3.6 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 14/20
Growler. Poured a hazy, light golden color with a slightly creamy head. Very subtle aroma of bananas, apples, slight spice, and grapes. Such a complex beer, for something with so low alcohol! Wet wood, white grape skin, white bread, slight yeast funk, and slight wet blanket comprise the interesting flavors found in the body. Really light bodied, yet super complex, this single is easy drinkin all day long.
3.5 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 14/20
From a growler. Slightly hazy golden color with a small white head. Aroma of candy sugar, slight funk, light amount of apples and bananas. Taste is slight apple, grape, and wet wood towards the finish. Slightly funky. Light body. This is a nice, light, easy drinking beer that is great for warm weather or just really any time.
2.2 AROMA 5/10 APPEARANCE 2/5 TASTE 4/10 PALATE 2/5 OVERALL 9/20
Tap. Very light clear yellow pour. Thin white head. Aroma almost nonexistent. Taste is grain and German pils sweatsock. I don’t get any Belgian character in this.
3 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 12/20
[Growler] Pours pale golden with a tiny white head. Aroma is huge on maltiness, with a lot of sweetness and cookie dough. The taste is very sweet and malty as well, with honey nut cheerios dominating. Somewhat thin with an average finish. This was okay...certainly sessionable and not objectionable really, but just too sweet and one-dimensional.
2.9 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 5/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 11/20
(growler from OSLO, thanks!) Pours clear gold with a white head. Aroma is significantly grainy, with plenty of pizza dough, oregano, Ritz cracker, and some must as well. Further warming provides other scents of leafy hops, earth, and some floral rosehips scent. The flavor is also restrained with faint shades of stone fruits like apricot and white peach skin, with a finish that quickly turns to crackers and grains. Light to medium mouthfeel with medium carbonation. This new batch may have been bad, as I struggled to pick up any tartness (or much else) from this beer, and the grainy elements completely dominated in both the aroma and the flavor, which detracted from the other aspects of the beer that seemed to lurk just underneath it.
4.1 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
Multiple samples at Arborfest 2009, fresh growler and 2 week old growler. This rating is from the "aged" growler.
What an outstanding beer! I was completely taken by this one at Arborfest. Definitely the beer I had the most samples of. Out of the growler, this pours a hazed golden with a frothy and surprisingly resilient bright white head. Moderate spotty lacing down the glass. The nose initially presents itself as moderately sweet with undertones of slightly tart Belgian yeast. Some dusty, cobwebby basement. A bit of lacto creaminess. Musty pear. Lighter, pale malt. A slight bit of fruity sweetness as well. Flavor is simple, but elegant and quite well crafted. Some yeasty tartness. A hint of yogurt and lacto creaminess. Crisp pale malt base underneath it all. A touch of lemon zest. Smooth, creamy body with moderate carbonation leading to a snappy, yeasty, malty and slightly tart finish.
Without a doubt, the best Belgian ale I’ve had from a Minnesota brewery. Awesome in it’s simplicity. Insanely drinkable. Complex without being overbearing. Top notch stuff all the way.
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