Noble Brewer is a subscription box that spotlights exceptional beers from the nation’s best homebrewers.
Noble Brewer picks out talented and award-winning homebrewers and pairs them up with breweries that professionally manufacture and bottle their best recipes. (It’s illegal to sell beers that are made at home, so there’s no need to worry that you’ll be receiving beer brewed in someone’s garage!)
This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
The Subscription Box: Noble Brewer
The Cost: $44 per quarter + $9 shipping
COUPON: Get 8 bonus beers in your first shipment! No coupon required - just link here
The Products: Each box contains four 22oz. beers from four different homebrewers.
Ships to: The 48 contiguous US states.
Find other beer subscriptions in the Beer Subscription Box Directory and make sure to add Noble Brewer to your subscription list or wishlist!
This box contained a letter from the Noble Brewer team, outlining the beers featured in this shipment.
It also contained a fold out card with detailed information about each beer.
The card also contains information about the featured brewers.
Justin Frawley's American Alternative Altbier- $13 (Member price: $9)
The first beer I sampled from this shipment is Justin Frawley’s American Alternative Altbier, “a new world spin on a nearly forgotten old world classic.” This beer was born from Frawley’s desire to make an IPA with 100% Munich malt. When he started researching about different beer styles, he discovered that beers made with high concentrations of Munich are typically categorized as bocks and altbier. After tasting a few, he fell in love with altbier and decided to make one of his own. To put an American spin on the old world classic, he finished the beer using American Mosaic hops.
I was really blown away by this beer. It has the crispness and citrusy notes of a traditional IPA, but the flavor is somehow distinct. (I’m assuming that’s due to the Munch malt?) All of the beers in this box are still available for sale on the Noble Brewer website, and I’m seriously tempted to buy another bottle of this one.
Brent Boden's Rosa Raspberry Kolsch-Style Ale- $13 (Member price: $9)
The next beer I opened was this Raspberry Kolsch-Style Ale. I’ve always been a fan of fruity beers, but sometimes I find they’re a little sweet for my taste. This one was crisp, clean, and had just the slightest hint of raspberry flavor. It was refreshing and delicious.
Papa Doc Imperial IPA- $13 (Member price: $9)
Papa Doc is a “moderately dry” IPA with “fruity, medium malt sweetness” and aromas of “peach, starfruit, [and] pineapple.” I have a complicated relationship with IPAs (I often find they’re too dry and bitter for my palate), but I liked this one a lot.
On each label, Noble Brewer includes the brewer’s signature. I think this is a really nice touch!
Big Irish Red Ale- $13 (Member price: $9)
The last beer in this shipment from Noble Brewer is Big Red Irish Ale. Like traditional Irish Reds, this beer is “sweet and smooth,” but it’s also influenced by American tradition- “it is just a bit too hoppy, and a bit too high on the ABV to be traditional.”
Again, I was really impressed by this beer! It was smooth, rich, and easy to drink.
Verdict: I really enjoyed sampling the homebrew beers in this shipment from Noble Brewer! My husband has quite a bit of experience brewing beer at home, and I’ve tried once or twice myself (with disastrous results, I must admit). Frankly, since my own homebrewed beer was so horrendous, I wasn’t sure what to expect from this box, but I’m blown away by the quality and creativity of the beer I was sent. All four of the beers I was sent are outstanding, and I think they could all very easily pass as professional brews. In terms of value, I think $53 is fair. Considering these beers aren’t mass produced, I think the $13.25 per 22 oz. bottle breakdown is actually quite low. (I would imagine it’s not cheap to brew, bottle, and label a small batch of beer.) If you’re interested in homebrewing (or even if you just like drinking delicious beer), I can definitely recommend Noble Brewer!
This box has inspired my husband and me to (finally!) break out our homebrew kit from Bespoke Post to try and make some more homebrew of our own. (Keep your fingers crossed for us!) Have you tried brewing your own beer before? Will you check out Noble Brewer?
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