Ninkasi's Believer Double Red Ale

      So, here's one of Ninkasi's staples, the Believer Double Red Ale.  Pretty much everybody in Oregon just loves Ninkasi, and you can't blame them either.  They've made a huge name for themselves in just the few years they've been on the scene and have already reached the ranks of one of Oregon's top breweries.  In their own words, they brew to the "Northwest" style, and they certainly hold true to that.
     Don't have a whole lot to say on the appearance for this one.  It's a solid red with a bright red hue that's very clear.  The head is very foamy, solid, and is just a tad on the creamy side it looks like.  The retention was solid and left solid patches throughout the whole glass.
     The first thing you notice about the aroma on this one is a very rich, toasty malt character.  There's some slight hints of caramel in there as well and it's very pleasant on the nose.  It's a tad estery and fruity; I swear I can pick up some hints of apple in there.  The hops aren't too prominent here but they definitely give off some citrus notes.   The whole aroma is very clean and is quite nice on the nose.  There's tons of stuff going on here and it all works together extremely well.
     Upon tasting, it hits very hard with the rich malt character.  It's quite toasty and then kind of mellows off into a very smooth caramel.  You can taste a bit of the alcohol here, and it actually works quite well with accentuating the rich malt.  Around the center of the tongue you can definitely pick up some yeast notes, mostly fruity.  Finally, we are introduced to the hops, which are quite prominent in a woody and herbal taste.  I've brewed reds with fuggle hops a few times, and it really reminds of that character.  It's probably a safe guess to say that it isn't fuggle, but it's definitely something similar.  The hop character here is a perfect way to smooth out the hard malt and actually works well in making the whole thing quite balanced.  All of this comes with a medium, creamy body.
     I've had this beer several times in the past, but it never really made the impression on me that it did this time around.  I was quite impressed and would definitely say it is one of the better double reds that I've had.  I look forward to drinking more of it in the future.