Ninkasi Brewing Company N10 Anniversary Imperial Blended Ale American Strong Ale at 10% ABV | 100 IBU (C$25.99 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 8-Nov-2016, reviewed 10-Nov-2016)
Appearance: near-opaque deep brown with two fingers of creamy light beige head, excellent retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: chocolate, vanilla, bourbon, pine, citrus, wood, tobacco. (8/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, high bitter. (8/10) Medium-full slightly slick body, moderate carbonation, dry and warming (verging on hot) building bitter finish. (4/5)
There’s a whole heckuva lot going on in this thing – there are vastly differing elements from wildly differing styles co-existing side by side here, and it’s tempting to call this a kitchen sink. Ultimately, though, it works reasonably well: the roasted malt stout aspects lead the way, augmented by the boozy imperial character, while there are hints of the IPA contributions in the finish. It’s kind of surprising that there isn’t more IPA character here, since they represent a quarter of the mix, but the fact that it’s 75% stout and barleywine makes me think that there might be some good aging prospects here. A bit pricey to take that flyer on, though, especially since I already have so much dark stuff laid down for aging. We’ll see how charitable I’m feeling the next time I see it on a shelf. (16/20)
8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
