This one was a request/suggestion for review from Tantrum777. Asked and delivered.
I reviewed this one a LONG time ago, first uploading a review on August 17, 2005, and I've only had it a few times since then. My overall opinion of the beer hasn't changed very much in the intervening years, but I definitely have more experience with wild yeasts and sour beers, and get different things from it than I did five years ago.
Zymurgical Explorations rating: 8.0/10
My original BA review from August 2005:
"Purchased from Woody's Smokes and Brews, Franklin, TN.
I had a taste of this at the Bring-a-Friend Beer Tasting in Birmingham a few weeks back, but not enough for a full review. Bought a single bottle and poured it into my oversized wine glass. Appearance is really quite nice, with a sort of orange-yellow body covered with one of the thickest off-white foamy heads I've ever seen. I didn't even pour that aggressively, and this thing just took off. Almost too much head since I'm having to dribble the remainder of the brew into the glass a little bit at a time.
Aroma is very sweet, with hints of soft honey and possibly even a hint of cinnamon. Fascinating the way these Belgian Ales seem to produce the strangest scents that have nothing to do with barley, malt, and hops, but when it smells this nice I'm not complaining.
I may have let this warm a bit too long, for the beer has a strongly astringent flavor first and foremost, which only later softens into a nice soft sweetness that coats the mouth and the tongue. Alcohol is quite strong here, present in large quantities in the flavor even if not in the nose. Bitterness follows every swallow, but it's a nice sort of non-hoppy bitterness. Enjoyable but not exactly to my taste.
This has a thick and luxurious mouthfeel and a low carbonation that work together nicely. The bitter flavors make me not really want to swish this around a lot when drinking it, but the mouthfeel doesn't stand in the way of drinking it that way.
This beer tastes good, and it's fairly low alcohol for a Trappist, but I find myself actually wanting to finish this bottle and move on to something else. I'll certainly try it again next time I can get ahold of it, and this time I'll open it up when it's a few degrees cooler, but at this temperature I really don't enjoy it as much as I'd like to. North Coast Pranqster is much better, and much cheaper."
That was written when I'd only had a handful of Belgians. I'd never try to compare Orval to Pranqster today, of course.
Showing posts with label Belgian Pale Ale. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Belgian Pale Ale. Show all posts
20 September 2010
23 April 2010
Jolly Pumpkin Luciernaga
Jolly Pumpkin Luciernaga (bottle)
Dexter, MI
6.5% ABV
I just opened this bottle and had it literally explode out of the bottle all over my desk, my computer, my floor, and my jeans. Guess I'm going to smell like Belgian Pale Ale for the rest of the evening. At least it's good Belgian Pale Ale. I'll review the half the bottle or so I have left. Having to use a non-ergonomic keyboard now while my MS Natural dries. My typing speed is pathetic.
Anyway, pours yellow/orange with a thick white head that sticks around significantly. Even while mopping up the beer off the desk, the head stuck around and barely dissipated at all. Guess that's the flip side of the too-aggressive carbonation. Smells very much like a Belgian pale, lots of yeast and golden raisin aroma. Very sweet.
Flavor has that same yeastiness, sweet golden tartness. Slightly drying on the finish, somewhat astringent on the aftertaste. Not incredibly complex, but good. Mouthfeel is thick, with a pretty heavy carbonation (as expected) and very little hops.
My overall response? "Eh." It's a nice Belgian Pale if you're in the market for a nice Belgian Pale, but it doesn't really rise above the style the way I expect from the rest of Jolly Pumpkin's lineup.
My overall BA rating: 4.05/5
Dexter, MI
6.5% ABV
I just opened this bottle and had it literally explode out of the bottle all over my desk, my computer, my floor, and my jeans. Guess I'm going to smell like Belgian Pale Ale for the rest of the evening. At least it's good Belgian Pale Ale. I'll review the half the bottle or so I have left. Having to use a non-ergonomic keyboard now while my MS Natural dries. My typing speed is pathetic.
Anyway, pours yellow/orange with a thick white head that sticks around significantly. Even while mopping up the beer off the desk, the head stuck around and barely dissipated at all. Guess that's the flip side of the too-aggressive carbonation. Smells very much like a Belgian pale, lots of yeast and golden raisin aroma. Very sweet.
Flavor has that same yeastiness, sweet golden tartness. Slightly drying on the finish, somewhat astringent on the aftertaste. Not incredibly complex, but good. Mouthfeel is thick, with a pretty heavy carbonation (as expected) and very little hops.
My overall response? "Eh." It's a nice Belgian Pale if you're in the market for a nice Belgian Pale, but it doesn't really rise above the style the way I expect from the rest of Jolly Pumpkin's lineup.
My overall BA rating: 4.05/5
08 January 2010
New Glarus Stone Soup
New Glarus Stone Soup (bottle)
New Glarus, WI
5.3% ABV
I've never had a New Glarus, since I've never been to Wisconsin. Those without a thorough knowledge of the Midwestern beer scene will be forgiven for feeling a bit left in the dust by that dependent clause -- New Glarus is a brewery that has so far limited its distribution only to the state in which it is located.
Working in even a small capacity in the beverage industry, you definitely see a great variety in the strategies that the various microbreweries take in growing their customer base. Some breweries, like Rogue, take an approach of widening their net as much as possible, increasing availability in as many areas as possible. This has the positive effect of making your products somewhat ubiquitous and making your brand recognition high, but usually means that your product seems less like a product of a particular place.
