5 Rabbit / Nøgne Ø Naked Rabbit (Conejo Desnudo)

Brewed By: 5 Rabbit Cerveceria in Bedford Park, IL /Nøgne Ø in Grimstad, Norway

Purchased: 750ml bottle bought at Binny's in Chicago, IL; 2014

Style/ABV: Pale Ale/Fruit Beer, 6.6%

Reported IBUs: ?

I wanted to jump on this beer sooner than later. This Pale Ale collaboration between 5 Rabbit and Nøgne Ø is brewed with "juniper and mango." That sounds great, except the weather outside has been cold and shitty. About 5 Rabbit Cerveceria: 

5 Rabbit Cerveceria is an Illinois-based craft brewery launched in 2011. The brewery has a unique perspective, focusing on Latin-themed craft beer. The company is lead by CEO Andrés Araya, Creative Director Randy Mosher, and brewmaster (and former Goose Island employee) John J. Hall. For more info about the brewery, check out their Facebook or their website. 

About Nøgne Ø:

Nøgne Ø is a brewery based out of Grimstad, Norway. The brewery was founded in 2002 by homebrewers Gunnar Wiig and Kjetil Jikiun. The name Nøgne Ø, which translates to "naked island," is a poetic term used by the poet Henrik Ibsen to describe the stark, barren landscapes visible in the rough sea off Norway's coast. The founders co-opted the term, because they felt it was symbolic for their passion to share their beer. Sort of like a flasher, only with beer and not balls. This "uncompromising brewery" loves Marris Otter malt and American hops. With a passion to show you their goods and brew bold beer, what could you complain about?  

The Naked Rabbit is a collaboration, as previously stated. The back of the bottle reads: 

"A chance encounter between our two breweries led to a realization of some common values and a collaboration was born. It turns out that juniper from the cool north and mango from the torrid south are soulmates, amplifying each other and blending perfectly in this characterful pale ale. Motueka, Pacific Jade and Hallertaue Blanc hops add to the beautiful piney, fruity aroma. 

The name is a mashup of our brewery names: Nøgne Ø means "naked island." It has been an honor to work with Norway's first and most important craft brewery."

5 Rabbit / Nøgne Ø Naked Rabbit (Conejo Desnudo)

This yields something very reminiscent to a Pale Ale: a slightly hazy, golden-orange, pale affair. The beer kicks up two fingers of fluffy, white, sustaining head. The head leaves nice lacing, is hop fueled, blah blah. The beer is carbonated nicely. 

The aroma is one note, like a baroque juniper symphony. Some Bach apologist will show up and defend the nuances of baroque, and your eyes will glaze like adult industry psychology majors with broken dreams. I was cracking this beer to protest the cold weather, but all I smell is Christmas. Juniper, pine, Christmas trees, Midwest forests, and some suggestions of mango that are otherwise held hostage by the overt juniper.

The taste is much more in line with what I was hoping for. Here the mango gets to shine, with refreshing waves of apple, apple slaw salad, mango, sweet pine, and big floral hops. This leans in the direction of mango and pine, with hints of floral and fruity juniper in the taste. This is clean with little in the way of malts. There's maybe some faint caramel sugars in the back, but this mostly rides on carbonation and hops with the fruity adjuncts brightening things up.

As far as fruited Pale Ales go, this is really solid. It's incredibly juicy and refreshing at 6.6%, with a light-full to medium-light body, tons of carbonation, juicy fruits, and good depth and complexity. I mean, you really can't ask more from this beer. While the aroma is unsettling, this does settle into something incredibly enjoyable. I'd be very happy butt chugging this in the Summer months. To recap, this opens with big refreshing pine, mango, and apple/slaw up front; that gives way to really nice hoppy notes, with floral pine, floral mango, some hints of citrus, and mild bitterness; the back end lingers with mango, apple, pine, juniper, and some faint caramel. This finishes clean and refreshing, and is actually both unique and drinkable.

