I’ve been a big fan of Noble Ale Works for a while now, but haven’t gotten around to writing about them because their bottles are a bit hard to find at times. But the other night one literally landed in my lap and I knew it was time to make it happen. The Messenger is a “Citrusy IPA” made in collaboration with Three Weavers and, as always, is another great IPA from Noble and promises great things to come from Three Weavers.

For anyone who’s new to the greater LA beer scene or been under a rock for the past year, Noble Ale Works is based in Anaheim, CA and have been knocking it out of the park with some really great beers like Naughty Sauce, their golden milk stout with coffee, and their Showers IPA series, with the current release being the Simcoe Showers double IPA. Three Weavers on the other hand is just getting started. They have only a few days left on their Kickstarter campaign, but they are on their way to being up and running in Inglewood in the very near future.

This particular brew saw the collaboration of Evan Price of Noble and Alexandra Nowell of Three Weavers crafting a very unique take on the idea of a citrusy IPA. They started off with the usual complement of hops, including Pacific Jade, Citra, and El Dorado, but also added Buddha’s hand, known for its citron flavor, and pomelo, usually compared to grapefruit, zest to up the citrus flavors. The batch that is making the rounds now is actually the second batch of this beer, differing from the first with a stronger hop presence with the addition of pellet hops to the brewing process and a better overall balance. If you happen to pickup a bottle of this beer, you may need to squint to find the Three Weavers logo, as a printing mistake has made it barely visible on the label.

Name The Messenger Brewery Noble Ale Works/

Three Weavers Style IPA ABV 7.3% Availability Limited draft and bottle release Rating 4.5 out of 5

The beer pours a nice golden yellow with ever so slight a haze to it and a small compliment of rapidly diminishing head. The aroma is very citrusy, with a strong lean toward the grapefruit variety with a bit of lemon zest, and a subtle pale malt and some floral notes. Medium bodied with an average amount of carbonation. The flavor follows the aroma, starting with a light pale malt that jumps to an interesting blend of mild grapefruit, lemon zest, and pith bite. The finish is on the drier side with lingering citrus bite and notes of mellow grapefruit, lemon zest, and some floral notes.

I had previously had the first batch of this beer and can attest that this second batch has definitely worked out all the kinks in this recipe. The beer has an interesting mix of citrus flavors that I can’t say I’ve experienced in any other beers, but they aren’t too crazy to be unapproachable. I enjoyed this one a lot, but then again I can’t think of an IPA from Noble that I haven’t liked. This beer should start to be making the rounds on draft within the next week or two and bottles should be making their way to LA in the same time frame. Here’s to another great one from Noble and to many more great things to come from Three Weavers!

Cheers!

Jeff Prosser