Black Abbey "The Special" Belgian-Style Abbey Ale

The Abbey style of ale is new to me. Belgian ales are certainly not, but I genuinely don't know what an Abbey ale is. From what I understand, St. Feuillien is a kind of Abbey ale, so I guess I have had some before. And if I recall, I like them quite a bit. This one's actually made in Nashville, so it will be very interesting to see what they came up with.

The beer is a dark mahogany that absorbs quite a bit of ambient light around it. The head is not particularly thick, but it has some staying power. The thin layer of bubbles across the top grips the sides resolutely. The aroma is built-in yeast and some sweet caramel malt. It's a good presentation, and I'm ready to just get down to business.

First sip is very crisp. The malt is making it sweet, and the effect is almost like Belgian yeast added to an amber ale. The net gain is that this is a seemingly very easy to drink beer, but it also has enough flavor to not duck under the radar and be unrecognizable. I'm not sure how the gulp can go, but if you sip this all night, you'll probably be happy.

Tip-in is caramel malt, apple juice, and pear juice with carbonation just tickling around the edges. The middle upticks the carbonation while the juices and malt coalesce and intermingle underneath fluidly and without disturbing much. The finish is just a hint of tartness before the crisp finish followed by a yeasty trail off.

Bottom Line: This is a darn good beer from a local brewery that I am certainly going to have again.

3.75/5