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Maiden The Shade - Ninkasi Brewing Company

Not Rated.
Maiden The ShadeMaiden The Shade

Educational use only; do not reuse.
very good

125 Reviews
no score

(Send Samples)
Reviews: 125
Hads: 391
Avg: 4.01
pDev: 20.2%
Wants: 53
Gots: 64 | FT: 0
Brewed by:
Ninkasi Brewing Company visit their website
Oregon, United States

Style | ABV
American IPA |  6.80% ABV

Availability: Rotating

Notes & Commercial Description:
Beer added by: ccrida on 07-13-2010

Starting Gravity: 1065
IBUs: 72
ABV: 6.8
Beer: Reviews & Ratings
Sort by:  Recent | High | Low | Top Raters
Reviews: 125 | Hads: 391
Photo of Eamonn-Cummings3
4.16/5  rDev +3.7%

Poured from a 22oz bomber into a speiglau glass.

Look is light straw and hazy. Thin head.

Aroma is herbal and dank.

Taste is a balance with biscuit malt and dank hops.

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Photo of CNoj012
4.08/5  rDev +1.7%

Pours a golden light orange with thick frothy white head and a good amount of floaties. Smell is dank, pine and citrus with some bread from the malt. Taste is much the same except the pine seems more muted and the malt allows the citrus to shine. Definately a lighter summer feel to this one with a sort of spice flavor on the back end that tingles the ton. Very refreshing.

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Photo of WeedWolf
4.26/5  rDev +6.2%

A great summer IPA. Not much for aroma but it more then compensates with flavor and feel. Very nice floral bitterness balanced with light biscuit-y malt. I'm a big fan of the hop profile in this brew. Has a good tang in the mouthfeel which I am quite fond of in a IPA. Well done!

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Photo of biboergosum
4.04/5  rDev +0.7%

22oz bottle. For some reason, every time I had heard about this brew up until now, I thought it was an Iron Maiden tribute, but maybe I was just naively (or lazily) misguided by their Sleigh'r offering.

This beer pours a hazy, medium golden yellow colour, with two fingers of puffy, densely frothy, and mildly rocky ecru head, which leaves some spackled snow rime lace around the glass as it gently blows off.

It smells of musty, kind of dank pine resin, muted citrus pith, bready and doughy caramel malt, further grassy, herbal, and leafy hops, and a softly lilting alcohol edginess. The taste is grainy, bready caramel malt, much less dank in their general bearing pine and earthy forest floor detritus, still muffled citrus rind esters, and more mildly herbal, leafy, and fresh-cut grassy hops - summery? Sure, why not?

The bubbles are rather heady and active throughout, what with their steady and sturdy frothiness, the body a dense middleweight, and actually smooth, the hops having left early, because, y'know, it's Friday afternoon on a summer long weekend, or something. It finishes off-dry, the malt not about to let these laid-back, hammock-humping hops have all the fun, no sirree!

I have to say, when a seasonal is released by a brewery, without any tangible ingredients that would justify it as such, I get weary and wary. Turns out I didn't have to expend that sort of negative energy here, since after only a few gulps, I was hooked on the fresh, fruity, and yet still duly bitter nature of this IPA's gross hopitude. Yeah - sun AND shade friendly, fo sho.

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Photo of tzieser
3.88/5  rDev -3.2%

L: poured from a 22oz bottle into a imperial pint glass. Dull hazy orange in color with a foamy white head. Lack of does wonders for the look of this beer

S: nose is a bit muted for a beer in this style (west coast, summer/session ipa). Grassy hops are there with a bit of pine earthiness. Sweet malts linger in the background but it's all a bit underwhelming for the style

T: thankfully the taste is much better than the nose. Copious amounts of lemon and orange hop flavor. Pine bitterness is stronger than expected yet pleasant, balancing out the aforementioned fruity hops. Malts are biscuity, cracker-like and a tad sweet. Finishes with lingering bitterness.

