Notes on beers in the style
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11.2 oz bottle. Lightly clouded, gold-orange pour. Small, well-formed head with some lace and a white collar with some surface foam. There is a lovely, extremely subtle fruit note about the beginning of this beer that could be apricot based. It...
Well, this was a turn-up for the books. We used to get a few Baladin bottles here in the USA at the height of the 2005-2015 boom, and generally they were decent if somewhat expensive. Baladin has been (mostly) absent from these shores for a long,...
This is an older bottle of a delicate beer that is 24 months past its best before date. Notes purely for self. Still some decent carbonation which is really a function of De La Senne. However that's where things basically end. Murky orange body...
Part of a four pack that I randomly came across at a Liquor Barn in Kentucky recently. Pour is a mid-orange, classically clouded look. Lovely head, great retention. Nose and initial tastes have plenty of candy sweetness. It goes beyond a standard...
If I understand this correctly, the hops are picked in September, and within two days they are used with the beer becoming available in November of that year. Age is probably a factor in change the taste profile here, but this is still well within...
Honey-orange body with a lovely, rocky white head which gives some tremendous, sticky lace. A nice film of retention. Up front the beer is quite sweet for the style which I quite like, but I can see how some people would crave a drier experience....
Taras Boubla has had such a profound impact on many people, and some might say even on Belgian beer as whole, that Petit Boulba comes with some inevitable baggage. That's a shame, but unavoidable I fear. A pale lemon, cloudy body with astonishingly...
As is so often the case with De La Senne, Zinne Bir pours with a high, fluffy head, and produces some lovely lace and has good retention. The head sits atop a pale, slightly hazed, golden body. The nose has a sweet, bready note, but that's about...
Kerst - Noel - Christmas - depends on where you are! A magnificent pour into an equally impressive glass, the beer offers up a billowing, creamy head, that forms that great, ice-cream like whip on the surface. The body is a striking, clear copper...
Nice head forms on top of the appropriately amber body. Retention is not great, nor is the lace but certainly within acceptable parameters. Nose offers the requisite, light bready notes. A simple malty beer that has characteristics of an English...
I guess that there are two ways to look at this. Firstly, if you take it for what it is, then it's not bad (even if I think it's a little too hop forward even for a Belgian Pale or Blonde). However, if you start comparing it to Duvel - which IMO is...
When I first heard about this beer I was excited. How could one not be? A collaboration between these two? It has to be great, right? Right?? Of course, I've seen enough collaborations between two high-powered, well-respected breweries to know that...
It's a beautiful color. A fantastic golden hue. A lovely white head, some lace and decent retention. Nose is sweet, light and simple. Very, very refreshing. Clean as a whistle and simplicity itself. Light bitterness sits on top of the easy malts. A...
Had this many times prior to today. Pale lemon body with some chill haze. Nice head, well retained and fluffy. Good lace. Nose offers a surprising citrus hoppy note. Tastes follow suit with a pleasing, rounded creaminess that I just wasn't...
Into the Westmalle chalice she goes, bottled April 7th 2022, Best Before 2 years from that date. Had this beer several times since May of 2021 when I used it to christen the re-launch of this blog. Honey colored, clouded pour with a great head out...
Hazed, honey colored pour. Fantastic head, white, high and sticky with lace and persistent. Looks great. The light balance of this beer is second to none. Bitterness is there, but it is so very tempered with a fantastic, creamy body and the light...
750 mL capped bottle. Delightful pour into the 25 cl De Ranke stem. Clouded orange body with a small, perfectly formed dense white head that lingers and offers ice-cream level lace. The bitterness that greets the palate on the initial sip is...
In general, Dorée is a deeply misunderstood beer, but this is especially so in the USA. Firstly there is the issue with it being an infinitely more subtle beer that anything else that they make. Subtlety is not a trait that is appreciated a great...
Expiry 23/12/2022. 330 mL bottle. Pour offers a mid-orange, amber, slightly hazed pour. White head, some nice retention and lace, with a significant film that settles across the beer in the chalice. Nose offers some malt, but until it warms and...
