Sampled at marinaro500’s post-Thanksgiving gathering and kindly provided by gulp. Wow, what an opener! Cloudy yellow-orange body, medium off-white (yellowish) head that left nice lacing. Pineappley tropical fruit, nectar, honey and flower petal aroma. Flavor was a bit like a white wine with orange (sweet pulp), pineapple, and honey, very musty/yeasty and sweet. Pepper and other spices perfectly cut the sweetness. Had a tangy almost wheat-like quality. Very little alcohol presence. The only similar beer I’ve tried was the also-delicious Pizza Port SPF 45. What a show opener!

2004 bottle generous compliments of bucknaked who definitely didnt have to open this (would have benefited from aging). That being said, yes, it was a bit malty and sweet. If there were any gripes on the balance that would be it. But it was minor and knowing that it would even out over time, Im not going to fault it. The spiciness and light light hops provide the balance on the end. As it breathes, the citrus notes become quite apparent towards the end. I would have guessed coriander and grains of paradise, but am not too far off. The pepper is light and wonderfully interesting. Throughout, there is a good, but delicate dose of yeast, adding that lovely wet old wood flavor. The aroma smells like the cork, woody, yeasty, slightly moldy with notes of coriander. Appearance is perfect, burnished orange-copper, with layered colors (gold, orange, yellow) and a foamy white head and plenty of lacing. Bottle conditioned and nearly opaque. Palate is sumptuously balanced and creamy. Light natural carbonation, the good stuff, adds a lovely light pepperiness. Delicate, distinctly belgian and full of yeast. ALcohol is barely perceptible, though there is a strangely stale alcohol note on the very end. 8/5/9/5/19
2002 bottle @ the DCVAMD Gathering compliments of Jeremy. Much funkier, sweeter, more malt than spice (not surprising) but just has a weird lacto-old cork funk to it that really permeates the palate, musty and strong. Yeast, cobwebs, wow, this stuff is quite different than the 2004 (8/5/8/4/17)
2005 bottle sampled 7/9/2005. Much different than the previous two releases. It’s interesting that most everyone who has tried the previous vintages does not seem to like this one as much, but for those having never tried the 04 or 02 (or earlier), they find this quite good. I really think it’s just how different it is, with the almost syrupy, sweet malt and different mouthfeel to it (thicker and bigger bubbles, looser carbonation). I can’t help but desire the older, perfumier, drier, elegant version, but this is still a great beer. In fact, this one should have better luck with extended aging, I should think. 8/4/8/4/16 Score is an average of the 3.

Bottled, thanks cquiroga! Cloudy pale amber. Orangey nose. The mouthfeel is rounded, and the malt profile is dense. The dominating flavour is orange jam, but it’s packed with other things. The orangey flavour lasts to the finish. An outstanding beer, and a worthy finale on one of the best beer rating sessions in my life. Thanks a lot the SoCal RB Crew that made this happen!!!

April 2004. Thanks to MBA. Golden ale with an initially skunky aroma, slightly peppery and haystack yeast. Warm alcohol and oranges with sweet candied taste. Very nice malts and complex , well balanced body.