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Cambridge Golden Ring Abbey Pale Ale


 Percentile 
76
overall
A Belgian Ale brewed by
Cambridge Brewing Company

Cambridge, Massachusetts USA

bottling
unknown

on tap
available

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 Ratings  Average  Score  Seasonal  ABV  Style Pctl  Serve in  Advanced 
183.43/5.03.37/5.0Spring6%78.7Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler P  Stats

Commercial Description:
Our Abbey Pale Ale, reverently inspired by one of the six Trappist breweries (who, for obtuse reasons of shadily inferred copyright and trademark infringement must remain nameless, along with their megalomaniacal American distributor who brought the matter kindly to our attention) is made entirely with imported Belgian malt, and hopped with English Goldings and German Hallertauer. Hop aroma and flavor is emphasized, but balanced, by dry-hopping with these varieties. The yeast used in fermentation is indeed an authentic Belgian strain (we could tell you which one, but then we’d have to kill you. Proprietary brewery info, you understand.) which gives the beer its signature spicy/fruity/funky notes. Golden Ring is a deep gold, slightly hazy as it is served unfiltered and cold-conditioned. It has the aforementioned spicy, fruity, earthy character, and carries additional aromas and flavors of toasted and caramelized malt, and hops and alcohol. The finish is fairly long, with yeast notes and hops vying for space on your palate. Overall this is an interesting, extremely complex, and very drinkable, enjoyable beer which lends itself very well to a wide range of foods.

 Most Recent Top Raters Highest Ratings Who's Rated This?  
 whaleman (2168), North Wales, Pennsylvania, USA
4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/104/57/104/516/20
Oct 5, 2005  
GABF 2005. Deep golden body and a fading white head with some legs. Floral and spicy aroma with touches of tropical fruit, sweat, barnyard, old peaches, and mild oak. Unusual flavor features wild flowers and brett. Semi-dry with light acid notes. Wild and very distinct.


 Rastacouere (5418), Montréal, Quebec, Canada
4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/104/57/103/517/20
Oct 5, 2005  
Dark dulled gold to amber bodied, producing an eternal white film. Immediately charming nose where the funky yeast shines a wild fruitiness ranging from passion fruit to juicy bananas and vinous grapes or kiwis. At the same time, the typical honeyed Belgian malts procure biscuity undertones that befit the limey, leafy hops. Not so expressive in yeastiness in mouth, but it compensates through a woodiness I had not seen coming. Well controlled sweetness, light-medium bodied, oily texture, tanninc mouthfeel. An absolutely delicious offering, thanks to a stupendous wild yeast nose.


 ClarkVV (3550), Allston, Massachusetts, USA
3.8 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/57/104/515/20
Jun 22, 2005    Updated: Nov 7, 2005
On draught at the brewpub, 6/14/2005. Deep cornfield golden color, light white-gold tinges throughout. Lightly creamy off-white head sits atop, very small, but some retention and lacing. Lightly hazy body. Aroma of honey, light graham crackers, hints of earthy bitterness and bits of bubble gum. Belgian yeast is discernable, and there is a good dose of fruitiness &#40;starfruit, tangerines&#41;. Some vanila notes. Flavor is moderately malty, honey and dough, not too much vienna huskiness, though it has a lightly grainy, moderately carbonated mouthfeel that is pleasing and holds out any watery feel it might otherwise have. Notes of vanilla, light tangerine and dry yeast on the end. Bits of floral notes throughout, with some light lemon zest mixed in with the sweet malt. Drinkable, with a definite Belgian yeast character lingering on. I enjoyed the thicker, more pronounced malt sweetness in this, as compared to the lighter, more attenuated L’amour du jour. 7/4/7/4/14<br /><br />On draught at NEBF, 10/29/05. This is the only Brett version. All other brewpub versions were not brewed with brett. This was a very good beer to start with, and the brett makes it in to an excellent beer. Spicy and yeasty, with the appropriate tartness from the B. Bruxellensis variety. Like usual, the nose is more expressive than the flavor, being an American version, as they can’t quite seem to nail the flavor and saccharomyces balance, but this is darn near close and probably tastes better than the GI Matilda. And that’s in an absolute sense, since they have no real relation other than the brett. Great texture and very drinkable. 8/4/7/4/16


 CharlesDarwin (1442), State College, Pennsylvania, USA
3.8 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/103/58/104/516/20
Apr 15, 2008  
On tap at the brewpub. Light, clean Belgian ester nose. Almonds and citrus. Pours a clouded amber, thick and meaty with a rim in off-white. Wow. Intense hop flavor, actually very forward and mixed with delicious phenols. Really grassy and parchingly dry in the hops. Fresh and dank. Reminiscent of marijuana strains. High carbonation actually lifts this a lot. The malt is hidden beneath a wonderful blossom of hops and yeast flavor. A nice beer. Maybe a touch out of balance, but something I’m really digging.


 tiggmtl (4178), Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
3.7 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/103/58/104/515/20
Dec 8, 2005  
Lightly funky, herbal hop nose. Clear golden body is topped by a low white head that recedes to ring. Somewhat funky brett character with herbal, earthy, grassy hop character and pleasant cereal malt flavours. Light body with refreshing strong carbonation. Sampled at GABF 2005.



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