7.6

Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 7.5 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5

APA brewed with rye, by one of many new microbrewing projects in and around the city of Liège. Simple brown label depicting a bird looking more like a tucan than a macaw (after which it is named) to me, but okay - the proof of the pudding is in the eating. Very thick and foamy, egg-white, plaster-like lacing, pillowy, quite regular head, initially clear 'metallic' orange blonde robe with amberish tinge and strings of lively sparkling, turning into a deep cloudy orange with sediment added. Aroma of dried orange peel, mandarin, biscuit, ripe persimmon, iron, dry tea leaves, cigarette shag, peanuts, wormwood, dried thyme, background hints of dried walnut husk, papaya, dry forest floor, lavender and gravel. Dryish onset, dried apricot, persimmon and kumquat, medium carbonation but considerable underlying, yet pleasant minerality; vague green olive-like umami accent too. Smooth, rounded, bit oily body, peanutty and rusk-like malts, sadly less sweetish-biscuity than expected based on orthonasal observation but with indeed that typical dim rye spiciness underneath, with a bitterish toasty edge reinforced by an earthy, wormwoody and citrus peel-ish hop bitterness, pushing up phenolic spicy notes of nutmeg and thyme as well. Ends quite leafy-hoppy, a bit herbal too, but the malts persist and bring some breadiness and even a touch of juiciness to an otherwise dry finish. The rye is well applied here, though more subtle than in Jopen's Viva El Rye I had just before this one - but perhaps an APA is not always easy to compare with a hazy IPA... In all, this one feels like a cleaned up Walloon style ambrée pimped with American hops, with a kind of 'Belgian APA' as a result - but that is fine with me, because this is clearly correctly brewed, characterful and tasty. I was expecting worse, to be honest - just do something about that ugly label, guys!

6

Sampled at Brassigaume 2021. A almost clear amber beer with a beige head. Aroma of rye, brett, reddish malt. Taste of Brett, rye malt, caramel, long bitter finish.

7.8

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7.5 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5

Bouteille 33cl, BB 02/11/2022.
Cuivre, col épais crémeux blanc-cassé.
Arôme aux effluves plaisantes, de suite un malté convainquant sur un caramel, biscuité toffee avec ce bouquet rappelant les classiques américaines entre IPA et APA. Retrouve un nez vers le pin du Chinook et une pointe épicée houblonnée qui complète bien le léger épicé-grain du seigle avec un fin rétro-nasal un léger apport du Mosaic qui confère une touche un peu tropicale-purée de mangue.
Palais est malté, caramel avec un effet fruité rouge oscillant vers le tropical avec une pointe agrumes-pamplemousse couplée à des senteurs de pin pour le houblonné. Le palais - via son approche classique donne un sentiment de se replonger sur les anciennes IPA US - dirais-je Stone Brewing Arrogant Bastard ? ici avec un malté un peu plus présent. Côté pin-finement frais et épicé perce sur la fin.