7

Backlog

7.5

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7

Apparently intended as a Belgian style amber rather than American style, makes me curious. Regular, medium thick, off-white, moussy and well-retaining head remaining almost completely closed for most of the time, crowning a clear, very pure and deeply orangey to copper-hued amber beer with lively fizz in narrow strings rising up from the bottom - looks beautiful. Adding the sediment brings a more murky appearance with a brownish tinge. Pleasant aroma of marmelade, candied orange, biscuit, minerals, dried flowers, strawberry, cloves (phenols in other words, becoming even slighly medicinal with sediment added), hay, ripe melon, white bread crumbs, dust, banana peel, old cloth, some onsetting ’rusty’ oxidation but actually adding something pleasant rather than disturbing (the bottle must be a few years old, but I cannot find any date). Cleanly fruity onset, hints of peach, green banana, melon and apricot, sweetish with a very soft, ’dim’ sourish touch, minerally carbonation, bit spritzy, lively but not overcarbonated for this style. Soft, rounded, malty middle, caramelly sweet and a tad nutty with a mildly bitterish toasted edge at the end, supporting a gentle but adequate, floral, slightly peppery, hayish hop bitterness, drying the back of the mouth. Easygoing but very pleasant and elegant beer, not really suffering from old age though it probably shouldn’t become much older than this. As for the Belgian aspect: I still find it more akin to American amber ales than to true ’spéciale belge’, for which it is somewhat too clean and shows a tad too much hop bitterness (though the phenols are certainly there) - but don’t get me wrong here, I generally prefer American ambers above their Belgian counterparts and this, whatever substyle it represents, it a very enjoyable example.

6.5

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8

Sehr trübe orangegoldene Farbe, mittelgroße beige Schaumkrone. Geruch hefig, reife Früchte, phenolisch, sehr malzig. Geschmack sehr malzig, rote Früchte, hefig, leicht bananig.

6.8

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7

Dark amber with quick fading head. Full bodied taste. Plenty of malts and some sweet, dried fruits.

4

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 4 | Flavor - 4 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 3

Bottle @ Brad’s house Minneapolis picked up at Zipps. Pours a somewhat cloudy, darkish orange appearance with a cream colored head. Bitter, blood orange, spoiled(?), tangy aroma. Herbal, woody, tangy, orange citrusy flavor. I’m not sure if this bottle was mishandled or what. Tastes really fucked up to me.

6.5

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7

355 ml bottle bought @ Ølbutikken. Pours hazy goldenish red with a small offwhite head that quickly dissipates while leaving some trace on the glass. Smell is sweet and malty with dark bread, orange peal, moist wood, wet grass, red apples, cookie dough, compost, alcohol, rotten peaches, overripe papaya, overripe pineapple, pine, tulips, moist soil and hints of glue. Taste is sweet, slightly bitter, malty and tiny metallic with bread, wood, orange zest, pine, compost, lemon zest, grass, cookie dough, flower nectar and hints of red apples. Mouthfeel is smooth, round, tiny watery and light bodied. Finish is slightly sweet and bitter with bread, wood, grass, pine, oat meal cookies and lemon zest.

6.8

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7

tap at 9a ... amber ... thin white head ... soft zeztt floral fruit nose ... soft fruts ... mellow malts ... ok but just a bit blah

6.3

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7

Draft at Beer Temple. Clear amber pour with an off white head. Aroma is floral and fruity. Flavour also fruity with a caramel malty backbone. Medium carbonation.

6.8

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7

On tap @ Beer Temple. Clear amber color. Off white head. Aroma’s: grainy, caramel, some red fruit (mostly caramel retronasal). Flavor is caramel-ish, but hardly sweet. Light body. Finishes medium bitter with some caramel & red fruit. Maybe not very original, but clean & tasty.

7.8

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

12 ounce bottle into pint glass, no bottle date. Pours slightly hazy reddish roange color with a small 1-2 finger fairly dense off white head with decent retention that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Slight lacing on the glass as you drink. Aromas of big orange, banana, biscuit, clove, pear, toasted malt, caramel, apple, and yeast spiciness. Nice and well balanced aromas here; was not expecting this to be a Belgian style amber at all. Taste of banana, orange, caramel, biscuit, clove, pear, pepper, toasted malt, and herbal yeast spices. Light spicy bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of citrus, apple, banana, toasted malt, and yeast spices on the finish for a bit. Medium carbonation and body; with a slightly silky mouthfeel. Very easy and smooth to drink. Alcohol is well hidden with hardly any warming after the finish. Overall this is a very nice and enjoyable Belgian amber ale, with good complexity. Plenty of flavor and very smooth drinking. I would get this again.