Victory Brewing Company Merry Monkey Belgian-Style Ale

Posted on by Evan

Merry Monkey is a Belgian-style ale with cranberry, orange peel, nutmeg, and Cinnamon. This beer is 10% ABV and is from Victory Brewing Company. This ale also has Cascade and Tettnang hops with Pilsner and roasted malt barley. This beer is part of Victory’s Monkey beers, but this particular beer is only available during the holidays. It’s a Christmas beer, after all. This beer pours copper with a one-finger white head. It says for a short while, then fades. The aroma is Cinnamon, nutmeg, and some orange. It does not really smell of cranberries The flavor is of cinnamon, nutmeg, orange, light cranberries, and a bit boozy. This does taste like a Belgian Christmas beer. The mouthfeel is more on the fuller side. Then, it finishes with an alcoholic hit of cinnamon and nutmeg. There is a bit of a fading cranberry note on the finishes. The cranberry fades away on the aftertaste with some cinnamon and nutmeg-covered orange that lingers. Merry Monkey is an A. I am not a cinnamon fan, but it had a tolerable flavor here. This beer has a well-brewed flavor profile, making it a delicious beer you should have. Please stay safe, be kind to each other, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

The Bruery Mischief Hoppy Belgian-Style Ale

Posted on by Evan

I purchased Mischief hoppy Belgian-style ale from The Citizens Public Market in downtown Culver City (Los Angeles), California. This beer is 8.5% ABV and is made by The Bruery in Placentia, California. This year-round dry-hopped beer won the 2016 Gret American Beer Festival for American-Belgo-Style Ale. Mischief pours a golden color with a big three-finger clean white head. The head is slow to dissolve. The aroma is Belgian esters, fruity (citrus, melon, and pair), resin, and hoppy notes. The flavor is fruity, light yeast, citrus, melon, and pair. The flavor is also a little bitter/hoppy. This beer has a fuller feel in the mouth. Then this Belgian-style beer comes with a hoppy fruit finish. Then you get a nice light-hopped fruit finish with a touch of some Belgian yeast. This is a delicious beer that I rarely see back in Charlotte, North Carolina. I give The Bruery Mischief Hoppy Belgian-Style Ale an A+. This should be on your list of beers to drink. It has the right amount of hoppy Belgian flavors. Please stay safe, be kind to each other, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Brouwerij Van Steenberge Piraat Belgian Ale

Posted on by Evan

Piraate Belgian Ale, a Belgian Strong Golden Ale (similar to Duvel), is another from Brouwerij Van Steenberge mixed six-pack. Piraate translates to Pirate. This beer comes in at 10.5% ABV. This ale pours a deep orange/golden color with a fluffy three-and-a-half-finger white head. The aroma is strong, sweet, boozy, and malty. The flavor is also strong and boozy. It is also fruity, sweet, and malty. The mouthfeel is full but just slightly full. Then this ale finishes with strong, malted, boozy, and sweetness. Then the aftertaste of fruity malts comes in and lingers for a few seconds, then fades away before you take your next delicious sip. This ale is good, and it gets an A. The first two from this pack I had were better even though they are different beer styles, and it is just as good as Duvel Beer. It doesn’t taste like 10.5% ABV, but it does taste strong. It has a good flavor balance. Piraat is a delicious beer that I highly recommend. Please stay safe, always be kind to everyone, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers! 

Brewery Huyghe Derlirium Tremens

Posted on by Evan

Imported from Melle Belgium, Brewery Huyghe Delirium Tremens, 8.5% is a golden ale. It is most notable for having a pink Elephant on its packaging. Tremens pour a beautiful golden color with a two-and-a-half finger bright white head and plenty of carbonation. The aroma is sweet with a fruitiness, mostly apple-like, with a very faint bitter note. Taste of Tremens is a nice sweet fruity note with a slightly dry bitterness with a lighter mouthfeel. This beer has a little sharpness that quickly hits in the finishes with a little bitterness and then lingers with effervescent and a dry light/faint apple. This is a great beer that is shy of Duvel but still good. Brewery Huyghe Delirium Tremens is an A, just shy of Duvel, which you should try as well as Tremens. This is an excellent beer with a great flavor profile. Cheers! Please stay safe and enjoy responsibly!

Duvel Moortgat Duvel Belgian Golden

Posted on by Evan

I purchased Duvel Moortgat Duvel Belgian Golden, 8.5% ABV from my local Harris Teeter grocery store to celebrate the new year. Duvel is the benchmark Belgian Gold. It pours a vibrant yellow with a bight, foamy, rocky, pillowy head. Head retention is good. Duvel has a bittersweet fruity aroma that has a little bread note. Taste is fruity with bitter and sweet notes that are smooth. Mouthfeel is medium with a polished feel and comes to a bittersweet finish that more fruit sweet. The aftertaste is nice smooth with fruity bitterness. Duvel is a must-try beer. It is fabulous. I give Duvel Moortgat Duvel Belgian Golden an A+. It is perfect, taste, with great flavor. No wonder it’s the best in its style category. I highly recommend having it! Please stay safe and enjoy responsibly! Cheers! 

Throwback Thursday: Trader Joe’s Providential Belgian-Style Golden Ale by Unibroue

Posted on by Evan

Originally posted November 2nd, 2015.

I have seen beer collaborations between two breweries and even between a grocery store and a brewer, but this is a collaboration between Trader Joe’s and Unibroue of Chambly, Québec Canada. The beer is Providential Belgian-Style Golden Ale, 7.5% ABV. This beer pours a nice bright golden color with a bright white four-finger head. The aroma is bright and yeasted with a faint banana and clove scent. The taste of this Unibroue is a bit sweet at first with a little spice and a nice light banana flavor. I found this to have champagne-like effervescence that helps to bring out flavor like the malty mildly sweet. I also found a little bit of ginger and orange peel on the flavor profile. The mouthfeel is medium and has a nice light spicy finish with a touch of hops. The after taste is subtly spicy with a hit of ginger and banana. Overall this is one great beer. I give this A+. I cannot find anything wrong with this beer. I highly recommend that you try Trader Joes Providential Belgian-Style Golden Ale by Unibroue. Cheers! Please Enjoy Responsibly!