Spring Beer Week: Ninkasi Spring Reign

Spring Beer WeekAt 6% alcohol by volume, I’m not sure I would agree with Ninkasi that their Spring Reign is a “session beer”, but compared to their other beers (and to Pacific Northwest beer sensibilities these days), it could be. Their description:

Spring forward with this refreshing seasonal ale. Notes of toasted malt up front, finished with a bright and refreshing Northwest hop aroma, it’s a session beer that everyone can enjoy!

Like the rest of Ninkasi’s offerings, this comes in 22-ounce bottles.

Ninkasi Spring ReignAppearance: A bright copper, slightly hazy, with two generous fingers of off-white foam.

Smell: Candy hops and wet grass (like after a rain). Very pleasant with hints of a musty, earthy spiciness. Some toasted grains, and light wheat maybe.

Taste: A sticky resinous hop character with a clean malt that has a touch of roastiness to it. As it warms this becomes more of a nutty toast character. A green “vine” thing going on and it’s richly sweet in almost a minty way.

Mouthfeel: Nicely chewy, heavy-medium body with a lingering bitterness.

Overall: Sticky, sweet, light enough to be refreshing but still thickly a “Ninkasi.” Green, bright, and enjoyable.

On BeerAdvocate, it scores an overall grade of B+. On RateBeer, it scores 3.38 out of 5 and is in their 65th percentile.

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