Other breweries expand more slowly, but still have a regional presence. Yuengling, for instance, is purely an East Coast phenomenon that expats from those areas tend to remember fondly. How many people just have to get that pint of Yuengling upon a return to an area where it can be found? (I'm certainly one of those.)
And some breweries just stay local. Michigan's own Short's Brewing is one of those, for now, although I'm guessing they'll start moving outside of Michigan in the near future as they expand. The problem with expansion is quality control, with making sure that the beer you produce is handled well in its journey from the fermenter to the glass, and in working with ever-wider arrays of distributors, retailers, etc.
New Glarus is a brewery that (for now) has decided to just stick with one market: Wisconsin. It's a nationally-recognized brewery that certainly doesn't have national distribution. They've been in operation since 1993 and, in the words of their website: "Sorry about the limited distribution, non-Wisconsinites. There are only so many hours in the day to make beer and we can only keep up with the local demand. If you're ever in town stop by our little gift shop and pick some up."
So, how's the beer? It's actually a pretty standard Belgian Pale Ale, which given the context is actually a pretty nice complement. A nice citrus start gives way to a sweet, yeasty finish. Healthy amounts of hops give this brew a nice bitter bite, but far from enough to make me feel like this has been Americanized in any way. Complex enough to be palatable to beer geeks, but accessible to those with a simple interest in a decent brew.
Is it the best beer ever? No way, but if it were made in my hometown I'd support this kind of thing until my dying day. Not a world-class beer, but it's a very nice brew.
My overall BA rating: 3.95/5
New Glarus, WI
5.3% ABV
I've never had a New Glarus, since I've never been to Wisconsin. Those without a thorough knowledge of the Midwestern beer scene will be forgiven for feeling a bit left in the dust by that dependent clause -- New Glarus is a brewery that has so far limited its distribution only to the state in which it is located.
Working in even a small capacity in the beverage industry, you definitely see a great variety in the strategies that the various microbreweries take in growing their customer base. Some breweries, like Rogue, take an approach of widening their net as much as possible, increasing availability in as many areas as possible. This has the positive effect of making your products somewhat ubiquitous and making your brand recognition high, but usually means that your product seems less like a product of a particular place.
Other breweries expand more slowly, but still have a regional presence. Yuengling, for instance, is purely an East Coast phenomenon that expats from those areas tend to remember fondly. How many people just have to get that pint of Yuengling upon a return to an area where it can be found? (I'm certainly one of those.)
And some breweries just stay local. Michigan's own Short's Brewing is one of those, for now, although I'm guessing they'll start moving outside of Michigan in the near future as they expand. The problem with expansion is quality control, with making sure that the beer you produce is handled well in its journey from the fermenter to the glass, and in working with ever-wider arrays of distributors, retailers, etc.
New Glarus is a brewery that (for now) has decided to just stick with one market: Wisconsin. It's a nationally-recognized brewery that certainly doesn't have national distribution. They've been in operation since 1993 and, in the words of their website: "Sorry about the limited distribution, non-Wisconsinites. There are only so many hours in the day to make beer and we can only keep up with the local demand. If you're ever in town stop by our little gift shop and pick some up."
So, how's the beer? It's actually a pretty standard Belgian Pale Ale, which given the context is actually a pretty nice complement. A nice citrus start gives way to a sweet, yeasty finish. Healthy amounts of hops give this brew a nice bitter bite, but far from enough to make me feel like this has been Americanized in any way. Complex enough to be palatable to beer geeks, but accessible to those with a simple interest in a decent brew.
Is it the best beer ever? No way, but if it were made in my hometown I'd support this kind of thing until my dying day. Not a world-class beer, but it's a very nice brew.
My overall BA rating: 3.95/5
02 September 2009
Beer Review, Witkap-Pater Abbey Singel Ale
Witkap-Pater Abbey Singel Ale
Ninove, Belgium
6.0% ABV
Appearance: Very aggressive out of the bottle, a little too aggressive. Slightly hazy whitish-yellow body with a very thick foamy white head that leaves significant lacing. Head is way too thick due to the aggression of the beer. 3.5/5
Smell: Sweet, with a clear Belgian "funk." Hints of banana. 4.0/5
Taste: Very yeasty, very tart, hints of citrus and a touch of cloves. Tasted a bit like a witbier, a very slight bit of oranges and coriander here. Interesting. 4.0/5
Mouthfeel: Moderate thickness, slightly chewy. Low carbonation, very low hops. 3.5/5
Drinkability: Not a bad Belgian Pale. I could see putting these away quite handily if I ever get to Belgium and this sort of thing is widely available. 4.0/5
Overall: 3.85/5
Ninove, Belgium
6.0% ABV
Appearance: Very aggressive out of the bottle, a little too aggressive. Slightly hazy whitish-yellow body with a very thick foamy white head that leaves significant lacing. Head is way too thick due to the aggression of the beer. 3.5/5
Smell: Sweet, with a clear Belgian "funk." Hints of banana. 4.0/5
Taste: Very yeasty, very tart, hints of citrus and a touch of cloves. Tasted a bit like a witbier, a very slight bit of oranges and coriander here. Interesting. 4.0/5
Mouthfeel: Moderate thickness, slightly chewy. Low carbonation, very low hops. 3.5/5
Drinkability: Not a bad Belgian Pale. I could see putting these away quite handily if I ever get to Belgium and this sort of thing is widely available. 4.0/5
Overall: 3.85/5
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