This is my first beer review and I already think I have messed it up a bit. For the greater part of my drinking life I have been throwing them back straight out of the bottle. I live in Texas and the longneck is a way of life, so the idea of glassware is something of an afterthought.
This beer pours well with a head of very fine bubbles. I poured it into a Belgian ale glass which was probably the wrong choice. I should have broke out my Chimay chalice because I could not detect any kind of a nose at first. After a few sips I sniffed again and out comes the banana, clove, and a faint hint of caramel. There is a little bit of another spice, but it is a little hard to pinpoint at this time.
The color is a dark amber, close to a dark maple syrup.
The mouthfeel is fairly light in my opinion. The classic Belgian tastes of banana and clove come through, but there is also a bit of nutmeg which is not one of my favorites. I like bitterness of hops, but not really the bitterness from nutmeg. Not sure if it is used, but I definitely pick up something like it on the back end and it is a little cloying. Maybe it is molasses.
At 9.4% ABV I expected this one to be a little hot, but the sweetness of the malt really balances it out. I could pound a few of these and not realize the high alcohol content unlike that of say an imperial stout.
After about 3/4 of the beer gone, the taste still lingers a bit which would be OK if it wasn't for that nutmeg-like flavor.
All in all I think this is a pretty decent Belgian style ale. The bitterness of the nutmeg or molasses is not enough to drive me away entirely, but there are other ales in this style that I prefer. 86 out of 100.
Just curious - what is the difference betwqeen a Belgian Ale glass and a Chimay Chalice and why would one have been better over the other? Is a Chimay more appropriate for certain types of beer?
ReplyDeleteTake a look at this page - http://beeradvocate.com/beer/101/glassware
ReplyDeleteThe Belgian Ale glass I am using is pretty close to the Tulip design they describe and the Chimay Chalice is the Goblet. I call it a Chimay Chalice because it is imprinted with the logo for Chimay (a forthcoming review).
In hindsight the glass may not have made a difference with smelling, but letting the beer come up in temperature may have been more beneficial. I was thinking that since my Chalice has more surface area, then more aroma can be released. I have read that those with more of a Tulip design will capture and concentrate smells. I don't know if I believe that 100% much like I don't believe 100% that different shapes of wine glasses create wildly different experiences.
I noticed that letting the Brooklyn Winter Ale warm up helped release the nose which is something I never really thought about with beer. Either the increase in temperature or the increase in contact with oxygen is the key.
I don't know how you do your wine tastings, but try tasting the same wine once it comes out of the wine fridge and then taste it again 15 minutes later after it has warmed up a bit. It should taste and smell different because of the change in temperature and oxygen exposure.