M: sticky and a bit chewy. Wish it finished drier. Not bad though

O: an excellent IPA yet not worth the $7 price tag. Worth a try but you can get a better beer for a couple dollars less in FW Union Jack

Paired well with homemade smoked baby back ribs, fingerling potatoes and a 108° Arizona afternoon!

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Photo of OrestesMethuon
4.07/5  rDev +1.5%

Deep, burnished, honey-gold color; quite turbid—loads of feathery-white sediment; pretty active head, mellowing out to a nice, thin-but-solid white ring; good bite to the malting, which is otherwise very light; in some ways more like the hopped-up "Imperial Pilsners" that have pleasantly dotted the market in recent years, rather than a "Summer IPA", per se; very nice bittering, solid florality—though leaning more to the herbal than the floral, I'd say—and not a lot of sweetness, but a lot of dryness, from the malt, thus presenting a clear and clean avenue for the hopping. Refreshing, and not inappropriate for summer—but probably better suited for an Oregon's mid-June than one in Arizona, since it's much better fresh from the fridge than at all warmed.

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Photo of ArrogantB
3.37/5  rDev -16%

22oz bottle $5.99. Yellow color, lots of lacing, decent head. Flavor is subtle grass, subtle lemons, subtle floral qualities. Aroma is slightly floral and citrusy. Easy to drink, crisp, I can see why it is a summer style because there is almost no malt here. Overall not bad but a little too light for me.

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Photo of utopiajane
4.14/5  rDev +3.2%

Pours golden yellow with a white head.Nose is citrusy, sweet and floral. Comes together on the palate like a spiked lemony sugar cookie blast with a strong bitter to finish it. Forceful and well made.

I paired this with two dishes. A light salad with apples and a lemon dressing and some home made breaded chicken with a sweet chili and liime dipping sauce.

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Photo of Greywulfken
3.85/5  rDev -4%

A: pale gold and clear, though I spotted some floaties in the bottom of the bomber; two fingers of bright white fluffy head left lace clouds down the glass

S: floral and bright, with pinpoints of citrus and light herbs; suggestions of something breezy, grassy and green

T: light and bright - lemon citrus pith and fresh grassy grains, lots of floral character - very summery

M: light-weight, medium carbonation, crisp and quick, low bitterness

O: a light, bright and easy summery ale, floral and citric in most aspects, but nothing that particularly stood out above the rest. Worth a try and buy.

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Photo of ZekeMillz
4.6/5  rDev +14.7%

Definitely my favorite beer from Ninkasi. Lighter than most IPAs, which makes it a perfect beer for Summertime, for those who still crave hops when it's hot.

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Photo of hreb
3.73/5  rDev -7%

22oz bottle served in pint glass. Beer pours straw yellow in color, crystal clear, but forms a generous white foamy head. Bright hop aroma. Mouthfeel has an extremely smooth, creamy fizz. Flavor melds the classic citrus and pine hop flavors at a relatively high volume, but still extremely drinkable. The texture goes a long way towards that drinkability. I'm not usually a fan of IPAs that blend a wide variety of hops and prop it up with such a thin, maltless body, but in this case, it's just the platform this beer needs to support a particularly crisp bitterness. And while I don't think this concept can make for a great beer, this is good drinking.

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Photo of brewskifan55
4/5  rDev -0.2%

Poured into a pint glass. Thanks for sneaking this one in the suitcase from LA, Brenda.

A: Light gold, opaque with a white one-finger head that didn't last long. Good lacing.

S: Grassy hops and citrus notes. Grapefruit and oranges.

T: A terrific malt/hop balance. Piney hops and bready malts blend well with low bitterness. Grapefruit drops by for a visit. Smooth, sweet and pleasant.

M: Medium with medium carbonation.

O: Even with 2 months in the closet, this IPA held up very well. I hope to try this one again, without 5 other party guests vying for a sip.

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Photo of Brackh
4.12/5  rDev +2.7%

Poured a clear gold and orange with a small head. Awesome smell. Juicy and fruity (citrus). Great taste. Very subtle and not over the top. You can taste the carbonation if that makes sense. Could have had several of these.

