Telegraph Robust Ale

Brewed by Telegraph Brewing Company
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Santa Barbara, California USA

Orangey-red colour. Spicy aroma with dark fruit. Chewy, very toasty and astringent. Fairly husky, slightly spicy and with good caramel notes.

Bottle from South Bay Drug. Cork came out with a lot of pressure behind it. Poured hazy amber with a large finely bubbled beige head. Smells like fresh light fruits, sugar, spice and everything nice. That’s what good Belgians are made of. Medium body with frothy carbonation. Flavor is a little citrus, a little brown sugar, a little peach/apricot, a little yeast spice, and maybe even something like grassy hop. Finishes a bit astringent. But it’s not super bitter. Fairly well balanced. Finishing sweet and bitter - seems reasonable for a Belgian.

Bottle. Sent in picture to be uploaded. Served cold, and still nearly took my face off. Would have gushed for sure. Still, pours with a huge rocky, barely off-white head over a light copper body. Aroma is strong with banana esters, burnt brown sugar, peach, spices, apricot, leather, earth and pear skin. Slightly phenolic. Taste is pear eau de vie, earth, slight metallicy, bready, spicy and grassy. Long duration. Very earthy. Very lively carbonation, just a hint of alcohol in the form of brandy. Lightish body for the alcohol.

Sample at Stone. This beer pours a hazy dark amber color with a medium beige head that diminishes slowly. Thin rings of lacing on the glass. Aroma of malt and spices along with touches of hops and plum. Medium-bodied with sweet spice and malt flavors coupled with dark fruit and hops in the background. The finish is mildly sweet at first with touches of warm alcohol and hops in the aftertaste. Pretty good overall.

Draught @ Hamilton’s, SD. Bright orange, barely any head. Fruity nose with guava pastry, custard apple, quite sweet. Slightly sticky palate. Nice hop character but the sweetness bothers me a bit: tropical fruit, bamboo. Nice stuff but not dry enough for my taste.

ON tap at Lucky Baldwins. Hazy copper brown with a creamy white head. Caramel aroma. Floral hops and pine taste ending soapy.

750ml bottle from South Bay Drugs. Pours a mostly clear copper color with a big off white heaving not much lacing, very bubbly. When I first opened the beer it almost seemed infected. Had a very metallic nose and the flavor was also off and a little metallic. As the brew got to sit and air out a bit, it developed some nice characteristics. Some nice citrus and banana notes. Flavor was quite yeasty with some citrus notes.

Draught at the brewery. They described this as a stronger version of their california ale. Pours a deep orange-amber color with a medium head. Sweet fruity and yeast aroma with pears and tartness dominating. The flavor is malty and sweet, with a little less tartness apparent than the california ale due to the added residual sugars, but still tangy and crisp. Definitely belgian leaning in character, and displays the house yeast tendency toward a dry tart flavor. Quite nice, but definitely less sessionable than the California ale.