Day 220: Witches' Brew

Name: Witches' Brew

Brewer: Brouwerij Van Steenberge (Ertvelde, Belgium)

Classification: Tripel

Alcohol: 9.3%

Thoughts: First of all, Happy Valentine's Day to all you love birds out there. Second of all, I got this beer yesterday when I was shopping at Whole Foods for the lavish dinner I was making Laura in honor of St. Valentine. It is a beer I had never heard of and I needed to romance myself a little, so beer would be the best way to do that. This Belgian Tripel, or Golden Ale as this Brewery called it, poured a delectable honey color with a wispy, white head. I've been watching a show on BBC America called James May Drinks to Britain. In the show I learned that hops settle in the head much more than do malts or yeast. Therefore some smells are heavily one-sided. Even though this is true I am still going to tell what these beers smell like because it is important to the enjoyment to the beer. Just know it can be misleading. This Tripel smells of dry clove, alcohol and fresh herbs. It is pretty mild though, not really exciting. The flavor is very involved though. The alcohol in this beer is very obvious and it is more than just warm. There is little sweetness, but a lot of fruitiness if that makes any sense at all. It has moments of persimmon, peaches and orange. The malt in this beer is dry and herbal, instead of sweet and dry. Altogether this beer is all over the place, but nonetheless incredible. If the flavors could be more cohesive than this beer would be mischievously good. I rather enjoyed this beer and I would have it again in the right setting, because it is an intense, full-flavored experience. 

Rating: 87/100