Didn't share any with my wife.

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Photo of santomark
4.56/5  rDev +13.7%

A - Poured a very clear, gold, vibrant, yellow, orange tint body. Little to no head, 1 finger width, disappeared nicely. As expected from an IPA.

S - Beautiful, just beautiful, tangerine, mango, pineapple, oranges, very tart fruits coming off in the nose, sweet malt, bready, biscuit. I could sniff this for hours.

T - I must say, the taste, is very good, but not great, nothing compared to the nose. Very mild fruits on the palate, no tartness, no sweetness. This highlights the hops very minimally. Bread up front, balanced malt backbone.

M - Silky, mild carbonation, a dryness at the end leaving you wanting more.

O - This is a great brew, I want this doubled up though. An IPA version of this would be fantastic! The nose is wonderful, spot on, perfect. If they made a DIPA version of this, I would want to taste the complexity of the hops. This beer can only get better if they considered making a DIPA of this. However, back to the topic, this beer is refreshing, a wonderful IPA, and beautifully showcases the West Coast IPA style that invites everyone of all palates to enjoy. Well done! Cheers!

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Photo of abstractpablo
4.08/5  rDev +1.7%

An interesting take on a summer beer. The hops give the beer a clear floral aroma and taste. The taste is less forward than the aroma. I'm not too certain about "floral" flavors, but I'd say this has a bit of a rose taste to it. Nothing too intense, however. It drinks nicely. The light-bodied beer finishes clean and is an interesting beer to have on a hot day.

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Photo of lordofstarside
3.95/5  rDev -1.5%

Review from notes
No bottle date, should be pretty fresh though

Pours a vibrant golden orange with two fingers of foam. Mild carbonation, good retention and lacing

Smell's pretty tropical. Strong orange and mandarin, followed by pineapple and passionfruit. Malt on this is pretty bready with caramel notes, finishing with a hint of alcohol

Taste follows alright. Hops are pretty much the same, lots of tropical fruits- pineapple, mandarin, orange, grapefruit, followed by a strong and sweet caramel malt, finishing with some alcohol

Finish is a medium body, moderate bitterness, and low carbonation. Alcohol's hidden well, pretty easy to drink

Overall this isn't a bad beer. It falls short in a lot of ways, but it's ideal for a hot summer day, which is exactly what it was made for. It hits it's mark well, giving it a extra little score boost

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Photo of SitkaSteve
3.5/5  rDev -12.7%

Considering this an AIPA, well I poured it into a pint glass.
The appearance was a cloudy yellow color with a one finger white foamy head that dissipated within about a minute leaving some light speckled lacing here and there.
The smell had a grassy and grainy citrus laden bitter hops leading into a light maltiness.
The taste was mainly sweet and grassy but allowed a light bitterness to come about.
The mouthfeel was slightly harsh but also not too harsh, misleadingly smooth for an AIPA. There was a decent harsh carbonation about it.
Overall, this was an okay AIPA still worthy of having again but nothing to go apeshit about.

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Photo of ANIMOUL
3.9/5  rDev -2.7%

A sweetish-bitter (bitter sweet?) IPA that tastes very much like many of the Socal IPA currently flooding the market (which is a good thing in my opinion).

Has an initial, slight bitterness - from citrus? - which is soon overcome by the sweet tastes of pineapple & orange. Mild hops with light malt presence.

Definitely worth checking out... good

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Photo of orcrist_cleaver
4.63/5  rDev +15.5%

Took a growler of this home from DeCicco's as it is a rarity in my area.

A: Noticed majority of review from a btl give it a negative review in tis aspect. When poured from growler into Bird Song Brewing Co. pint, it is an orangey-gold color, 6-8 SRM if you prefer. Head is a creamy bright white, 2 fingers worth, and retention is outstanding , lasting half the pint, 6+ minutes with chunky lacing.

S: There are seven hop varieties in this beer, enough said. The malts give sweetness to the citrusy, fruity, spicy, and piney notes contributed by the former.

