Specially brewed for the 2004 AOB Craft Brewers Conference held in San Diego, CA. This ale is the result of a collaborative effort between three San Diego County brewers and breweries. Peter Zien of AleSmith Brewing, Tomme Arthur of Pizza Port Solana Beach /Port Brewing, and Lee Chase of Stone Brewing all gathered together and brewed this celebratory ale up at the Stone Brewing Co. This Belgian-style strong golden ale was brewed with multiple yeast strains, a pretty substantial amount of Czech Saaz hops, and a touch of lemon grass.
Beer Ratings and Reviews:
[1] Review by aracauna from Adairsville, GA, USA who has tried this beer once. (3/18/2006 5:22:41 PM)
"When I tasted this, I really thought it was supposed to be something light. I’m a bit surprised to find out that its a Belgian Strong ale. Odd. Kind of like a wheat wine, but not that big. Vanilla, caramel, nice clean malt. The vanilla is real enough that I wouldn’t have been surprised if they had actually used vanilla. Light flavor and body are quite tasty, actually."
Aroma:
7/10
Appearance:
6/10
Mouthfeel:
6/10
Flavor:
7/10
Overall:
7/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(3.3)
Value of this beer for its style: Not Sure Compared to this brewer's other beers: Not Sure
[2] Review by Phil B from Gatineau, Canada who has tried this beer once. (8/29/2005 11:47:45 AM)
"Bottle: Poured an hazy golden color ale with small head with minimal retention. Aroma of coriander is clearly evident. Taste is very Belgian-lie with lots of coriander, Belgian yeast and some distinctive Stone hops. Body is way too thin for my liking and maybe is a bit oxidized. OK, but I’m sure those three brewers have produced better things in the past."
Aroma:
6/10
Appearance:
6/10
Mouthfeel:
6/10
Flavor:
6/10
Overall:
6/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(3)
Sampled: Bottle
Value of this beer for its style: Not Sure
[3] Review by EyeChartBrew from CA, Liechtenstein who has tried this beer a couple times. (7/23/2005 6:56:09 PM)
"A very special limited-edition beer, to coincide with the 2004 National Craft Brewer's Trade Show and Conference being held here in San Diego this week, that was only available at O'Brien's. It's a shame, too, since who knows when (if?) it will ever be released in a more common/easy-to-obtain format.
Puublican Tom Nickles quietly ushered this into the pub around 6:30 last night, but everybody at our ussual table watched with keen interest as the keg was setup. Finally, after two of the guys went up there to scout it out, goblets of this were produced. :)
Like most other Belgian-esqe offerings from Stone, the appearence isn't spectacular -- perhaps someday they'll figure out the proper protein-mix to get that "just-right" billowy head of foam, eh?
But where the appearence could use some improvement, it's all "thumbs-up" from there on-out, IMO. Hints of spice and the rumored lemon-grass in the aroma -- all quite nice.
But where this beer comes into it's own is also where the "rubber' meets the road", so to speak. That is to say, the flavor profile.
Nice and quite firm in the front-end, letting the malt and spicey twang shine. A nice alcohol bite in the middle, and fairly clean in the finish. The lemongrass addition was also an interesting change-of-pace for the style, that gave this beer some interesting dimensions to an otherwise solid Duvel clone.
Very much a distant relative to Stone's other Belgian offerings (esp. the so-so VE02, and the slightly more interesting VE04), but with a bit more "Stone-like boldness" than those two beers put-together.
Along those same lines, I wish that this recipe would be resurrected some time in the future, as either a standard offering (unlikely), or maybe as one of the Vertical Epic beers. Either way, this is a winner in my book, that I hope is still on-tap when I stop by OB's this Saturday after volunteering at the Craft Brewer's Trade Show and Conference... ;^)
//TB"
Aroma:
8/10
Appearance:
8/10
Mouthfeel:
9/10
Flavor:
9/10
Overall:
9/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(4.3)
Sampled: Bottle, Forced Draught
Value of this beer for its style: Not Sure
[4] Review by beerguy101 from Newark, CA, USA who has tried this beer many times. (7/13/2005 9:50:54 PM)
"Orange gold color. Slightly hazy. Medium white thick foamy head. Aroma is yeasty, fruity and sweet. A medium bodied Belgian Ale. Malts are fruity, with orange, peaches and lemons being the most prevalent flavors. Bright yeasts and lots of them, the lemon grass really compliments the yeasts. Very smooth taste. This would make a good session beer, but at 7.5% alcohol, it makes it a little dangerous for that purpose. Very nice beer. I hope that we will see more collaboration between the Big Three San Diego Brewers. Mouthfeel is full and round. Finish is clean and smooth. Aftertaste is slightly sweet. "
Aroma:
8/10
Appearance:
9/10
Mouthfeel:
10/10
Flavor:
8/10
Overall:
9/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(4.4)
Sampled: Bottle
Value of this beer for its style: Not Sure
[5] Review by JohnC from Mission Viejo, CA, USA who has tried this beer once. (6/7/2005 8:22:04 PM)
"(bottle from Stone). Pours a perfectly clear, beautiful golden color with a frothy white head. Lots of champagne like bubbles. The appearance of this beer is excellent. Yes, it does look a bit like a pilsener.
The flavors are slightly complex: it starts of feeling thick, sticky & sweet on the tongue but finishes dry and smooth. The taste reminds me of the Celis (TX) Grand Cru that used to be made. This is an excellent beer. "
Aroma:
7/10
Appearance:
10/10
Mouthfeel:
8/10
Flavor:
8/10
Overall:
9/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(4.2)
Value of this beer for its style: Not Sure Compared to this brewer's other beers: Not Sure
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(3.3)
