2005 bottle consumed Nov. 05. Thick, creamy, dense chalk-white head (similar, if not quite as dense and well-retained as Orval) atop a golden-brass colored body, bottle conditioned and with a slight haziness. Head is well-retained and laces sufficiently. Aroma is a delightful dose of playful brett, with light notes of honey in the background a touch of pears, limes and apples. The hops are there in generous proportion as well, with a zesty, spiciness of noble hops (saaz and or hallertauer I guess). Quite intense and lasting is the aroma, significanly more round and fruity than orval, not as focused on the brett and hops, but they are still there in abundance. Flavor begins sweet, with juicy pears, nectarines and limey brett. Touches of oak add complexity, a dry wood feel of sorts adding balance to the maltiness. Hops are lightly sweaty but quite crisp on the finish, with plenty of brett carrying through. Mouthfeel shows tiny, compact bubbles adding a tight element to it, while the texture is gentle, yet lightly creamy. Unfortunately, in my sample, all was going slendidly until after about 15, 20 minutes when the texture became just plain watery but even worse, noticeable raw alcohol notes emerged in both aroma and flavor.

Cask pint at Sunset Grille, 12/20/2005
Copper-amber toned golden, with a soft, emergent red sheen to it. Perched atop is a very well-retained white head, hugely foamy and full of large bubbles. The aroma is again of brett, but this time, it shares the bill much more equally with the sweet orange fruits and light doughy malt. Flavor is very fruity, decidedly much more than from the bottle, though it is bright and playful, only being brought down to earth by the lightly bready and a touch sourish maltiness. Hops are soft and earthy, lightly sweaty but not as crisp on the end. Brett is certainly there, but much more subdued. Carbonation is quite expansive on this one, and I still get a touch of wateriness towards the end, but there is no alcohol apparency in this sample. Dosent seem to work as well on cask, warm obviously, which provides the malt with too much fuel and gives it that bready-sweet build up on the palate (coriander too apparent as well) while compromising some of the crispness.

Golden ale with a thin white head. Pears, coriander and banans in aroma. Crisp tingling malt with alcohol warmth and light farmy, horseblanket notes. Rich soothing mouthfeel. Bought at Sam Wines, Chicago, 7.99. Enjoyed at YEHa!05 Christmas Party on Dec. 17th, 2005.

Cloudy straw color, with thick and lasting head - the aroma strikes a balance between sweet, fruity smells (peach, apricot), and musty, tart, earthy smells - tart at first, mellowing into some wood, spices - very barnyardy, some brett characteristics - lavender, coriander, orange peel - very floral - barrel aging imparts many vinous qualities (as I’m noticing with all jolly pumpkins I’ve tried) - quite a nice beer.