Sam puts together a lot of different beers. So far, they have been pretty good on average. and I'm looking forward to another winner. Those guys are currently one of my favorite breweries, and they are certainly trying really hard with all those different varieties. Belgian ales can be really good, and I expect this one to be good, too.
It's only slightly hazy, and it's a nice, rich gold color. The head isn't much to begin with, and it dissipates very quickly. It leaves a very thin veneer of foam across the top with a ring gripping the walls of the glass. The aroma is spices, citrus, and that Belgian yeast. If there are hops in there, they are hidden under a blanket of spices. I've smelled these spices before, too, but I can't quite place the beverage. It was definitely a Sam Adams beer, but I can't pick out which one.
First sip, and this isn't going to be my favorite beer ever. The spices overwhelm pretty much everything in the beer, and spices really aren't the reason I drink beer. Unfortunately, the beer is so heavily spiced that I can't taste the other ingredients. Maybe it's because it's a sip and not a gulp.
A larger pull brings out a tip-in that is spices and carbonation. The spices are varied, but I definitely taste a kind of pine in there. The middle has hints of the Belgian yeast and a tiny bit of caramel malt, but those damn spices are just too much to let go anytime soon. the finish starts with the bitterness of what I assume are hops, but there's still no taste of hops. Instead, there is more clove and pine and whatever the hell else they put in there.
Bottom Line: I'm not a fan. They can't all be winners.
0.75/5