Narwhal - What am I missing?

I know you're expecting this but... Maybe you're just destined to dislike it? If you've always enjoyed a "full" RIS maybe the thinness puts you off.

 

Some beers just aren't for every one, no way around it. I think temp surely could have something to do with it. However, I think you nailed it with price point. We all whether conscious or unconscious scale based on value proposition. Is Narwhal the bast damn RIS I've every tried of course not. However, is it perhaps one of the best values, certainly so. Frankly, spending as much money as most of us do, it's refreshing to find this good of a beer at the price, a common theme with SN; simple as that.

 

I never understand what people expect to hear from starting these threads. If you don't like a beer, that's a pretty personal issue, and advice from other people probably won't help.

 

I've had only one Narwhal so far, and I also was left wanting more. Lots more.

To me it's just a rock-solid, no-nonsense imperial stout without all the barrel-aged bells and whistles. About what you'd expect from Sierra Nevada. I started it slightly chilled and let it come up to around room temp before I was finished. Thought it was roasty, chocolatey, and pleasantly bitter with hints of dark fruit and coffee.

Not as good as Founders Imperial Stout but I'm OK with that, because at least I can buy Narwhal locally.

Cheers!

 

Not necessarily, sometimes you just need to know what other people see in it in order to cement your own opinion. This happens to me with music all the time: when I first hear a band that everyone is raving about, and I'm not immediately won over, I'll give it a little time (like TWStandley has done for Narwhal). Then, if I'm still not "getting it", I'll ask other people what I'm missing so I can see what others see and decide whether I missed those things and now enjoy the music for what it is, or that I just didn't care for those things in the first place.

 

I've heard a lot of people compare it to Plead the 5th. Since I don't care for Pt5 I haven't tried a bottle of this yet. So maybe you're not alone.

 

"To me it's just a rock-solid, no-nonsense imperial stout without all the barrel-aged bells and whistles."

I think this is the key. It's just a great version of the style.

 

I love it, but I think it is possible that you are asking too much from it. There are lots of great things going on here: a nice, just slightly syrupy mouthfeel (not getting the thin), dark chocolate notes and sweetness, coffee bitterness, and figs, in addition to a nice, warming alcohol burn. The carbonation is spot on. The beer looks incredible, which is probably its best (and Sierra Nevada's best) characteristic. The problem is that, while those things are there, they are not as perfect as they are in other RIS offerings.

That said, I think you should take a step back, see that you're purchasing an above average product for an average price, that just so happens to have incredible availability from the infallible Sierra Nevada, and thank your lucky stars you've had better beers than this one, because honestly, if this was the best RIS you ever had, you wouldn't be too bad off.

 

Haven't found it yet and I regularly visit like 5 bottle shops. Has it not made it to Pittsburgh PA yet?

 

I personally love Narwhal & this completely sums up my feelings on it.

 

I thought it was really really complex, but it hardly blew me away. Great beer though.

 

It's on tap at a local bar here, Soo much hype! MUST TRY!

 

It was okay but I personally prefer green flash double stout. Similar price point and hits my palate better. I don't see it as one deminsional but the hop astringency throws me off.

 

I'm a huge SN fan, but this one was just a big miss/mess to me. I'm glad others enjoy it as I like seeing SN succeed. That said, there is a grittiness to the beer I haven't experienced before. It's almost like someone didn't filter the coffee grounds or added saw dust. The coffee itself tasted like I was drinking a two day old special at Starbucks.

Yes, I've had plenty of imperial stouts to have a reference point. No, I still don't like it. Sorry SN, I'll just drink more Bigfoot instead.

 

This is a weird thing to say because I don't think they put any coffee in Narwhal.
INGREDIENTS
Yeast Ale yeast
Bittering Hops Magnum, Challenger
Finishing Hops Challenger
Malts Two-row Pale, Caramel, Chocolate, Honey, Carafa, Roasted Barley

 

i thought it sucked. tnen i accepted the fact that i don't like ris. and it sucks living in the land of zukov, hanapu and all its variaiions.

 

Buy them all. Send them to me. I will get you what you need.

This sounds like a joke, but I'm deadly serious.

 

There's no such thing as a universally loved beer. You'll come across beers you hate that most BAs love and beers you love but most BAs hate. Everyone's palate is different. Personally, I tried Narwhal not expecting much and was very impressed by it. Definitely one of the better non-bal imperial stouts out there and great for the price (a local grocery chain is running them for $8 and change for a pack).