Ranger
Presentation: 22oz brown pop top with freshness date clearly marked Appearance: Dark gold beer with bright clarity; a strong pour produces a nice creamy ivory cap with good retention. Smell: LOTS of piney goodness and some mild mineral notes as well. Not much in the way of malty aromas, and I'm pleased to see it doesn't have the big biscuity presence of some other NB beers. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind it in some beers, but I don't want it in my IPA. Taste: I gotta say, I'm a bit dissappointed in the flavors. The aromas are quite nice, but the flavors don't quite match up. There are some nice grassy flavors and a substantial but not overpowering hop bitterness, but this is TOO DRY! The heavy-handed herbal notes would be a lot tastier if there was a bit of sweetness to balance it out. As it is, it comes off as thin and unbalanced in flavor. There is a bit of that "typical" NB biscuity flavor as well, but it's not overdone. Mouthfeel: Medium Drinkability: Medium Conclusion: Really glad I got to try this (esp. at $2.50 for a bomber) but honestly it's probably not something I'll search out again.