7.6/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
2004 bottle drunk on 6/28/07
Tons of protein break on the bottom, but I manage a mostly clear pour with a very surprising, stark white head this is fantastically dense and well-retained, even lacing lightly. The copper body still shows plentiful carbonation.
Very minimal oxidation, far, far less than expected, producing light powdered sugar notes, is quickly quieted by a zesty yeast that throws pleasant peppery phenols very mild, yellow fruit-laden esters in to the mix. A touch of dough and vegetal notes somewhat strain the livliness, but at this age, in this tiny, uncorked bottle, it’s a wondrous thing. The malt is probably the main reason for its resilience (that and it’s bottle conditioned), being pleasantly grainy/flaky and full of honey and lemon notes. This matches the yeast character very well and produces a uniform, concentrated flavor of a well-malted, clean and interestingly-yeasted belgian golden ale. Alcohol and flaws are not apparent, aroma strength is medium-high.
Following closely from the aroma, the flavor shows no twists and turns and exhibits a fine carbonation, creating as creamy a texture as it does a head. Wonderfully extracted pils malt showers the palate with honey in the form of tight, tingly carbonation, while some grainier notes help keep the texture from swinging too far sweet and creamy. Yeast spiciness peppers the finish, while all the while, a light vanilla note is found (from the age of the beer).
Incredible stuff, taking in to consideration the age. It’s too bad most people either A) don’t know that this is old and thus rate it based on it being a fresh sample or B) know that it’s old, yet don’t give it any leeway. But then, that’s a huge problem on the site to begin with, so it’s not terribly surprising.
Tried
from Bottle
on 16 Aug 2007
at 14:52