Pisgah Baptista

Brewed by Pisgah Brewing Company
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Black Mountain, North Carolina USA

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

WHAT A BEER! Hats off to Pisgah brewing company for a beer that is unbelievable. How do they get so much flavor in there? Bananana, Sugarcane/molasses/ warm pear preserves I am a fan! I can’t wait to get more next year. Maybe then pisgah will offer bottles or some way to take it home. On tap at Barleys in Asheville but it won’t last long!

750 received in a past trade with GatorBeerNerd. Thanks a lot Donnie! Pours a slightly hazy golden apricot orange color with golden yellowish hues when held to a light source and a 1.5 finger frothy white head. Excellent retention, only slowly fading over the course of the glass into a lasting cap that leaves sporadic chunks of lacing in it’s wake. Slightly funky, tart aroma. Earthy with lots of interesting spice, bready yeast and estery crisp fruit notes. I’m picking up some peppermint, clove and cinnamon as well as some cherry, strawberry, raisin, grape and other berries. Thankfully there is no unpleasant medicinal cough syrup notes that are often associated with this style. Hopefully this holds up in the flavor. Creamy medium body that’s on the fuller end. Well balanced with zesty spice up front followed by a lactic creamy presence and bready yeast presence mid-palate. I’m picking up peppermint, cinnamon, coriander and pepper along with cherry, strawberry and pear. Sweet dry finish. Very well balanced and the alcohol is excellently masked. I can’t believe that this beer is 11.5%. I would have guessed closer to 7 or 8%. This is one of the best examples of this style that I’ve had and I highly recommend it.

Very sweet flowery aroma, like hibiscus and honey. I get nothing belgian from this, no spice. This is like a very sweet, honey filled Belgian IPA, like hopslam, but thicker and smoother. I would love to try this side by side with a hopslam. Shared at the Nashville Beer Summit.

2007 bottle courtesy of kp. Thanks! From my review at cvillebeergeek.blogspot.com.

Appearance: This pours a hazy orange color. A moderate sized head disappears quickly, leaving a thin layer on the surface of the beer. Lacing is moderate. 4.0/5.0.

Aroma: Definitely Belgian. Very sweet, with candi sugar, toffee, raisin and subtle spice and bubblegum. Slightly toasty.... as I agitate the beer somewhat the aromas combine absolutely beautifully. 4.65/5.0.

Taste: Somewhat more bitter than the aroma. Still plenty of nice malty notes. The toffee, raisins and the candi sugar are there, along with the spice and some fruity notes, rye and alcohol. 4.25/5.0.

Mouthfeel: Full. Spicy and slightly sticky. The alcohol is a little hot, but it is 11.5% and so a little heat is understandable. 3.5/5.0

Drinkability: It’s a 750 mL bottle at 11.5% abv. You be the judge. It’s a damn tasty beer, with lots of complex flavors and very nice balance. Perfect for a long evening by the Christmas fire. 3.75/5.0

Overall: Well balanced and very nice flavor profiles are the hallmark of this beer. Not something to take lightly and definitely something to savor over a long period of time. 4.0/5.0.

The aroma was a very nice complexity of dark fruits, raisins and prunes, coupled with a well achieved Belgian yeast spice of pepper and cinnamon. Dark caramel was present as was some light presence of alcohol and a bit of toffee. The beer poured into the chalice crystal clear copper with a barely off-white tall head which retreated to the surface and lasted to lace the glass. The flavor was malty with a nice bit of bittering to back up the caramel. The Belgian yeast spice was well done with pepper, clove and hints of cinnamon. Alcohol was present in the flavor but added to the complexity of the beer. The body was medium full and the carbonation was a bit on the low side but the mouthfeel was still creamy. A well crafted Belgian Strong Dark. 22 ounce bottle with no label purchased at the brewery.

poured into tulip. I have had this beer twice once on tap, and the other from a bomber as a finish to a seasonal tasting. It is a strong beer from the alchohol, definitly makes it presence, but it is good and fruity, a complex beer, definitly a fun one to grab, if you can find it....

Bottle sampled on 1/10/07: Pours a transparent copper with a nicely-lacing white head. Aroma of sweet, bready biscuity caramel malt with good authenticity and complexity. Body starts fairly sweet and full with nice bready notes toward a crisp, bittersweet finish that hides the alcohol well. Nicely balanced and authentic.

Another fine Belgian from this very hip Asheville brewing company. Great aroma, great flavor. Only drawback for me is that it can taste overly sweet.