6.5/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6
Orange-gold, clear; small whitish head. Very flowery nose, with aromas of special grains, coriander-like with a streak of caramel. Human sweat, coriander, phenolic, bit Brett-like, citruspeel, very "farmyard", anyway. Slightly burning MF, ending a bit watery. Not exactly uplifting beer. Search again.
Tried
on 12 Dec 2005
at 00:51
9.6/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 10
Flavor 10
Texture 10
Overall 9.5
2004 bottle, #4534. Deep orange-brown body, thick beige head. Tart, sour, fruity aroma, woody, musty, with hints of brie cheese rind. I should mention that I’m drinking this at room temperature. OK...I’m still stuck on the aroma. It’s that good. The flavor hits hard with tart fruits, wood, and cheese rind, and hints of alcohol (despite its low concentration). Incredibly perfumey and fruity. Chewy, tart, sour malts. Red wine, raspberry vinaigrette, etc. As I continue to enjoy each sip, it’s becoming apparent that this is one of the best beers I’ve had the fortune to sample. Almost perfect in every regard. This is absolutely worth the cost (high, from what I hear and read). Trust me...this is a must-try! Many thanks to beeryum for this incredible beer. Continuation...I’m coming to the conclusion that this is the absolute best beer I’ve ever sampled. Phenomenal. Stille Nacht Reserva and Expedition Stout have company.
2006 bottle #3538,courtesy Styles. This one served at 50 degrees. Sweet nose, blackberry and cherry in particular, raspberry vinaigrette, tart but not sour. Musty. The body is an explosion of sour, tart, almost lemony funk, with oak, blackberries, and vinaigrette, with just enough sweetness to keep the tart body from becoming overwhelming. Long, sharp, tannic finish. Fantastic beer. Rating same.
2006 bottle #3538,courtesy Styles. This one served at 50 degrees. Sweet nose, blackberry and cherry in particular, raspberry vinaigrette, tart but not sour. Musty. The body is an explosion of sour, tart, almost lemony funk, with oak, blackberries, and vinaigrette, with just enough sweetness to keep the tart body from becoming overwhelming. Long, sharp, tannic finish. Fantastic beer. Rating same.
Tried
from Bottle
on 05 Dec 2005
at 23:54
5.4/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 5
Texture 4
Overall 5.5
Gold, white head.Dry malt nose.A light flat malt taste with very light bitterness in finish
Tried
on 04 Dec 2005
at 19:19
6.5/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 6
Texture 4
Overall 7
Draft. Amber/copper color with a nice off-white head. Rich malt aroma with some cocoa. Flavor has some malt, toffee, and a bit of cocoa. Body is a little wattery.
Tried
from Draft
on 18 Nov 2005
at 16:47
7.1/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
Draft. Hazy amber beer with a thin whitish head. Tart aroma with green apple and lemon. Tart flavor - some fruit (green apple, possibly some berry) with some sweet malt and a whole lot of oak. Nice lingering sweet/tart flavor. Enjoyable.
Tried
from Draft
on 18 Nov 2005
at 16:44
7.1/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
Bottle. Golden beer with a big off-white head. Yeasty aroma with spice and sweet malt. Earthy yeart flavor with light spice and a malt backing. High carbonation.
Tried
from Bottle
on 22 Oct 2005
at 23:39
7.4/10
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Appearance 10
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
Draft. reddish amber beer with a nice off-white head. Huge sour aroma. Sour/tart flavor with some berry fruits and oak. Sour with some pop rocks at the end. Doesn’t stand up to Roddenback - a lot of the same characteristics are there (and given the brewer, they should be), but this one was a bit of harshness around the edges where Roddenback really just pulls everything together nicely.
Tried
from Draft
on 17 Oct 2005
at 13:06
5/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 5
Texture 4
Overall 4
Draught at GABF and Falling Rock, GABF 2005 weekend. Pours a brassy, lightly chill-hazed copper-gold, with none of the samples having a well-retained head. Some wispy spots of lace remain on the edges, but nothing spectacular for appearance, by any means. Aroma is severely dry, grainy and filled with bitter, borderline astringent herbs and spices. The lavendar, while nice, is about the only pleasant thing going on here. The Belgian yeast is soft, moderately fruity (lemons, oranges, pears). Fairly mysterious aroma does not allow much of a glimpse of what is to come, other than to foretell much dryness! And dry in flavor it is. Biscuity, husky, grainy malts and a moderate carbonation, with lemons and old toast. Wheat keeps the body very dry, and the mouthfeel smooth and uninspired. As it warms, I think it would be incorrect to say that it gets sweet. It gets sort of oily-tart, with a bittersweet sort of thing going on. Almost like oxidation, though without the sherry notes. Another challenging beer to describe. Mouthfeel is lively, with the wheat adding some pleasant aspects, but the carbonation is not tight, nor is the beer substantial. Seems too filtered even on draught. Strange.
Tried
on 13 Oct 2005
at 16:21
4.8/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 5
Flavor 5
Texture 4
Overall 4
2005 bottle from Liquor Mart consumed on 10/1/2005. Hmm, well I see this is a Belgian ale, which kind of bothers me, because I really liked it, for what I thought was a golden ale. But Belgian ale?? That’s some of the lightest Belgian yeast apparency I’ve ever seen. Still, it’s perhaps, Belgian influenced, which might explain why I enjoyed it so much while thinking it was a golden. Pours a highly effervescent, overcarbonated, filtered, peach-apricot-copper orange color, with tons of white, uncontrollable head. Good retention, little to no lacing. Smells of light lemon-lime zest, toasted grains, bits of biscuity/wheaty malt and light oranges. Flavor is a mix of lime, club soda and pale grains. Dry, biscuity, grainy mouthfeel, full of carbonation but with enough citrusy zest and some sweet malt sugars. The wheat is flavorful and apparent as well, adding a light, smooth vanilla-cream sensation. Baked sourdough, limes and honey on the finish. One hell of a golden ale, even taking in to account the filtration/overcarbonation. But if New Belgium honestly considers this a Belgian ale?? Yikes. . .
Tried
from Bottle
on 12 Oct 2005
at 15:52
6.6/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
2005 bottle from Liquor Mart sampled on 9/30/2005. Pours a light, honey-yellow color, rather vibrant and bubbly, clear and filtered and with a good-sized and fairly well-retained white head comprised of large bubbles, quite foamy. Aroma has soft, grassy and lightly spicy hops supported by a fair amount of pils malt. Crisp, slightly sourish lager yeast is heavy through the middle and mixes with the honey flavors on the end nicely. Very clean overall, don’t find any flaws in this one, no corn-like yeast biproducts or veggies (not that I expected any). Body is a respectable medium and well to-style. A bit overcarbonated for my liking (being force carbonated of course), but nothing unusual for a bottled pils. Some dry, doughy/biscuity malt gets a little too thick but is saved in the end by a decent amount of grass and herbs lingering on.
Tried
from Bottle
on 10 Oct 2005
at 14:50