Baird Imperial Belgian Red Ale

Brewed by Baird Brewing Co.
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Numazu, Shizuoka, Japan

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

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Rated Apr 2008. Head is fully lasting. Body is medium amber. Aroma is lightly to moderately malty (cookie, caramel), lightly to moderately hoppy (apricot), with notes of plum, cherry, wood, dried mango, alcohol. Flavor is moderately to heavily sweet, lightly to moderately acidic, lightly bitter. Finish is lightly to moderately sweet, lightly to moderately acidic, lightly to moderately bitter. Medium body, velvety texture, lively carbonation, moderately alcoholic. Great stuff, especially the aroma. Decadent, maybe a bit too sweet, but really nicely executed.

On tap at Harajuku Taproom with stated ABV 7.5%. Nice, glowing red copper with a tan head. Complex, spicy fruitiness. Toffee, fruit, subtle spices flavours. Full-bodied. A beer with class.

Tap at Nakameguro. Pretty dark red color with lace. Real Belgian yeast aroma. Fruity, dry, earthy, grassy. Sweet, spicy, huge flavor. Real Belgian, with cherry, earth. Sweet, but with a very bitter finish. Wow, they finally made a good Belgian here! A bit too sweet, but the hops (which are more than usual for the style) make it work. Quite good.

Bottle from kura-ya in Machida. Light orange color. Nice creamy white head. A hint of alcohol in the nose. Malty nose. Taste has some early boil bitterness. Pretty nice.

I really enjoyed this beer. Brownish red with a tall, hard head. Strong aroma. Sweet malts, fresh, bright fruits, and candied sugar. The aroma was extremely inviting. Flavor was almost as strong as the aroma. Yeast, malts, candied sugars, bright fruits, with a noticeable alcohol warmth. Would love to have more of this one.

Brillant red color. Green apples, strawberries and cinammon grace the nose with just a touch of sourness. I was expecting the mouth to be a bit more astringent than it was. Strong cinnamon and green apple flavors make things interesting, but the dry hopping does nothing for the beer and I wanted a tighter body. Mildly sour finish. Alcohol is very well hidden. Not exactly what I was expecting.