I haven't shot a review on the front porch since the summer of 2009 (I think). Given the name of this beer and the fact we have plenty of snow, I thought this would be an ideal setting for this beer review.
3
AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 5/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 11/20APPEARANCE: Rusty brown/mahogany. One-finger, off white, soapy head. Decent retention and lacing.
SMELL: Smells like an American attempt at a Belgian beer. I get the yeast aroma with some kind of sour scent as well. Not very appealing.
TASTE: This is one of those beers that starts off strong and finishes flat. There’s a strong, sweet flavor of caramel, honey and a touch of ginger. On the finish I get a tobacco, smokey, honey flavor. This may sound like a good comibination, but I found it strange, then annoying, then just plain bad. The beer also has a dry, powdery bitterness to it. It dries out my tongue, and taking another swig to refresh myself doesn’t help. It’s not an awful-tasting beer, just a very eccentric palate and I think it would only appeal to people with specific tastes.
MOUTHFEEL: A little peppery, but nothing Trappist-like. Some intensity. Leaves a drying feeling plus a sour aftertaste.
DRINKABILITY: technically, drinkability is good here. Because the palate is so off it’s not the kind of beer you want to slug down. 7.2% ABV is well-masked, but it definitely catches up to you at the end.
OVERALL: Not impressed. I’d rather drink Ommegang Rare Vos
Grade: 4/10
