Brooklyn Cuvee de Cardoz

Brewed by Brooklyn Brewery
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Brooklyn, New York USA

Lightly hazy gold, thin white head. Nose is clove, yeast, light doughy malts, various undefined spices, candy sugar. Flavor is clove, ginger, caramom, honey, yeast & other spices. Reminds me of a homebrew Saison I made that used Jaggery. Really opens up into a nice but perhaps slightly overspiced belgian ale. Finish has some nice malt, green apple & white grape & spice. Perhaps a bit thick on body.

Tap at East Village Tavern. Hazy golden-straw colour. Aroma is quite spicy. Lots of lemon/lime, some clove and a bit of coriander. It’s very wheaty over the top with a touch of light yeasty spiciness. Fresh and zesty with a light lemony citrus flavour. There is a lingering wheaty graininess that is fairly appealing. Light peach and lemon sweetness, but the beer is still quite dry.

On tap at Capone’s. Poured a very clear yellow with a small amount of light white head. Nose is light fruit, perhaps peaches, spices and peppermint. Taste was all over the place as well: light fruit, peppermint, and a variety of spices which I couldn’t nearly pick out all of them. This is a very strange brew. Its as if it was a beer that was coming out of the Wonka Factory before it was tuned just right. Not too bad though, but its not a beer that I would purchase again.

on draft at redlight redlight smells and tastes like food. and not particularly great food. i mean, good work with the spices, it’s definitely spicy... definitely get the cinnamon/nutmeg/cloves and definitely get the heat of the chilies in the finish and aftertaste. nice creamy mouth feel (that’s what she said?)... if you like stuff that tastes like cloves this could be the beer for you.

End of firkin at Mr. Goodbar. Very spicey, very creamy ale. Medium golden colour, lots of lace, and taste. Seek out!

Enjoyed on tap in a pub glass. The beer pours a bright yellow to medium gold color with a long-lasting white head. The nose gives less indication of the heavy use of spices, and is instead dominated by the esters thrown by the yeast strain, which I recognized as the Chimay strain. There were some relativley light notes of citrus that almsot give the indication of the beer being a Belgian Wit or a German Hefeweizen, but no perceptible malt character. The palate was a touch muddled, I suppose from the spicing. The beer seemed to taste like an amalgamation of Tripel and Golden Strong. Sweetness from the malt was more perceptable, however the palate was not as dry as I would have liked or expected. Overall, I think yeast choice was the biggest detriment in this beer. Switching to a strain that is less ester-prone could make this an award winner.

Tap @ Barcade. This beer pours light golden. Sweet fruity aroma and flavors run from spices to what overpowers this beer which taste like licorice.

Draft at Redlight Redlight. Pours a hazy, light golden hue with a small, foamy white head. Soapy spots of lacing dry on the glass. Immediately, a burst of huge fennel and licorice shoots into the nose, strong an boozy, quickly followed by an absolute myriad of spices. Tamarind, coconut curry, orange peel, and heaps of clove are the mere tip of the iceberg in this virtual tour of the Istanbul spice market. I won’t even pretend like I picked out half of aromatic components, but I will say that there is simply too much going on here and the direction is severely lacking. The flavor, while not as difficult to pin down, is ruined by the unrelenting onslaught of licorice and raw ginger, two things that are better suited when used independently and sparingly. Peppery, wild spices finish this one out in an unpleasant way. Palatable, with a medium body and balanced carbonation, the mouthfeel doesn’t show as hot as the nose hints it will, which is a saving grace. Ultimately, this just isn’t for me. You gotta do more than just dump in a heap of spices to make a good beer.