Style: Pale Ale

Pairs well with a co-op/multiplayer game. Messing around in Mortal Kombat with a friend.

Welcome to another craft beer review for Games And A Glass! This week I am reviewing a beer from Double Nickel Brewing Company, located in Pennsauken, New Jersey. The beer for this week will be their Nice Birdie, an easy drinking fairway ale.

The history of Double Nickel can be found on their site, and while the excerpt is brief, I found the origin of their name to be interesting as a New Jersey native.

“Before opening our doors in 2015, we set out to create something totally original yet inspired.  The question always at the forefront of our minds – how does something become a classic? The answer – bridging vision and tradition. Taking our name from the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge (historically nicknamed the Double Nickel Bridge), we create beer that lets you experience something familiar but somehow have it feel completely new. We strive every day to make beer that helps you reconnect with that sense of wonder.”

Some of Double Nickel’s mainstays includes their Vienna-style lager, their Belgian golden ale, and their IPA. Their more seasonal and special beers includes their laid-back lager, the Birds of Paradise radler, and their (Very interesting) pickle gose.

Their description for Nice Birdie reads, “Lightly hopped with Citra, Cascade, and Centennial, Nice Birdie is a crisp, fruity, and crushable pale ale with pleasant notes of grapefruit, pine and citrus.”

And now onto my thoughts!

Nose: On the nose I get a nice blend of aromas, both slightly hoppy and fruity. Among them, the citrus is the most noticeable, and it leads the way as the grapefruit faintly hides underneath. For me, the hops are present enough to remind you that this is a pale ale. But the hops are not too significant that they dominate the aroma, and I appreciate that. I’m expecting the flavor to be similar, where there’s some citrus that tails off and leads to a hoppy finish.

Palate: After the first sip I get that hoppy, piney taste that standard IPAs or pale ales can have and it’s tasty. As I taste the beer more, I notice the grapefruit and it becomes a more significant tasting note I pick up. It’s refreshing and serves as a nice complement to the hops. While I can’t taste the citrus like I previously smelled, this beer is still well balanced in its taste and I like it a lot.

Overall: This is an awesome beer! At 5.5 percent ABV, it’s very easy to drink and you won’t feel bad about having one or two. The taste of pine and grapefruit work well together for a refreshing beer to enjoy on the fairway with some friends, or in the backyard at a cookout. This is another solid beer from Double Nickel I’d highly recommend.

I’d like to thank you for reading my craft beer review. If there’s ever a craft beer you’d recommend I try and/or review, please let me know and I will try, to the best of my ability, to acquire it! And remember, like a fine alcoholic beverage or a memorable video game, please enjoy in moderation.

While you’re here, feel free to check out The Spirit Shop NJ on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram! Located in Cherry Hill, New Jersey and where I currently work, we have dozens of craft beers with new ones coming in weekly! Check us out!