Narwhal - What am I missing?

gonna save your tag

 

I feel the same way. Loads of dark sweet fruit and a little roasted malt but that was it, thin almost.
Although I have been spoiled getting my fill of Societe The Butcher, which is without a doubt my favorite imperial stout ever.

 

I'm probably gonna come across like a SN fan boy, and I don't really mind that at all. SN simply can do no wrong - I love all their beers. Are they the best representation of any given style, possibly not. Are they an excellent representation of any given style, hell yes! Everything from their pale ales, barley wines, ipas, dipas, porter, stout, imperial stout....you name it, and they've done it, and they've done it well, and they've done it well at an extremely affordable price point, and they've done it well at an extremely affordable price point and availability. You get the point.

 

I also found it rather mundane. I guess I'm just not a big Sierra Nevada fan in general, but I'm glad others like it as much as they do. It kills me that I don't love it, especially seeing as it's so inexpensive.

 

This beer just has more roast and dryness then most people associate with big stouts, syrupy thick beers are the norm now.

 

i went to go grab my last one in the fridge 12th of the year...and my roommate had a torpedo in my 4pk so I guess I already had my 12th one...had my 23rd BFS of the season in stead...narwhal is great im a huge fan and this has really got me in the mood for stouts this year...usually just an ipa/belgian guy during the winter but have been whoring out for stouts the past few months.

 

Narwhal - liked it a lot, didn't love it. I thought the flavor was good, but missing that one oomph to make it a world-class RIS.

 

I agree with the OP. I wasn't impressed with Narwhal. Very little complexity and one of the most one-dimensional RIS's I've had. However, I'm sure there are plenty of people that got more out of this brew than I did.

 

I found it to have good complexity. Now, its not as good of a beer as Founders Imperial Stout or Great Divide Yeti, but drink it next to something like Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout and maybe it can help you see how good of a beer it is.

 

Tell me, have you ever had Narwhal.......with weed?

 

I had a sample on tap the other night and it was just super boozy and meh. Glad I didn't order a full glass.

 

I'm with you, but I am not a fanboy. They are one of the most consistent brewers out there when it comes to quality, price, and availability. Sure, you know you're not getting a Hunahpu with Narwhal or an Abrasive with Hoptimum, but you also know that you're going to get a very drinkable, very delicious, very affordable beer every time. To me, that is where the beauty of Sierra Nevada lies.

They're almost like a jack-of-all-trades, master of none type of brewery, except rather than being average they are decidedly above the mark with every entry.

 

I think this is fair. I had a year-old Storm King that I'd put in the former category, and I thought it was excellent. Very different character than Event Horizon, Black Tuesday, and the large majority of the BA stouts I've been fortunate to try.

 

What's hanapu?

 

My cat loves Black Tuesday, but won't go near roasty dry stouts. I think that is really saying something, at least about my cat.

 

I gotta be honest, I don't know why I liked your post... but now I have the sudden urge to watch Half Baked. I hope it's on Netflix.

 

Sorry, I should have been more clear. I was saying the coffee flavoring I picked up tasted that way, not that there was actual coffee in it. Maybe the malt flavor felt over burned to me and that's what I was picking up. That coupled with the grittiness I experienced (which could easily come from malt that wasn't filtered completely), reminded me of the bottom of a coffee cup that was sitting out. This flavoring was deliberate given the description SN gives below and I can confirm as a home-brewer that the malts used are what would deliver that... but I didn't intend to mislead, so please forgive me if I did so.

"Coffee fans may delight in Narwhal’s espresso notes, masters of the oven may detect cocoa, and avid campers may catch the subtle smoke of a fire. Whoever you are, don’t underestimate Narwhal’s power. Need to build your confidence? The beer will age well; keep it within reach to conquer."
http://www.sierranevada.com/beer/high-altitude/narwhal-imperial-stout

Weyermann®
Carafa® 500-600LA roasty coffee flavor. Not as astringent as Black Patent. For stout, porter, dunkle weisen and bocks.
item #2180
http://www.thebeeressentials.com/beer/beer-specialty-malts.shtml

Roasted Barley flavor profile: Coffee, intense bitter, dry
http://www.brewingwithbriess.com/Products/Roasted_Barley.htm

 

Well you've done your homework, I'll give you that.
I live in Seattle so naturally, the thicker and grittier the better when it comes to coffee. To each his own I suppose.
Cheers!

 

I couldn't agree with this statement more. As far as widely available beers go, Narwhal is a great imperial stout, and one of my highlights of the year. For the price for a four-pack, one can't go wrong with it when looking for a beer of its style.

 

Ahem, the correct post would read, "Have you ever drank a Narwhal............... on WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEED?".

To post on-topic, I really liked Narwhal when I had it a month or two ago. Nothing amazing, just found it to be a really solid, tasty non-barrel aged imperial stout. I'll agree that Founders IS is better (not a real fair comparison though, heh), but pretty darn good. Would like to see how it ages also.