Ninkasi Maiden the Shade
Alcohol by Volume: 6.8%
Find this beer and more at Full Throttle Bottles in Georgetown!
Intro: This summer seasonal from the quickly-growing brewery in Eugene, Oregon has some music connections to go along with 72 IBUs pulled from 7 different varieties of hops. The beer is a tribute to Iron Maiden, while the label was designed by Annabelle Garcia, the late, great Jerry Garcia’s daughter.
Description: Pours a dark golden with a good amount of particles floating around. Big head sticks around for a while. One of my first thoughts about this brew is that it has a similar big spicy hop character paired with an almost creaminess that I loved so much about the Passive Aggressive that Big Al made for SBN. This brew is definitely all about the hops, but the malt comes through to balance well enough to make it drinkable. The bitterness is over the top, but unlike some bitter hop bombs, a ton of hop flavor comes with it. Hop-heads will love it, but fans of balanced IPAs should look elsewhere. I think this instantly becomes my favorite beer from Ninkasi. But, if this is meant to be a “summer refresher”, I think it is just too bitter.
Verdict: Buy it
Brewery Website
Ratebeer Info
BeerAdvocate Info
Commercial Description/Press Release:
A salute to the playful side of summer, we had fun with this beer! Maiden the Shade has a big robust hop character from the liberal use of 7 different varieties of hops. It s completed with a light colored malt backbone to stay in balance. Kick back and enjoy!
* Established 2009
* Starting Gravity: 1065
* IBUs: 72
* ABV: 6.8
* Available: Seasonally on draft and in 22oz. bottles
Word, mine had a sh*t ton of bottle sediment in it….. Decent beer in a bottle, much better on draft 😉
I agree with Geoff. I really like it for a summer beer and would embrace it year round. But I have only had it in bottles. Where have you seen it on tap?
This is easily my favorite from Ninkasi! The amount of citrus and florals coming from the glass puts you in hop-heaven. It delivers a hop punch at the front, evens into fruity-smooth deliciousness that eventually melts back into a wonderful stay-on-the-tongue bitterness… Not too bitter, though. I’d disagree with that. Sorry 😉
Ninkasi Brewing Tasting at Full Throttle Bottles Tonight // Aug 25, 2010 at 7:46 am
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