Noble Brewer is a quarterly 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.)
This review is of the Tasting for Two, $44 a quarter + $9 shipping, box.
The Subscription Box: Noble Brewer
The Cost: $53 per quarterly shipment ($44 + $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.
Check out all of our Noble Brewer Reviews and find other beer subscriptions in the Beer Subscription Box Directory!
Keep track of your subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription box 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.
I used to live in Scotland, and while I was living there I fell in love with Scottish Ale. The dark ales are known for their rich, malty flavor, and there’s something about the smooth mouthfeel that I find really comforting. It’s fairly uncommon to see Scotch Ales in the American market, so I’m delighted that one of this month’s featured homebrewers decided to create his own! Celtic Carnage Scotch Ale is 9.4% ABV, and the recommended glassware is a tulip glass. (I’ve photographed all of the beers in this shipment in pint glasses, but that’s only because my beer glassware collection is a bit limited. I’ll try and get that sorted for the next review, so I can showcase the beers in their recommended glassware!) This beer is a triumph! It has the classic maltiness I look for in a good Scotch Ale, and the flavor is rich, smooth, and creamy. This beer would be right at home in a dark Scottish pub!
Next up, I sampled this Barleywine Ale, which is named after homebrewer Chad Nichi’s orange tabby cat. (Adorable!) This barleywine is 9.4% ABV and best served in a snifter glass. I’m not all that familiar with barleywine, but I have sampled one or two at local beer festivals. This one is bursting with flavor, and the taste brought up some very specific memories for me. Have you ever visited a distillery or brewery that has its own malt house? It’s fairly uncommon these days (I know most Scottish distilleries now buy in malted barley instead of malting it themselves), but I’ve toured a couple of distilleries that still have a malting floor, and the smell of the malting room is almost exactly like the taste of this ale: rich, heady, and… well… very malty. While I’d be happy to sit in a malting room all day and just smell the smells, I’m not sure I’d be able to drink more than one glass of this ale. (The flavor is extremely potent!) Still, I’m definitely a fan!
Red Hot Mama American Strong Ale
Every beer I’ve sampled from Noble Brewer up to this point has been the brainchild of an avid homebrewer, but this beer is a little bit different. As I mentioned at the top of the review, Noble Brewer works with two professional brewers to legally manufacture the homebrew recipes that get submitted, and this beer is the creation of those two professional brewers. (You’ll notice that the label for this beer says “Pro Brewer Series” instead of “Signature Series.”) It’s a 9% ABV American Strong Ale, and the recommended glassware is a tulip glass. This copper colored brew has a strong citrusy aroma, and the flavor is hop-forward, yet balanced. It’s refreshing, flavorful, and very dynamic. Of all the beers in this shipment, I think this one has to be my favorite.
Last up, I tried this Russian Imperial Stout, a 9.9% ABV offering that’s best served in a snifter glass. I enjoy dark beers, and this one is tasty. There’s a little bit of a tanginess, though, that seems a little out of place. (My husband has some experience brewing his own beer, and identified the flavor as “home brew tang.” Ha!) I enjoyed this beer, but I don’t think I would go out of my way to drink it again.
Verdict: This is my third shipment from Noble Brewer, and I’m really enjoying my subscription. I love that Noble Brewer celebrates the creativity and skill of top homebrewers, and I’ve been consistently impressed with the quality and taste of the beer. This box was a home run for me— I enjoyed every single one of the beers I received, and I think most could easily pass as professional brews. Considering these beers aren’t mass produced, I think the $13.25 per 22 oz. bottle breakdown is actually very fair. (I imagine it’s not cheap to brew, bottle, and label small batches of beer.) If you’re interested in homebrewing (or even if you just like drinking delicious beer), I can definitely recommend Noble Brewer!
Have you tried brewing your own beer before? Will you check out Noble Brewer?
Please do not enter your email address in the Name field or in the comment content. Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *. Remember to post with kindness and respect. Comments with offensive language, cruelness to others, etc will not be approved. See our full comment policy here.