Beer Review: Northern Ales Honey Basil

Price: $7.29 for 22oz
Brewery: Northern Ales, Northport, WA
Style: Alt (I think)
ABV: 13%
Color: Dark Yellow to bright gold.
Aroma: Sweet, Clover, Basil, hint of Honey
Body: thin
Stomach Aspect: little.
Head: Poured to about 1/8" thin head, dissolved quickly.
Head Retention: none.
Taste: Strong Basil flavor, little honey flavor, tart, hay/straw flavor, maybe even a hint of mint.
Conclusion: The color of the beer is very inviting. The head pour is very disappointing, matures quickly, and then leaves just as fast. Head retention is does not exist either. The aroma of the beer is very offsetting. You definitely smell the Basil, take another sniff and there's some Clover, and a heavy sweet smell. Tasting the beer I really noticed the Basil. The Basil is very prominent, almost too prominent. My mind has wondered to Italian food several times while drinking this brew. Moving the tongue over the tongue the flavor does not really get better, it actually worsens. Midway through the tongue the flavor turns to a sharp, Minty aspect. My breath doesn't smell, it's nice and fresh. Swallowing the beer my taste buds shutter because the Hay/Straw flavors arise. I don't taste much Honey in the beer. I'm not sure what I'm drinking, my mind constantly goes from Mouthwash to Marinara sauce. I've used Rosemary in a batch of mine, but with Herbs as strong as Basil (and Rosemary) you have to very light with them as they have a tendency to overtake the beer as was the case with this brew. I would have to give kudos to the brewery for trying such a different aspect on beer making. I mean not many breweries even put a product made with such ingredients on the market. But I would have to say that maybe this one would be a private drinking only recipe. I was only able to drink eight ounces of this brew, as you know I rarely pour a brew down the sink, but I had to with this one. On a good note, the alcohol aspect is very nice. With 13% it doesn't take much to flush your cheeks.
Public Aspect: Taking this brew with you might entice some to try it just because of the ingredients used. However, once they smell and taste this brew they may not want another taste. Try it in the privacy of your own home, but don't be caught in public with this brew.

Beer Review: Smoked Northporter

Price: $4.09 for 22oz
Brewery: Northern Ales, Northport, Washington
Style: Smoked Porter
ABV: 6%
Color: Black
Aroma: Roasted malt, smokey, pungent musky
Body: Medium
Stomach Aspect: Full, a couple pints of this and you are getting stuffed.
Head: Poured nice, one of the best pouring heads I've reviewed this year, but within a minute at rest quickly decipates to a small film. Sigh..
Head Retention: Not bad, leaves a little trace of where the beer line was before the last pull.
Taste: Roasted malt, some smokey flavor, little hop flavor.
Conclusion: I grew up where this brewery got it's start. That town is Northport, Washington. When I left that little town, it was a logging town through and through. I see Northport being a Bud/Coors/ American Lager type of town. But I have to tip my hat to Northern Ales for introducing such a unique, small market beer to Northport. But I ask myself where to start with this brew. The aroma is different than most of the smoked Porters I've had. You can definitely smell the Roasted Malt, the Smoke aroma is present but not overwhelming like most Smoked Porters (which is actually nice). However, there seems to a be an interesting pungent/musky hint at the end of the aroma. This isn't a bad thing, just gives the brew an interesting aroma which may throw some people off (but you know my motto "Don't brew a beer that doesn't offend anyone"). The flavor aspect of the beer is a little lacking in my opinion. When you take a pull you definitely taste the Roasted Malt, you can taste the slightest hint of smoke, and then swallow the brew and get very little to none hop flavor. Probably the most interesting aspect of this brew is that with the first 8 oz the brew really was lacking any impression aspect, other than the pungent taste from the smoke. But the more you taste/drink the brew the more you understand the flavor. Very few beers achieve this. The flavor isn't changing per say, but the taste is. Maybe it's the excess of the brew on taste buds, not sure, but the more you drink the brew, the better it gets. The Alcohol content is just right with 6%, however, you do not taste the Alcohol in the beer. Here in the Portland area most of the smoked Porters are over smoked, which leads to horrible aroma, with even worse flavor. It's nice to taste a Smoked Porter that almost got the smoke aspect right. I think the brew is lacking in the Chocolate Malt aspect (which I think would've complemented the smoke more). I'm a dark beer lover, and as most Smoked beers (especially Porters) they tend to be a let down. I know some people like the smoke flavor in their beer, and why not, that's what beer is all about. Find what you like and drink it. In the realm of Porters, I've had better, but in the realm of Smoked Porters, this is the best one I've had.
Public Aspect: Most people are afraid of Porters and Stouts, especially Smoked Porters. I don't think people will be asking for seconds of this brew if you bring it to a cook out or a BBQ because of the double negative. First, it's a dark beer, second, it's a smoked dark beer. So if you like the Smoked beers, pick up this little morsel, and enjoy. No one's gonna fight ya for it. This brew might be good to marinate a nice Brisket, or even some Chicken to BBQ.