Seven Bridges Belgian Golden Ale

Brewed by Seven Bridges Grille & Brewery (Gordon Biersch)
Style: Belgian Ale
Jacksonville, Florida USA

on tap-pours a thin white head and hazy straw yellow color. Aroma is sweet, perfumy/spice hops, orange/honey. Taste is perfumy, sweet orange/honey, wheat. Dry finish, good effervescence. Lively.

At long last standing before me is probably my most anticipated brew of the whole tasting extravaganza, the Belgian-style golden ale. I’m a sucker for Belgians, I cannot tell a lie. Does it create bias at times? Yes, but how can it not when their beers are on a level higher than most others. Of course, that won’t stop me from calling a bad Belgian exactly that, but they are far and few between in comparison to all the good Belgians. Considering Seven Bridges’ special brew while I was visiting was a Belgian-style Golden Ale, I must remember to thank my goddess of luck for blessing me with excellent timing.
A brilliant clear gold with very faint hints of orange in her colors, a decent head fades to a ring of puff around the side of my glass. Filled to the rim, a wave of spices, coriander, sweet bread, and sour yeasts hold my nose hostage. Mingling amid the blissful aromas is a faint image of wet grains and crushed almonds. My tastebuds demand satisfaction and so I partake of a couple quaffs. An immediately thick and chewy mouthfeel embraces my senses while sour yeast and sweet bread mingle with the coriander and spices evident in her palate. Soft banana cream comes into play later on, but only as a faint whisper. It doesn’t take long for her prominent alcohol presence to spread her soothing warmth throughout my being. Lingering hints of spices and now some cloves make for a slightly sticky finish. A very thick Belgian-style golden ale, I am most pleased by her full-bodied presence and strength of palate. Sour, yeasty, warm spices, soft bananas, and lemon zest make for a satisfying experience.
Overall, their special brew was my favorite of the six I tried. If I were to rate my top three in order of first to third, it would go Belgian-style golden ale, Toll Tender IPA, and Southern Flyer Light Lager. I find that list impressive simply by the inclusion of a light lager in my top three. Seven Bridges Grill & Brewery’s selection may not change by my next trip up to Jacksonville, but I do look forward to seeing what their next special brew shall be. Being winter time, a nice winter warmer like a Barleywine or Christmas Ale would be nice.

12oz. snifter at the brewpub in Jacksonville FL. Beautiful hazy golden beer with a thick creamy head that lasts for a while. Aroma is fruity, hoppy, alcoholic, typical of a triple, and I *love* triples! This one makes me happy! Flavor is that familiar fruity, pale malt, hoppy, and a note of Belgian candy sugar that I look for in a good triple. It leans toward the dry side with spicy hops at the finish. Not too dry to put me off, because I prefer a slightly sweet brew, and this one is just about right. I would say this is the second best beer brewed so far at Seven Bridges, the best being their excellent barleywine. Props to Eric, the brewmaster, for a beautiful and delicious Belgian Golden. I wish I could brew like that.