Huge rocky white head tops the cloudy amber body and stays there forever. Gentle cookie malts are taken aback by the enormous limey, lemony and leafy hop bite. Soily earthiness and yeast dryness (cement like) don’t help to stabilize the extreme dryness. Chew on a hopsack type of bitterness brings on a lot of chalky astringency in the finish. Sage and basil spiciness don’t necessarily contribute any charm. Light-medium body, mineral, overdone to me, this is just too dry and I fear the hop variety chosen could have been more mellow, more floral rather than citric and astringent.

Spicy, grapefruit, herbal, pine-spruce hop character and gingery spiciness are all notable in the nose. Clear amber-copper coloured body is topped by a low but lasting, off white head that leaves a lasting cover. Strong spruce, pine and grapefruit hops overpower the underlying malts leaving a vague impression of sweetness but no interesting malt profile. Moderate finishing bitterness. Not a lot of yeast character apparent either. Medium light, dry body with lively carbonation that prickles the tongue. Sampled on tap at the Blind Tiger in NYC with Olivier MTL and Rastacouere.

Tap at Stanton Publick House. Deep brown beer with a creamy tan head. Aroma is very spicy and zesty as well. Lemon/lime, clove, and rich spicy hops. A bit of resiny character. Noble zesty character over a soft pale malt sweetness. Lemony citrus, zesty herbal hops and a touch of orange flavour as well. Excellent palate, spicy yeast, sweet fresh hops and a lingering fresh herbal character. Great spicy flavour with excellent integration of hops and yeast. Lean spicy/minerally bitterness. An excellent interpretation of the style.

(Draught) Pours a hazy amber body with a medium off-white head. Aroma of spruce, caramel, cherry, coriander, and citrus. Flavor of spruce hoppiness, caramel malt, and Belgian yeast.

On draught at Sunset Grill, 10/27/2005 with SuIIy. Looks the part, a foamy white head atop a chill-hazed tangerine-amber colored beer, with small bubbles and moderate retention and lacing. Aroma has a spicy, herbal and celery-like feel to it, with lemons and limes and light cookie dough in the background. Balanced and pleasant aroma. Flavor begins with hops bitterness and flavor, which is refreshing at first. The hops profile gets to be rather boring, however, and the Belgian yeast just dosent agree with me. Too muddled and sweetish. Havent really gotten in to any of their Belgian beers yet, though. Bitterness waxes as hops flavor wanes, creating more lemons/tangerines and a very dry, floral bitterness. Sweet cookie-like malt in the background does not add any interesting complexity. Mouthfeel is lively, with a bit of wateriness, and a medium body overall. No alcohol apparency.