Avery Brewing Company - Karma (#1)
Hangar 24 Craft Brewery - Belgian Summer Ale (#2)Brouwerij De Koninck - De Koninck (#3)
Blue Moon Brewing Company (Coors) - Rounder (#4)
Monkish Brewing Co. - Galaxy Defender (#5)
Abbey Beverage Company - Monks’ Ale (#6)
Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales - Luciérnaga (The Firefly) (#7) (9/21/13)
Brouwerij de Musketiers’s - Antigoon by Robert Wiedmaier (#8)
Perennial Artisan Ales - Hommel Bier (#9) (9/27/13)
Eagle Rock Brewery - Unionist (#10)
Uinta Brewing - Monkshine (#11)
Brewery Ommegang - BPA (#12)
Mikkeller - Årh Hvad?! (#13)
I intentionally picked this style of beer because
it is not one that I am intimately familiar with, but I am starting to feel like
this experience gap is being bridged.
Thus far I have learned to expect a strong apple or cider character both
in the nose and on the tongue. I have
come to anticipate a Pilsner malt flavor with a controlled Saaz bite on the
finish. I look forward to beers that are
mildly sweet, but not cloying. This
latter attribute, along with a low alcohol presence, makes them very
drinkable. It is well described as an
“everyday beer”.
Most of the Belgian Pale Ales in the first half of
this project have had very simple flavor profiles, and with a couple of them
this quality has actually presented itself as a negative. When everything is in perfect balance and
nothing dares to stand out, the beer lacks personality and quickly becomes
boring. This style could be a good
gateway beer to craft beer virgins, but when it’s dumbed-down to favor the
assumed lowest common denominator, there is really no reason to drink a second
one.
I have also discovered that this beer is a delicate
creature and does not age with grace.
Many of my bottles have unfortunately been well past their prime. Freshness is highly desirable. More draft options would be nice, but it’s
not an excessively popular style and it doesn’t seem to end up on many handles.
What I have come to enjoy about this style is the
fresh apple quality that comes from fermentation. Antigoon and De Koninck are
great examples of this. I also really
appreciate breweries that have taken this style and really made it their
own. This category is not known for
excessive complexity, but there are a couple of skilled brewers that have
wrapped their offerings in a at least a couple of layers. Årh Hvad?!, Firefly,
and Galaxy Defender are all examples of beers that use the style as a
foundation, but feature their own unique personality. BPA also has enough going on to stay
interesting from top to bottom.
There are a few things that I hope to see more of through
the balance of this project. One would
be more malt complexity. The BJCP
guidelines note that this style “has an initial soft,
malty sweetness with a toasty, biscuity, nutty malt flavor.” That has not been my experience at all; in
fact, malt character has been completely absent among these initial
thirteen. I would also like to find
fruit flavors in addition to just apples and pears. For example Galaxy Defender has an amazing grapefruit character, and BPA has hints of papaya. The guidelines suggest that Belgian Pale Ales
“may have an orange- or pear-like fruitiness”, but I have found precious little
citrus in my glasses. Ultimately I’m not
searching for big bold flavors, but some depth in the aroma and taste would be
very welcomed.
-Matt
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