Mad River The Mad Belgian Golden Ale

Brewed by Mad River Brewery
Style: Belgian Ale
Blue Lake, California USA

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

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Dark opaque brew with a rich orange brown color approaching a dubbel in appearance. Thin foamy head. Aroma of apple cider (tartness)and butter. Tastes of cereals, tartness, roast malt, and medicinal hops. Dry finish. Not a typical belgian. I didn’t really like it though. Too much acidity and not enough yeasty flavors.

2/8/13. 12oz bottle from my main man Steve (Kickback’s)! Murky copper pour with a very small, loose, frothy head that fails to linger. Burnt caramel, a bit of sugar, and oxidation on the nose. Lightly sweet burnt caramel in the flavor with a bit of cardboard, sweet sugars, and a lingering dry aspect. Eh.

Bottle. Pours a cloudy amber color with very little head. VERY sweet nose on this. Too sweet for my tastes. Really don’t like this one.

1 cm thick head of fine off-white bubbles. Spicy aroma with some pears, pepper, caramel malts and some cereal grains. Color is a hazy copper. Dry palate with a bit of fruitiness, more spicy hops, some dry straw and more cereal grains. Bit of bitterness late swallow. No real alcohol presence. Ehh. ot a brew that I would seek out again.

Stubby bottle and served in an Ommegang tulip: Coppery amber hue with a fading frothy head and spotty lace. The aroma has notes of caramel, pils, and aromatic malts along with a hint of noble hop, pepper, and lemongrass. Even some meaty esters countering some bubblegum esters that I am digging quite a bit. A touch of honeycomb is found dancing here and there. The taste is a tad sweet but hardly overwhelming, some fruity notes (peach and apricot) and very light spice adds to the complexity. The only issue is the finish is a bit short and fleeting. The mouth feel is oily and properly carbonated, again a bit of watery short finish kept this down but then methinks that is sort of what the brewer was going for when creating this. For the genre this is indeed quite drinkable and a nice entry brew for those not familiar with Belgian Ales. Damn shame Mad River never gets enough love by beer geeks.

Aroma of bread, honey, caramel and dirt. Light brown, heavy suspension. Sweet caramel flavor, almost no contrast. Medium to thick body. Feels like a lighter beer than it is.

Date: December 11, 2011 Mode: Bottle Source: BVery Description: Dark orangish brown pour with nice amount of head and some lacing, citrus, malt and slight belgian yeast in aroma, taste was similar with some honey and a very slight bitter finish, light bodied and some carbonation.

12 oz bottle poured into a pint glass. Aroma hoppy with a hint of citrus. Appearance is cloudy golden with a very small head. Has the Belgian style beer taste with a very smooth feel on the palate. Good beer which I will surely drink again and again.

12 ounce bottle poured into a tulip glass. Pours a pale amber color with a small tan head. Smells like honey, cornbread, muted esters. Flavor is, again, honeyed cornbread, yeast, grass, minerals, molding peaches, cheap white wine. Mouthfeel is flabby with a discordant watery finish, sticky on the palate yet thin in flavor, with an un-Belgian coarseness to the carbonation. The name is the best part; a Belgian might be rightfully mad to see a brewery produce such an uninspired and bland beer while invoking his country - one with such richness in tradition and quality.

Bottle. Head is initially small, frothy, off-white, mostly lasting. Body is hazy medium amber. Aroma is lightly to moderately malty (toasted grain), lightly hoppy (flowers), lightly yeasty (cobwebs), with notes of gum, lemon zest, pepper. Flavor is moderately sweet, lightly acidic, lightly to moderately bitter. Finish is lightly sweet, lightly acidic, moderately bitter. Medium body, velvety texture, lively carbonation, lightly alcoholic. Interesting and unexpected rendition for an American brewery. It’s yeast-centric, which is just how it ought to be. It is perhaps a bit too restrained, with a rather faint aroma and mild, forgettable personality, but that’s much more preferable to an over-the-top interpretation.