29/21/22 Best Before. If I’m honest, I really don’t understand this beer. Out of the bottle, it looks good. There’s an incredible, rocky head, and some great lace. The body is a less remarkable, light amber/orange (some would say ‘copper’, but for...
It's hard to get my head around a Gouden Carolus beer like this one. This is true even for a person like me who LOVES lower ABV beers. So far removed from their (normal) lane. A light yellow pour with good head, lace, and some haze greets the eye....
BO7T15 FEB18 EXP: 22/02/2020 Older, 33cl bottle that came from Jungle Jim's, Cincinnati, OH, USA, in June 2021. Hazed, golden pour with a modest, 1/4 inch white head. Lacing not bad. Label states, "This is not a Pils", presumably because the...
I’m a sucker for a commemorative or anniversary Belgian, so to buy this was a no brainer. High fluffy head but if I’m honest, a disappointingly light color. A lot of bitterness up from here. The beer at times almost feels hop forward which is of...
750 mL, corked & caged. The thing about Allagash is that you can trust them. By that I mean that when they say they are going to brew a Belgian Ale of some description, then that’s what is going to come out of the bottle. Period! It’s such a...
Additional notes 09/20/23 (pictured) With the demise of the brewery, probably my last bottle of this. 11.2oz, 7/22/23 which is likely a BB date, so a little past its best. I think that I've always wished that this was a Belgian Strong Pale Ale...
12 oz single bottle from Total Wine, Kennesaw, GA, USA. Golden body. Lively, large, dense head. Zesty, hop based twang. Bitterness sits at a good level. Clean and comes with a decent, drying finish. Some herbal character. present, but the beer is...
Bottled: Feb 2013, 6.5% ABV, 22 oz bomber. Purchased from Total Wine, this might be another of their 'TW only' exclusive distributions arrangements. What IS the law regarding that? I remember when WB launched a few years ago with a prominent BA...
Interesting bottle that reminds me a little of the Australian stubbies. Pour is a mid-orange color with a huge, ice-cream like head. The retention is superb, leaving a thick and creamy head the whole way down the beer, but the lace is surprisingly...
The label shows a giant with a severed arm and lot of theatrical blood. OK, whatever, but the name of the beer that is spelled out in said blood is just about unreadable which is annoying to me. The beer is apparently brewed and bottle by The...
On draught at Buffalo Wild Wings, Douglasville, GA, USA. Orange body with a small head and some sticky lace. Slight haze to the body. Quite a surprising green/ fresh hop note in the nose. Agitating the beer produces even more of the same - wasn't...
12 oz single, thanks go out to Kevin for the opportunity. Pour is a bright, honey orange affair with a large, but somewhat light and thinnish head. The head is not especially well retained and there is little lace, both of which seem to be a...
550mL bottle from Hop City, Atlanta, GA, USA. Not sure what to expect here, but what I do know is that it is brewed with the Sorachi Ace hop and the "Ancient" Kaneko Barley. Having not especially enjoyed Brooklyn's Sorachi rendition, I get a bit...
22 oz bottle from CBX, Charleston, SC, $5.49. Well, it needs to be said that this beer does not look like, or drink like, a Belgian Pale Ale. This is one thing that REALLY pisses me off. When a brewery puts the words "Belgian Pale Ale" on the...
750 mL corked & caged bottle courtesy of ClownShoesDreams - thanks Gregg. Small pop on opening, not huge, but nevertheless there is some carbonation - always a slight concern with Lost Abbey. Pour is as expected with a dense, slightly off-white...
VERY excited to try any new Ommegang beer, and the fact that this is pitched in the way it is (as a somewhat potential "single" or "simple" Belgian Ale) makes me even more interested. 750mL, corked & caged, packaged on 01/19/10, Best by...
Having missed out on the first wave of this coming to Atlanta several months ago, I've managed to catch it about four times in the last few weeks - pleasing. On each occasion (The Fred, The Brick Store and Ormsby's) the beer was served in the Duvel...
$1.35 as a 12 oz single from Green's on Buford, Atlanta, GA, USA. Pour gives a lightly hazed, well carbonated golden yellow. Small head. Nose has a really nice yeasty presence - good for the style. Tastes reflect the nose and are sweet and yeast...
