7.8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
12 ounce can into tulip glass, canned on 9/22/2016. Pours lightly hazy/cloudy medium golden yellow color with a 1-2 finger fairly dense and fluffy off white head with good retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of lemon, orange, peach, pear, apricot, melon, red apple, white grape, peppercorn, clove, light banana, honey, cracker, white bread dough, lightly toasted biscuit, herbal, floral, and yeast earthiness. Touch of booze in the aroma as it warmed, but not overwhelming. Nice and pleasant aromas with good balance and complexity of fruity/spicy yeast, candi sugar, and pale malt notes; with solid strength. Taste of big lemon, orange, peach, pear, apricot, melon, red apple, white grape, peppercorn, clove, light banana, honey, cracker, white bread dough, lightly toasted biscuit, herbal, floral, and yeast earthiness. Light-moderate herbal/floral hop bitterness and peppery yeast spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of lemon, orange, peach, pear, apricot, melon, red apple, white grape, peppercorn, clove, light banana, honey, cracker, white bread dough, lightly toasted biscuit, herbal, floral, and yeast earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Very nice complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/spicy yeast, candi sugar, and pale malt flavors; with a great malt/bitter/spiciness balance, and zero cloying/astringent flavors after the finish. Light-moderate increasing dryness from bitter/spiciness. Medium carbonation and medium-plus body; with a very smooth and moderately bready/grainy/sticky balanced mouthfeel that is great. Lightly increasing warmth of 9.2%, hint of booze well after the finish. Overall this is a very nice Belgian strong pale ale. All around nice fruity/spicy yeast, candi sugar, and pale malt flavors; very smooth and easy to drink for the ABV. Well rounded Belgian yeast complexity and balanced pils malt/candi sugar. Not overly sweet for the ABV. A very enjoyable offering, and great style example.
Tried
from Can
on 16 May 2018
at 00:06