Driftwood Son of the Morning

Brewed by Driftwood Brewery (Canada)
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Victoria, Canada

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

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Sampled at 16th St. Liquor in West Van (Thanks Chris) and then at home the following night. Pours a medium gold with very thin veil of off white lace across top of beer. Aroma is sweet, Belgian yeast evident, coriander, some light clove. Taste is wonderfully complex especially as the beer warms. All the previous plus a hint of licorice and fruit in the finish. Alcohol is slightly warming at the end but A) it’s not overly so for a 10% beer and B) like many Driftwood seasonals it’s built for ageing. I can only imagine this will go from divine to sublime within a few months to a year. Previous rater is on crack. Delicious.

Poors molten gold. Medium head with minimal retention. Lots of bubbles. Smell is strong belgian yeasty doughiness. Like raw bread dough that’s risen over the sink in the sun with oven still heated from the last loaf. Slight undertones of corriander spiciness First sip: Wow like the singularity there’s a lot going on. I will try to unpack the flavors. First is a belgian doughiness and slight sweet maltiness. Rolls like a wave to the back of my throat and I get a creaminess followed by plum fruit and sugar sweetness and hop spiciness finishing kind of orange and champagne bubbly booze. I have the wrong glassware and it is deeply regrettable Corriander orange lingers on the tongue. After it warms up I noticed notes of straw and strong corriander and sugar.

650 ml bottle. Purchased from Brewery Creek. Pours a clear orange-amber with very little head. Cloves and bananas to the nosy with a hint of smoke. Tons of cloves with apricot and dried fruit tastes. Warm. Bright and distinctive. Interested to see what happens after 6 months.

Golden orange with short off white head. Bit of spice and yeast aroma. Coriander is there, but clover and banana is stronger. I really like this and I dont drink many Belgians. Can't believe it's 10%.

Pours a medium dark golden colour with a small white head. Aroma is a bready Belgian yeast and ripe fruit. Taste of Belgian yeast, alcohol, malt, and sweet peaches, with a bit of spice. Long yeasty finish. A bit sweet for me, but otherwise a very nice west coast golden ale.

My friends were surpised that this was golden, considering the label. The huge disparity in ratings so far may reflect people’s opinions on whether the strong taste of alcohol belongs in this style. I personally enjoyed it, and it mixed with the phenols/esters to make a certain kind of statement in my upper digestive system.

22 fl oz bottle, thanks to fiulijn. Pours cloudy orange with a small white head. Aroma is fruity, mild hoppy. Sweet, peachy and light mango, crisp and bitter. Smooth and mango to peachy fruity into the finish.

Pours a golden colour with big fluffy white head. Aroma is Belgian yeast funk and banana clove. Flavour is crisp spice clove And a light alcohol burn in the finish enjoyable and strong

Bottle from Central City Liquors, Surrey
Hazy golden color. The malt aroma is sweetish, lightly fruity, with a touch of oak vanilla. Sweet flavor, a bit fruity; similar to many North American attempts at Belgian Ales, with strong bitterness and some oak.
Not bad, but not very interesting either.

Date: December 02, 2012
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting
Appearance: clear dark gold, fine white head
Aroma: sweet estery aroma, fruity sweetness, light phenolic spicyness
Flavor: spicy phenolic flavor, candy malt sweetness, just a touch of fruityness from the aroma
Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 7/10; Overall: 13/20
Rating: 3.3/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **+ /4