Belgians and IPAs

The new spring beer release is out at the LCBO and it features a great number of some of my favorite styles of beer; Belgians and IPAs.

The Belgians
Although Belgian is more of an origin than a style, all Belgian beers tend to have a few things in common. Because the Belgians are so passionate about beer, high quality, hand crafted ales are most popular. Another thing that ties them together is the use of pungently flavored yeasts.  No matter what the style, yeast plays a large role in the flavor profile.

Abbaye des Rocs Grand Cru
330 mL bottle. Pours a dark chestnut colour with a foamy off white head. Complex nose of layered fruit, fig, liquorice, prune and honeycomb. Sweet and roasted with notes of chocolate, dark treacle and nut. High carbonation and a thick mouth feel with a layered finish. No noticeable hop flavor. Another very tasty Belgian brown.

St. Feuillien Grand Cru
330 mL bottle. Pours a light straw color with a active white head that dissipates quickly with no lacing. Subtle hop spice on the nose, clove, candi sugar, papaya, golden raisin and a touch of alcohol. Moderately sweet with high carbonation and champagne like texture. Offset with a touch of hop bitterness. Not as complex as I anticipated.

Dupont Monk's Stout
330 mL bottle. Pours a very dark reddish brown, almost black. A thin beige head. Burnt caramel on the nose, smoke, charred wood and dark roast coffee. Little body here, very mild, nice and bitter with a slight herbaceous note. Dry and fairly hopped, thin body with mild carbonation. A tasty mild stout.

Gouden Carolus Tripel
330 mL bottle. Pours a slightly cloudy golden with a thick mousse. Aromas of banana, clove, coriander, chewing gum and a touch of ginger. A touch of sweetness, and a yeasty mid palate, leading into a zesty hop finish. Herb and floral notes on the lingering finish. Creamy on the palate with high carbonation. A solid tripel, well made.

The IPAs
IPAs were originally invented as a way of preservation.  Ales were fermented with more malts so that they would have a higher alcohol content, and more hops for their antioxidant qualities.  This allowed them to survive the long trip via boat from the UK to India; hence the name, India Pale Ale.  Look for malty sweetness overtoned with bitter notes of hop. North American brewers have made a name for themselves crafting intensely hopped beers with strong aromatic qualities.

Sam Adam's Latitude 48 IPA
355 mL bottle. Pours a clear toffee color with a soapy white head that doesn’t last that long. Nose is hoppy with earth, mushroom, and a touch of citrus and bread dough. Mildly sweet and moderately carbonated, featuring a smooth mouth feel with a finish bittered with hop and tinged with woodiness. A tasty commercially available IPA; nothing mind blowing but certainly plausible as someones go-to.

Green Flash West Coast IPA
355 mL bottle. Pours clear copper with a two finger white head and messy lacing. The nose is largely yeasty, with notes of bread, toffee, grapefruit and floral earth. Moderately sweet and medium bodied with with overlapping layers of hop, but very well balanced by the malt and alcohol, leading to a long bitter finish. Sticky on the palate, medium carbonation. A well built IPA.

BIA IPA
330 mL bottle. Pours a cloudy light gold with streaming bubbles and a thin white head. Big yeast aroma here from the bottle conditioning. Lots of grassy notes, earthy and floral, citrus, apricot and spice. Fairly dry and well hopped. Light to medium bodied with lots of carbonation, slightly sticky finish. An interesting European styled IPA.

8Wired Hopwired IPA
500 mL bottle. Pours a perfect amber with a pillowy beige head. Aroma is quite nice, floral, with a touch of caramel malt. Tangerine, honey and grape flavours. Moderately sweet but surprisingly clean on the palate, with moderate carbonation and an earthy bitter hop finish. A very well balanced IPA, fruity without any waxiness or cloying sugars. Annoyingly easy to drink, an interesting new world take on the IPA, would buy more.

Other

Les Trois Mousquetaires SS MaiBock
750 mL bottle. Pours a cloudy amber with a tight white head, lots of lacing. Aromas of banana, cotton candy and fresh cut grass. A little buttery diacetyl. Mildly sweet with a touch of caramel and Vienna malt flavor. A creamy mouth feel with high carbonation, sticky on the palate with a slightly sour finish and mild hop spice.

As always, check out more of my reviews here:
http://www.ratebeer.com/user/169526/ratings/