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Decent Above-Average here. Very good for a Pale Ale. My only regret is this beer's limited availability and the price. I'd like to see this in a 6-pack on the regular. I'm going to pair this food with leftover Italian chicken with mozzarella and tomatoes, but I think you could go with some more inspired Summer dishes. Like many of 5 Rabbits beers, I think this beer would be a great food pairing vehicle. 

Random Thought: Go see Gone Girl. It was fantastic...minus some potential misogynistic implications that I am still exploring. 

Samuel Adams Juniper IPA

Brewed By: Boston Beer Company in Boston, Massachusetts 
Purchased: 12oz bottle from the 2013 Sam Adams Winter Classics variety pack bought at Binny's in IL; 2013
Style/ABV: India Pale Ale, 5.8%

Reported IBUs: 50

I'm not going to lie, I snagged this year's Winter Classics variety pack just to try the Cherry Chocolate Bock. I'll review that tomorrow. About Sam Adams:

The Boston Brewing Company/Sam Adams is, of course, the brain child of Jim Koch (and Harry M. Rubin and Lorenzo Lamadrid). Founded in 1984, Jim Koch got the ball rolling after college when he decided to resurrect and brew his favorite family recipe. That recipe belonged to his great-great grandfather, Louis Koch, and dates back to the 1870s (where it was brewed in a St. Louis brewery). That infamous family brew is the Sam Adams Boston Lager, of course. You can read more about the history of the Boston Brewing Company HERE, or check out their website HERE.  

The Sam Adams Juniper IPA is a Winter Seasonal release, and part of the 2013 Winter Classics variety pack. This IPA is brewed with American hops (Columbus and Ahtanum), and finished with juniper berries. With a base malt of two-row pale malt and honey malt, this IPA punches in at 5.8% ABV and 50 IBUs. 

Samuel Adams Juniper IPA

The beer pours a transparent, amber/orange color, and kicks up one to two fingers of foamy, soapy, off-white head. The head is sustaining very well, and leaving a lot of residiual lacing as it drops off. Bright light confirms much of the same. This is a radiant, amber/orange beer, with a amber-tinted head. There's some nice carbonation in this, with mid-sized bubbles rising upwards.

As you might expect with the juniper, there's a lot of wood, pine, evergreen, and floral spice on the aroma. I'm also getting some pine, iced tea/tea, Christmas tree, wet leaves, and a little grapefruit rind. There's some biscuit and sweet malt backing the hop/juniper aroma as well.

This is pretty solid. Sam Adams isn't an iconic IPA producer, but this strikes a nice balance between citrus/pine and grains of paradise, with some herbal and woody pine, evergreen, and juniper-Christmas-spice. There's also a nice malty wash of bread, honey, and biscuit. The finish is bitter and woody, with some fruity hops that trail, and then a kiss of malt. It's actually really well crafted.

I'm finding this incredibly easy-going at 5.8%. Drinkability is high. The palate depth is good, but as I drink this I'm finding the assertive malt to be a bit muddling. The bed of bread, honey, and grain that backs this beer overtakes the hops and juniper, which results in a slightly off-balance beer if you preference hops. For reference: up front is a lot of pine, fruity hops, and bread/honey; that rolls into some pine, iced tea, herbal hops, and more grain/bread; the back end is trailing bread grain, with a woody, dry finish. 

Rating: Above-Average (3.5/5 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Light Light Light Above-Average on this beer. I do think this is a good IPA, and the addition of the juniper adds a little fruity twist and some woody notes on the finish. The balance on this beer seems a bit malt-forward, but I could be biased by all the overkill American IPAs I've come to associate with the style. Given how light and refreshing this is, you can pair this with pretty much anything that isn't too spicy or aggressive. A leafy burger and this beer sounds pretty nice right about now. Most importantly, this beer does remind me of the Christmas/Winter season. And to that, cheers.

Random Thought: It snowed this week, and I couldn't be happier.