It’s an unassuming road leading to the priory. Here, off the corner of two intersecting roads, dedicated monks have been making beer for over 150 years. It’s always been a simple life – the kind that requires they brew only enough to sustain the activities of their monastery In the silence of passing seasons, they pray, they brew and retire in a solitary existence behind the sheltering walls. They live a most interesting life. Most likely one we wouldn’t sustain.
Nearby, each summer, the trellised fields spring to life as rows of resinous green cones are trained toward the heavens. Rumor is some monks love these hops and being surrounded by budding yellow aromas and the leafy pungent fields inspires them. Since we weren’t sensible enough to locate our brewery near hop fields, we can only offer this blond ale in celebration of our Abbey brethren and their steadfast Devotion.
Beer Ratings and Reviews:
[1] Review by ante from Stockholm, Sweden who has tried this beer once. (11/30/2008 12:05:28 PM)
"Pours out in a hazy golden colour with a rich lively white foam. Dried oranges, mild herbal hops and cookies in the aroma. Medium-bodied with notes of yeast, dried oranges, crackers amd cookies with crisp and fresh notes of grassy, herbal and citrousy hops. Dryish medium-bitter finish of grass, herbs, mild white pepper and cookies. A well-made, balanced brew."
Aroma:
7/10
Appearance:
8/10
Mouthfeel:
7/10
Flavor:
8/10
Overall:
7/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(3.7)
Sampled: Bottle
Value of this beer for its style: Not Sure
[2] Review by Sap from Tucson, AZ, USA who has tried this beer many times. (8/1/2008 8:25:42 PM)
"2008 Release; Sampled July 2008
A reasonably soft pour produces a thick, three-finger thick, light tan colored head in my large Tripel Karmeliet tulip. The beer is a murky amber hue that shows a hazed, orange-tinged, copper color when held up to the light. The aroma is expressively hoppy up front with a backdrop of cracker-like malt and spicy fermentation notes. Aromas of orange zest, citron, spicy / herbal notes and a touch of a floral aspect seems to define the hop contributions. This has a nicely noticeable malt aroma to it that smells of crushed pale malt, biscuit notes and most noticeably of lightly toasty saltine crackers. The fermentation character is definitely the most muted part of the aroma, this has more to do with the hop focus than any lack of fermentation character; earthy spice notes, some phenolics that lean toward clove and a touch of woody black pepper seem the most noticeable of these aromatics.
Lightly sweet but quickly balance by an ample hoppiness that is both bitter and herbal. A malt fullness picks up in the middle and contributes both to a creamy texture and an accenting influence to the citrus hop notes. The finish though dries out significantly with a sharp, though quite smooth, lingeringly herbal hop bitterness. The finish also is dried out by a background, spicy note of higher alcohols that seem to boost the green notes of the hops. The hop notes are definitely dominant here, almost even more so than in the aroma. There is a nice backdrop of grassy grain, light biscuit notes, some sweet pale malt flavors and an up front cracker character. As the beer warms up a bit it almost seems to pickup a cinnamon type note to it; the spiciness gets pretty interesting here over time.
I think I might like this a bit better on draught than I do out of the bottle and this years batch seems to be a bit better than last years. I like the spiciness that the mix of hops and fermentation character create in the aroma here. The flavor doesn't quite live up to the ultimate promise of the aroma, but it is still quite tasty. This is quite an enjoyable brew."
Aroma:
9/10
Appearance:
8/10
Mouthfeel:
8/10
Flavor:
8/10
Overall:
8/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(4.1)
Sampled: Bottle, Forced Draught
Value of this beer for its style: Not Sure
[3] Review by oh6gdx from Vaasa, Finland who has tried this beer once. (7/15/2008 1:14:37 AM)
"Bottled. Golden colour, small white head. Aroma is slight malts, some yeast and hops. Flavour is grass, malts, hops and some slight notes of caramel malts. A bit acidic fruityness is also there. "
Aroma:
6/10
Appearance:
6/10
Mouthfeel:
6/10
Flavor:
7/10
Overall:
6/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(3.1)
Sampled: Bottle
Value of this beer for its style: Not Sure
[4] Review by Phil B from Gatineau, Canada who has tried this beer once. (2/21/2008 3:59:58 PM)
"Bottle courtesy of Bu11zeye: Poured a deep clear golden color ale with a nice big foamy head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma of light brett with some Saaz hops. Taste is a mix between what appears to be light brett notes with some nice Belgian-type malt a dry noble hops finish. Medium body with some good carbonation. While I enjoyed that beer I have to admit that I will stick with DDC Dernière Volonté when I feel in need of an hoppy Belgian ale. "
Aroma:
7/10
Appearance:
7/10
Mouthfeel:
8/10
Flavor:
8/10
Overall:
7/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(3.7)
Sampled: Bottle
Value of this beer for its style: Not Sure
[5] Review by Vac from San Diego, California, USA who has tried this beer once. (12/21/2007 3:39:34 PM)
"Pours with a deep golden body topped by a thick, white head with some lacing. It’s slighlty sweet yet very floral with a touch of bitterness and some grassiness. Light to medium bodied and tingly on the tongue."
Aroma:
7/10
Appearance:
8/10
Mouthfeel:
6/10
Flavor:
6/10
Overall:
7/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(3.4)
Sampled: Bottle
Value of this beer for its style: Not Sure
Do you want to see the rest of the reviews? Sign In or Register FREE! = BeerPals Only
Review this Beer:
You must be a member to write a review. Please sign up or log in.
(3.7)
