Ran into this one on tap at The Brick Store, Decatur, GA, USA.
This has been getting some mixed reviews at the pub so I thought I’d better road test it myself to be sure.
Orange, hazed body with a moderate head and not a great deal of lace. Looks unspectacular and NOTHING like a “Belgian Dark Ale”. I would be looking for a bigger head and some much darker, browns and blacks to get to that particular classic look. This looks more Tripel like.
Fruity ester meets the nose and the early palate. Nice if unspectaular. Residual sweetness comes through and the finish is dryish. Some Belgian yeast and candy character but not much.
Pretty ordinary all the way around and the kicker is the mouthfeel. VERY thin for the (claimed) style, and really rather thin in general. One and done here, and although this is not a bad beer to actually sit down and drink a few of (the BS menu lists it as a “sessionable Belgian”), the mouthfeel really lets it down and it is a VERY poor example of a Belgian Dark. Drink it not thinking of a Belgian Dark and you’ll be happier.