330 mL bottle from Green's on Buford, Atlanta, GA, USA. $3.99 for the chance to try this. Errr ...Belgian Pale (as per current BA db designation), NO. Much more like a Brune. Head and lace a quite poor and the body is a chestnut, deep brown. Nose...
750 mL, corked and "clasped" (Corsendonk style) from Hop City, Atlanta, GA, USA. Lovely honey colored, clouded pour and a very nice initial, light, frothy head. Retention and lace aren't great, but still acceptable. Nose and tastes reveal muted...
Additional notes 03/02/24 (pictured) I love this glass. The "6" appears to have been dropped from the name these days. This is a lovely beer, but perhaps not my favorite of all of the Maredsous range these days, There is a LOT od underlying,...
750 mL corked & caged from Hop City, Atlanta, GA, USA. A new Trappist, always a time for general excitement ... ... actually ... hold on! Pour gives a very dark orange/brown body with some high, ice-cream like head. The head is poorly retained...
Having spent a large part of my beer drinking youth in Belgium, and visiting literally scores of times over the years, AND have the privilege of hanging out with some natives, I grew to really appreciate and enjoy the art of the simple Belgian Pale...
12 oz single from Green's on Ponce, $1.99 for the bottle - pretty sure that they are just trying to shift this stuff since it has obviously been a very poor seller for them. Pour is quite an orangey golden one with a distinct lack of head,...
12 oz single from Hop City, Atlanta, GA, USA. Hazed, darkish orange pour with a small head that fades pretty quickly; minimal lace. Some chill haze. Nose has a touch of alcohol, some peppery spice, a little estery fruit as well. The tastes are an...
12 oz single from Total Wine on Barrett Parkway, Kennesaw, GA, USA. Poured into the Sweetwater Pils glass, the beer pours a noticeable yellow color and looks quite viscous. There seems to be a highish level of carbonation too. Head is creamy, dense...
Additional notes 03/15/13 (pictured) Vintage 2013. A beer that I originally didn't like much, but for me has changed over time - or maybe I have. $4.99 for the 12.7 fl oz bottle with a cork & cage and a nice pop on opening. Head is rocky and...
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...
ADDED NOTES: 07/04/21 Jungle Jim's, Cincinnati, OH, June 2021, $17.99. This beer always surprises me. Generally, I'm not a huge fan of "sour" beer of any hue - with some exceptions (e.g., Duchess) - but this grows on me every time that I drink it....
Green's, Buford, Atlanta, GA, USA. Poured into the Val Du Dieu chalice the beer is rather well carbonated but fizzy rather than controlled. A lovely, golden yellow body sits underneath the scant head and some lace accrues. Interesting nose and...
12oz single from Sam's Blue Light, Durham, NC, USA. Badly misaligned notches on the label do not help, but it looks like this was bottled in Jan '07. ABV given as 7%. Lemon colored body with a lively (in fact somewhat fizzy head) that fades...
Additional notes 11/27/22 (pictured): Have had this several times since the original notes from 2008, but this is the first time doing some thoughts to those 14 year old notes. TBH, there isn't much to add to what I wrote below. Still the same...
Thanks go out to jgaston for the trade. Apparently, $6.99 from Ledger's Liquors. Corked & Caged 750 mL presentation. Poured into the Duvel tulip. Golden/yellow hazy pour with plenty of floaties. Thin head, minimal; wispy lace. Lack of body and lack...
12 oz bottle. Thanks go out to BA Vancer as part of Old Farts/CEO BIF. Golden/orange hazed pour with some decent carbonation. Head is small, but does come with some lace and is creamy. I really don't get much Belgian character here. Not much sugar...
11.2 oz bottle, $3.99 at Merchant package store in Marietta, GA, USA. Poured into the Abbaye du Val-Dieu chalice/goblet. Very fizzy pour. Over carboated for the style. Lack of head and lace, although some remains on the surface of the macro,...
11.2 fl oz bottle, Green's, Buford, Atlanta, GA, USA. Poured into a chalice, the head is fleeting leaving some spotty lace. Light golden body with some carbonation. A certain fruitiness and tartness about the brew, but I don't think I could...
