STYLE: Belgian Strong Pale Ale
ABV: 8.5%
SAMPLE DATE: Monday, April 20, 2009
SERVING TYPE: 750ml Bottle
RATING: 3.7
(look: 3.5 | nose: 3.5 | mouth: 4 | taste: 3.5 | drink: 4)
NOTES:
Pours golden amber/orange into a tulip with a decent two finger white head which coats and sticks to the side of the glass nicely.
Nose is straight up funky barnyard, horse sweat brett with some sour lemon and fresh cut grass.
Mouth is medium bodied with high carbonation.
Taste is a tough one to get used to. Off the bat it's really brett-y and has an over-the-top barnyard taste. After you get used to it some of the nice sour tastes start to take hold and make this more easily quaffable. Lemon and a very small bit of hoppy bitterness round out the taste.
Drinkability takes a hit due to the pretty harsh brettanomyces taste, but increases as you get used to it.
Overall, this was a little disappointing. I am big fan of wild ales, sours, and pretty much anything with brett, but this had just a bit too much of that horse sweat smell and taste without balancing out with much else. It grew on me as I finished up the 750ml and become a lot more sour and tasty, but the first glass was a bit rough. I don't think I would seek this out again, especially when considered side by side with other similar brett beers.