Great Dane Belgium Special Pale Ale

Brewed by Great Dane Pub & Brewery
Style: Belgian Ale
Madison, Wisconsin USA

Name: Belgian Ale
Date: 08/10/2008
Mode: Draft
Source: Brewpub, Hilldale

Appearance: cloudy pale yellow, fine white head, lots of lace,
Aroma: sweet malt aroma with spicy hops combined with some spicy phenolics,
Flavor: lightly sweet malt flavor, well balanced with a perfect blend of spicy hops and spicy phenolics, light lingering bitter finish,

Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 12/20
Rating: 3.1/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: *4

Citrus and straw / yeast aroma. Cloudy golden with thin white head. Citrus, herbs, and malt balanced. Mild bitter finish.

At the brew pub. Decent ale with bit of the typical spices you’d expect from a "Belgian" style: coriander and banana. Not bad.

On tap in Madison. Pours a hazy yellow with a rocky white head. First sips seemed really lacking in body to me, but it filled out as it warmed a bit. Some nice spiciness developed, making it an interesting pale.

On tap.
Pours a cloudy pale yellow with no head. Aroma is faint but has hints of banana and clove like a hefeweizen. Hints of the banana and clove are in the flavor too, but the prominent flavor characteristic is a strong hop bitterness that is inappropriate for the style. Almost completely missing are the nutty yeast and candy-sugary pale malt elements particular to the style, though they make a small showing as the beer warms. Sticky palate with a dry, bitter aftertaste. Not impressed.

Re-rate 8/7/09: On tap at the downtown Dane. Poured hazy medium amber with a short cap of sticky white head. The aroma was spicy with lots of banana and peppery yeast over sweet pale malts.. too aggressive. The flavor found sweeter pale malts at the core paired with aggressive sour fruity character and dry yeast.. sour and tangy on the back-end.. decent balance and taste. Light-medium bodied and more sour than expected on the palate.. I might have another, but it was far from great.

10/29/06:On tap at Great Dane - Madison. Poured clear medium golden with a short cap of white head.. some lacing. Sweet lighter fruits in the aroma.. some banana, floral hops, and citrus too... bit of a tripelly feel to it. Flavor picked up sweet light fruits and spices primarily.. pale malts.. and caramel... alcohol and peppery spices rise toward the back-end. Creamy and smooth across the palate.. moderate bitterness.. felt good. 7 3 7 4 14

Cloudy, easy going, and a glowing golden-amber hue with a white ice sheaf and a creamy white wrung to serve as the head. Lemon cleanser, dryer sheets, light banana nodes and some starched baguettes promulgate a somewhat detached aroma. Mild golden ale qualities arise in the flavor, pulling at some harsh pils malt huskiness and a dry, bitter bite which imparts little flavor at that. Biscuits and flakey dinner rolls play out a yeasty exposition, but it’s mighty pale in most areas. Effervescence crests mightily, yet cornfields and pils malts control its wake with mismanaged bitterness that’s hard to keep down in the finish.

Sample at pub. Gold body. Wheat aroma and bitter flavor not to impressed with this one.