Notes on beers brewed by
I'm not one for barrel-aged Belgians of any type, but I'll try anything once, so here goes with Black. $36.99 for the 750 mL corked and caged, Will it be three times as good as Nocturnum and/or Noel? I think I know the answer. Impressive pop once the thick black foil and cork and cage have been removed. Pour is great. Huge ice-cream head a top a body that looks basically like Nocturnum/Noel with a brown body and a touch of chill-haze. Color is a bit drab, dubbel-like brown. Not that...
Odd that I have no notes on this beer until now, I've had it several times previously. Appearance as expected with decent lace and a lingering film on the surface of the golden body. Crystal clear. Nose is very sweet - surprisingly so, and the overwhelming experience in the aroma for me is wave after wave of pear drops. No oily slickness or cloying elements in the mouthfeel - dry. The pear drop experience follows into the initial tastes, but it dries VERY quickly. Again, surprisingly so....
Pour is as expected for the designated style, if not necessarily for that of a beer that is a Christmas offering. Clear golden body, and a large bubbly white head to accompany it. Minimal lace (but some), and the head is lighter and more wispy than one might expect. Mouthfeel is a nice combination of smooth and creamy, and has a little prickly liveliness about it. Tripel, Belgian candy nose with requisite alcohol. Tastes are similar, with a drier bite at the back end than the initial burst...
Actually didn't read the notes on this properly and thought it might have been a Flanders Red or dark Belgian - whoops! Still, not so bad! Brownish red pour with a nice, frothy well built head. Some lace. Woody cherries in the nose are not especially astringent. Quite mild in terms of any kind f aggression. It's not tart, it's not sweet, rather it's pretty tasty without being tiring. Smooth, simple, refreshing and tasty I probably want a beer like this once a year, but when I do drink it I...
On-tap, The Brick Store, Decatur, GA, USA. Served in the correct glassware, as usual very classy presentation at the BS. Not my favorite style, but this still looks good. http://www.kirawhitebeer.com/ Just above average all the way around. The aroma, taste and mouthfeel are all there, but nothing else or above average to report. Very mild spice and an aroma that is reminiscent of light, grassy hay. This will sell (and drink) pretty well all summer in hot places like Atlanta (and I may drink...
Notes added, 08/19/21 33 cl bottle, L19 20238. Only notch that is visibly cut is on 5 (of L1-5). Nothing on 18-21 sections. This is the bottle pictured. The body still has that great, mahogany color, but with larger red elements than I remember and that my 2005 notes suggest. Head is also retained better and is a bit thicker and creamier. Fruit esters still dominate, and the beer is not quite as deep as many others in the style, but it’s still a lovely drink. Finishes with the drying alcohol....
Additional notes (pictured 05/02/23) Head and retention are usually much better than my original notes suggest. I still enjoy this beer close to two decades on, and over the years it has grown on me. Original notes 02/23/05 Very unusual, and an attractive looker, with at first, a deceptively ordinary macro lager look, but a closer observation reveals a slightly cloudy, quite viscous solution. Zero head retention and zero lacing were a little more disappointing. There's a definte syrupy,...
Additional notes 12/17/22 (Pictured): 2022 Vintage (see cork pictured). I still maintain that this beer has a very small element of an English barleywine about it, despite its Belgian, candy sugar presence. A very light, bitter presence all the way in the back end. Lacing and head retention are both excellent for a beer of this ABV, in fact extraordinarily so. There are still plenty of very fruity notes, even if they come with a little dry character. This is NOT an overtly sweet beer, even...