Barley Johns Big Nicks Belgian Ale

Brewed by Barley Johns Brew Pub
Style: Belgian Ale
New Brighton, Minnesota USA

Tulip glass at the brewpub. Boy this is a weird one even for BJ: cloudy bright orange with a thick solid lasting snowy head, lovely and typically Belgian...nose is absolutely gigantic, a knockout, an orgy to the nostrils of sweet and bitter oranges, honey, currants, black pepper and vanilla, mostly sweet but zesty and extraordinarily complex...on the tongue, it couldn’t be more different, Orval-sour but without the zest, rather on the heavy side of creamy, with a cutting sour apple/lactic quality throughout that isn’t quite cut by the citrusy dryness..somewhat metallic at the end. Man, if the whole thing were only as good as that aroma, I would have never left...

Kind of a hazy amber color with a very thin head. Interesting aroma of citrus and flowers. It struck me as sweet right off the bat. Pretty balanced taste in the malt and hops department, with a bit of banana as well. A bit of spice (ginger or cinnamon?). It also seemed a bit tart. Nice and tasty.

Slightly hazy orange/amber color, clinging white head. Very fruity banana then flowing in mid palate to the sensation of banana *peel*. Some spicy notes, though mild, and some of them appear in the aroma but don’t carry through in the flavors, including a sense of when a steak hits a hot griddle pan and the fat burns off. A curious form of acidity as it went down the hatch. There is a coating quality to the palate that comes off as a bit of flatness--it is not especially spanking as I sometimes expect here. But this is an excellent beer overall. (on tap at brewpub)

Cloudy Amber Coloring. Small White Head. Enjoyed This Brew WIth Some Great MN Raters.. Aroma was Sweet, and Citrusy. Some Spice Notes on The Tongue...wheaty Taste.... Alcohol Hits You After You’ve Been Drinking It For a Bit.

Tap @ brewpub. A hazy dark golden color with a laced white head. Corriander, orange, and banana with a lively flavor. Dry at the finish. Quite a nice beer for a Minnesota brewpub.

Consumed between a Winter Ale and a Barrel-Aged Rosie’s, 11-25-04, National Conspicuous Consumption Day... Thick, cloudy amber appearance, slim, creamy white head. Sweetness starts it, in the aroma, sugary and fruity, yeasty, too, but not overly forward. Very pleasant taste, big carbonation, flush and full in the mouth. Light to medium-bodied, loaded with fruity notes throughout, banana/peach esters rising up. Very easy-drinking, but substantial, brew. Loaded with flavor, a truly tasty treat. I recommend it as an aperatif, post any of BJ’s fine entrees.

Smells like a German weissbier with banana notes and some orange. Although 7.8% alcohol, there is not a discernable alcohol presence in the nose. Dark, cloudy orange body with a small white head and no lace. No head. Tastes like a Belgian wit and somewhat like a German weissbier. Deceptively strong. Very nice flavor. Went very well with spicy hummus and pita bread.

Tart citric aroma. Lemons and some considerable yeasty spice--perfumey. Very big flavors hit the tongue. Full-bodied, but not syrupy. Full of yeasty spice notes (unless this has been so elegantly spiced as not to tell with what it has been spiced.) Big, spicy, and tasty.