Great Divide Belgica

Bottle 341ml. @ RBESG 09 Grand Tasting @ [ The Harlequin, Sheffield, England. ]
Clear medium yellow orange color with a average, frothy to creamy, good lacing, mostly lasting, white to off-white head. Aroma is moderate malty, toasted, moderate hoppy, lime, flowers, perfume notes, light to moderate yeasty, coriander. Flavor is moderate sweet and moderate to light heavy spicy - hops bitter with a average to long duration. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft. [20090719]

Bottle in a hotel room in Utrecht. Clear golden coloured with a small white head. Fruity aroma of hops, pine needles, grass, yeast and spices. Fruity flavour of spices, yeast and hops with notes of coffee. Fruity and hoppy finish.

Bouteille de 12 oz. Arômes de houblon très citronné, légère touche fruitée (la levure?). Robe dorée et limpide, effervescence moyenne et légère mousse. En bouche, le houblon très citronné est à l’avant-plan. On remarque également des esters fruités de levure et une base maltée moyennement ronde et plutôt sucrée. L’alcool est relativement apparent et la finale moyennement amère. Plus près d’une IPA américaine que d’une blonde belge classique.

Probably my least favourite from GD. Poured a light yellow. Nose is predominately yeasty with a faint wiff of hops. Mouthfeel is smooth and yeasty. Not as hoppy as expected. Decent drinking, but for the high ABV doesn’t really deliver. Won’t seek out again.

Quite clear (slight chill haze); Good initial head that settles into a single bubble layer. Leaves good streaky lace. Attractive blend of floral hop, pale malts and a low level yeasty smell. Very nice fusion of high hops and definitive Belgian yeast bite. Reminiscent of some of the home brews I made, which means there’s plenty of yeast flavor on the tongue. Moderate body and a high carbonation level. This is a hop lovers Belgian.

Bottle. Pours pale yellow with a small white head. A straight up in ya face spicy aroma of orange peel, coriander, citrus, bubblegum and grassy notes. The flavour is more lackluster than that of the aroma. It’s definitely more malty and quite dominate of biscuity malt. It’s smooth on the palate and didn’t realise it’s modest ABV. Very easy to drink but I can’t say I was drawn into this and wanted to drink more than what was in the glass, unlike the Belgian classics. An interesting take on the style though for sure.

Poured from bottle into Tulip. Bright orange yellow with billowing head and great lacing. The aroma is all Belgian - banana, cloves, pepper, pulpy ripe fruits. Some citrus hops, but they take a backseat to all the Belgian stuff; slight detection of alcohol. Starts peppery, turns more sweet in the middle (banana and other fruit), with a strong bitterness in the aftertaste that gets stronger and stronger after taking each sip. Despite a little bit of pine, the bitterness almost reminds me more of a very dry Pilsner than an IPA. Although good, something doesn’t quite gel here. High carbonation, relatively light body, and very dry. Nice beer that could easily warrant another, although the moderately high alcohol and strong bitter aftertaste prevent too much consumption.

I saw a big vapor on opening the (12 oz) bottle (something I do) and what a pleasant hit. Confused about it’s advertised non-style. It had the expected sourness of a Wit, not particularly hoppy, but citrusy. Carbonated like a pilsner.