Elaborate hop-spiced cork dryness subtly lingers across tart cherry jubilee/Lambic blend, picking up amiable honeyed orange nudge while staying less fruity than Ommegang’s more herbaceous Hennepin. Terrific highly alcoholic Belgian knockoff gains moderated white wine souring as buttery caramel, floral yeast mold, and prune undertones re-affirm calming medicinal warmth to exquisite cider-wooded barleywine finish.
Tag Archives: abbey ale
ORVAL TRAPPIST ALE
Ambitious amber-clouded aperitif integrates sweet floral bouquet with cotton-candied white-sugared sweetness, tart cherry-citrus spray, and rosemary-oregano herbage before alcohol-laced acidity deflates complexity of dry-hopped finish. Watery texture depletes earthen mineral basin. Supposedly ages better than wine.
ST. BERNARDUS ABT 12
Dry whiskeyed cherry frontage, persistent raisin-prune conflux, cotton-candied sugaring and cinnamon-spiced molasses sweetness envelop sparkling chestnut-hued barleywine-like Abbey ale. Pleasantly resonating dried fruiting overrides brown-riced rye-wheat backbone. Hefty 10% alcohol volume is sure to frazzle brain.
ST. BERNARDUS PRIOR 8
ST. SEBASTIAAN GRAND RESERVE ABBEY ALE
BLUE MOON ABBEY ALE
ST. SIXTUS WESTVLETEREN 12 TRAPPIST ALE
Extraordinary mahogany-hued Trappist ale features curious turpentine-like caramel malt entry, brandy-soaked maraschino cherry theme, and brutish raisin-prune-plum scheme above dewy peat moss. Creamy molasses consistency, velvety Muscat grape mellowing, and candi-sugared nutmeg-cinnamon spicing subsume alcohol warmth. Strong medicinal finish carries forth highly complex offering.
BRIGAND BELGIAN ALE
SMUTTYNOSE FARMHOUSE ALE
Alcohol-doused dry-hopped bottle conditioned Belgian Saison sets the pace with mammoth bruised orange tang and lemon rind bittering, leaving hints of grapefruit, pineapple, white peach, and dehydrated fig-prune-grape in its wake. Spry floral backdrop recedes to herbaceous earthiness before juniper finish seizes control.
HARPOON ABBEY ALE
Limited edition single batch abbey-style re-creation layers bruised orange bitterness above prickly hop tongue and buttery crystal malt flow. Green apple, lemon peel, and grapefruit tartness lure durable clove spicing.
SOUTHAMPTON ABBEY SINGLE ALE
(JEANNE D’ARC) GRAIN D’ORGE BLONDE DES FLANDRES
Champagne-styled bottle with cork set-up contains hefty 8% alcohol abbey-styled artisan ale. Sugared barleymalts, musty wheat grass, and highly fermented herbal-spiced yeast provide straw-hued blonde with full-bodied assertiveness alleviated by resinous grain-hopped bittering to buttery caramel finish. Bold after dinner treat makes fine alternative to French wine.