M: Hyped as a summer style IPA, but the barley addition does give it a medium albeit slick and fast-moving body. It hits and is gone, which is appreciated. However, I expect more carbonation from a 'summer' beer; the initial sting is low. Pleasant a dry finish.

T/O: Pineapple, sweet orange, honeydew, nectarine, blue spruce resin. Really not that bitter at all, but if you favor balance in your IPAs this is very, very good. Love the complexity of it still, a true "no coast", American IPA.

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Photo of BierJager89
4.06/5  rDev +1.2%

A: Pours a translucent copper with a tan ring of head.

S: Pineapple, orange, floral hops in the nose.

T: Orange, pineapple and pine. Nothing that stands out, nothing interesting or complex, but tasty.

M: IPA-like carbonation levels on a medium bodied. Could be smoother.

O: Recommended, but I don't feel like this does the band justice.

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Photo of souvenirs
3.18/5  rDev -20.7%

650 ml bottle bought as part of a variety pack. The label calls it a specialty ale, but I'm expecting something resembling an American/West Coast style IPA.

A: golden, a bit cloudy, some carbonation visible, about one finger of head which dissipated fairly quickly.
S: tropical fruits.
T: Pine, lingering bitterness. I found this bitterness unpleasant because it wasn't balanced/backed up with other flavours. I found it kind of one-dimensional.
F: Medium-bodied.
O: One and done.

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Photo of DanielDomigan
4.44/5  rDev +10.7%

love iron maiden and love ipa's. this is defiantly a special brew for me to try.

a beautiful golden blonde color.

a smack in the face of strait hops! so good. citrus and hops...

hoppy slightly sweet and citrusy

little bit watery and slightly sticky

a damn good ipa.

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Photo of MikeMilanoDesign
4.94/5  rDev +23.2%

man this is a great beer!!

super refreshing! crisp clean hops. lots of citrus notes.

up front you can taste the light presence of the pale malt. then light spice of hops balanced with citrus flavors. ends of with an almost lime flavor.

totally worth trying. esp if you are a hop head.

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Photo of mactrail
3.63/5  rDev -9.5%

Pours an attractive golden amber in the Duvel tulip. Big foam for the first pour, then a nice tower of suds. Plenty of carbonation in the mouth. Pleasant nose of pineapple and that vanilla smell of Ponderosa pine bark. Later on the fruit aroma is distinctive. Makes me wonder if they are using Mosaic hops.

The malt is present mostly as a sweetness. It's a pretty neutral taste to show off the exuberance of hops. Rather tart in the back of the throat. Overall, a hop firecracker rather than a bomb, but more drinkable than many other IPAs. Plenty bitter but it goes down nicely with a spicy finish. Better than the overly dank Ninkasi brews I've tried.

Brewer says this is 72 IBUs. I don't know why they want to call it a "specialty ale" on the lable. They also call it a "summertime IPA" which is quite descriptive. From the 22 oz bottle bought at Pioneer Market in La Conner, Washington.

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Photo of wordemupg
4.29/5  rDev +7%

650ml bomber poured into tulip 15/8/13

A golden yellow with a fair bit of suspended particles being slowly moved around by a few tiny that feed a short lived finger of foam that leaves just a few spots of lace

S big tropical nose with a little bit of everything, pineapple, passion-fruit, lemon, lychee, tangerine, and grapefruit, somewhat floral, faint pine and a little caramel and cereal preventing a complete hop runaway, great smelling beer

T not quite the tropical blast the nose had going but that still leaves a healthy amount, more pine and citrus rind I didn't notice on the nose, more cereal and it creates a nice balance although still lopsided towards the green stuff

M lighter side of medium, a solid bitter snap, almost creams up and a little gritty, lingering rind on the finish

O other then a basic look this hop bomb hits the mark, smells great and went down way to fast, great intro to this brewery

I grabbed this one a whim while on vacation in BC and I'm glad I did, for a random brew I'd never heard of it's safe to say I lucked out

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Maiden The Shade from Ninkasi Brewing Company
89 out of 100 based on 125 ratings.