On-tap, Taco Mac, Newnan, GA, USA, $5.25 a pint. Pours somewhat macro looking, with a clear golden body, a small head but with better lacing than one would normally associate with a macro lager. Aroma is distinctly "Belgian", but muted and not...
$3.49 for a 11.2 fl oz single from Smyrna Beverage, or around $12 for a four pack. 38616 dot-matrixed on the back of the label. This "Blonde" has an appearance that has a good head and some lace, but a rather unattractive Dubbel like experience (I...
Stubbie 11.2 oz bottle, Michael's, Marietta, GA, USA, $3.49. Pour is a light brown murk, with a nice head and a little lacing. Typically light Belgian with candy notes and plenty of mild, dark fruit sweetness. A little typical Belgian yeast, but...
750 mL, corked & caged, Green's on Ponce, Atlanta, GA, USA, $6.95. A close look through the brown bottle reveals plenty of easily disturbed sediment. This settles quickly. Lively pour into the Duvel tulip with a good head that leaves some thin...
12oz bottle. Currently not available in the USA. Tasted at the Unibroue dinner meeting at the Brick Store, Decatur, GA, USA. Several of the Unibroue guys in attendance to give us the low down on the beers. If you know Unibroue beers the first thing...
$3.99 Green's, Buford, Atlanta, GA, USA. Purchased along with the Brune. Poured into the Brasserie de l'Abbaye des Rocs chalice it sits fairly lifeless and deep, deep cloudy orange. Low lacing, very thin spotty film on the suface. A little yeast, a...
$9.99 Green's Buford Highway, Atlanta, GA, USA. 750 mL bottle. Mid-orange body with thick, milkshake like head poured into the Duvel tulip. Some nice lacing. Looks very nice. Belgian spiced overtones and a hint of acidity and farmyard funk (apples...
To me, definitely a very good impersonation of an Abbey Dubbel. Served in the "Cognac" snifter glass, there is a classic dirty brown body with a small head that disappears fast. Good fruit, with a classic Belgian yeasty finish, this beer really...
Pictured 10/16/22 Original notes 03/24/06 Pale orange body, a slightly yellowish tinge, with some decent carbonation and a rocky head, that is nice, but short lived. Aroma is subdued, but has a little Belgian yeast smell. Not much else. Slightly...
Way too brown/orange a pour for the style, this looks more like a pale ale than a Belgian pale. Small head, no retention and no lacing - not a promising start. Aroma is by far the strongest element here. Good, apparently authentic Belgian yeast...
11.2 oz bottle. Interesting. Very nice golden color with a fairly fast fading head and some lacing. A little chill haze. Nose is sweet and sugary but not much else. Nice thirst quenching qualities but with that comes a lack of body. A little apple...
Part of a 3-bottle gift pack that included 11.2 oz bottles of this, the Brown and the Tripel and a Val-Dieu goblet for $11.99. Good value I thought. Very light, almost dare I say it, macro lager like appearance, with some fairly aggressive...
Well, very odd. Firstly I would NEVER have guessed that this was supposed to be a Belgian pale. To me it was real thin and watery, with no hint of the spice or yeast. It drank just like a middle of the road American Pale Ale. Nice, drinkable and...
Purchased this as part of the gift pack (A tripel, Dubbel, Blonde and Quad with a Konings Hoeven Chalice) - GREAT value at $7.99 the lot! Interesting - not a real clean tasting beer, lots of action going on. Some good, some bad. Good looking golden...
Additional notes 05/23/24 (pictured) Sadly, a can. At some point. in the past this beer was classified as a Belgian Dark, now i see it more often classified as a Belgian Pale. I think both have their merits, and Ommegang has always gone for a...
Pictured 07/02/2023 A beer that I have grown to understand over two decades. Unique and with peers, Orval occupies a specific place in Belgian and world beer culture and taste. It's one of my most influential and important beers of all time, but it...
Pictured 05/28/21 Original notes 07/31/04 HUGE nostalgia beer for me - sipping this outside Cafes in Belgium, Holland and France for years and years tends to leave a warm memory with you when you're relegated to sipping beer in Atlanta! $8.99, Six...