I’ve been in a training session all day for work and got home a little bit early. Therefore, I grab my laptop to catch up on a little bit of work, and cracked open this beer, while enjoying the evening sun in the kitchen. I picked up this beer a few weeks ago, when I stopped at Fresh Market to get some sushi for my son. They had some interesting beers you could make a mixed six pack with so I got this one along with Stone’s Go To IPA.
Location: Poured into a Stella Artois chalice at my home in Bloomington, IL
Numbers: 6.6% ABV, ~200 Calories
Appearance & Aroma: It’s bright gold in color, and extremely clear with a lot of carbonation in it. It had a thick pillowy head, which fell after a few minutes to about a quarter inch thick, with good retention and lacing. The aroma is quite lagery and slightly skunk-like, reminding me of many of the early bottled Heineken I had in college.
Taste & Feel: The body is surprisingly full and the mouthfeel is smooth, yet crisp from all of the carbonation. Up front, it’s hard to tell anything with all of the carbonation crispness, but there is a sweet grainy maltiness with some Belgian spiciness. In the middle, the spiciness grows and the sweetness has a little bit of fruitiness to it. The finish is a mix of Belgian spiciness and grainy malty sweetness. The aftertaste is a nice Belgian spiciness with a lightly sweet grainy maltiness in the background.
Food Pairing: This beer has a good amount of Belgian spiciness and grainy sweetness. Therefore, I’d probably pair it with a summer salad or a lightly seasoned fish dish, and let the spiciness of the beer add to the flavored in the food.
Overall Impression: For being a lighter colored beer, it had a solid body and complex flavor with a unique Belgian spiciness. The aroma initially turned me off, but as I sat with it, I enjoyed each sip more than the previous one. Overall, I thought it was a very complex, unique Belgian beer I’d be happy to enjoy again.
My Rating: 
Recent Comments