Elysian Brewing’s Nibiru

After a stressful week at work, I took a break to devote some attention to Nibiru, which is the first of Elysian’s 12 Beers of the Apocalypse series. Nibiru is a Belgian tripel-style brew that’s been infused with yerba mate, which is a highly caffeinated herb. Not much wrong yet. Beer and caffeine. I’m sold.

First take

Did a small pour to get the nose going. Has the traditional malty sweetness of a tripel and there’s hints of the yerba mate on the nose, but it comes through faintly, like the lid of a Lipton bottle. Pours clear and deep golden with a good amount of bubbles. There was an earthiness to the smell too that I thing comes from the yerba mate. But I’ll be honest, that’s not a flavor I’m used to.

First taste

Almost sparkling cider dry, but a bit more body and slightly viscous. Has a lot of the traditional tripel flavors. Slightly hoppy, slightly malt sweet. But underneath it all is the dry mouth from the tea. If you’re a tea drinker, the underlying notes of the herbs will be more prevalent.

Side note, I am really excited to see what Elysian does with the rest of this series. I am a fan when the local big boys experiment and take risks. So far this one is a risk, but one I could see myself taking again.

So, Nibiru is a solid change up from the tripels that other local breweries are doing. As we march toward the apocalypse, I’ll likely have a full array of these beers littered behind me.

Elysian Brewing Nibiru

The first in the "12 Beers of the Apocalypse" series, Nibiru is a Belgian tripel brewed with yerba mate.

 

 

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