, an english middle malt layer, and an old world seeming lager strain, this is drier than many, hides its alcohol exceedingly well, and has a lot of cool nuance from leather to tobacco to licorice, dark chocolate, and light smoke. its not too bitter on the roast but its right for the style, and there isnt too much caramelized character offsetting it, so it drinks lighter than it is. definite chocolate to this, faster than expected finish, and an expansive sort of creamy body that really compliments the flavors. i think this is quite well done, shows a lot of promise, and is a fun one for the cold weather that just set in. excited to see where these guys go from here...