Stop, Collaborate, And Glisten
NoDa Brewing Co. - North End

 

 

 

16oz Can

A big thanks to Wilson for this guy among others! Thanks, dude! This homage to Vanilla Ice is a collaboration between NoDa & Night Shift. The body is dark golden, bordering on orange, with enough haze to keep me from seeing through. The carbonation is lively and bolsters the already easy to rouse head. The foam is pure white and microbubbled, constantly being resupplied. It does fall to a skim coat but the ring stays chunky throughout.

The nose is huge on the grape. Big white grape nose, sweet & tart. The tartness gets the salivary glands going. The malty base brings to mind shortbread almost immediately. Dewey orchards come forward with the yeast. Bold notes of underripe peach and pear. A drizzle of caramel and wine-like booziness lurk in the background. It's unique. Very grape driven but appetizing as well.

The flavor picks up where the nose left off. White grape must off the bat, big. It softens toward the middle but does run throughout. Orchard fruitiness again shows itself mid palate with peaches and pears being most present. I don't get a ton of barrel character besides a touch of tannic buttery-ness on the periphery The malt base again leans toward shortbread cookies with a soft caramel drizzle. The fruit notes in this beer are bright and lively bringing a flash of tart from the grape must.

I'm digging the body. It's lighter than expected with the size. The carbonation is dialed in nicely with a lively, fizzy feel that borders on frothy. The finish is dry and a it tannic while the tartness of the must gets at the sides of the cheeks. Drinkability is high for a beer of this style. I'm a fan.

This is a good beer overall. It's a little heavy handed on the must but overall it works. It's fruity and bright with a frothy carbonation and dry finish. I would pick this up if available in the area. Thanks, Wil!