Ommegang - Belgian Pale Ale

Tonight I'm going to try another brew from Brewery Ommegang - the Belgian Pale Ale.  Steve reviewed Three Philosophers last night, and he's had all the fun with this brewery so far with the Abbey Ale and Rare Vos, so I decided I better hurry up and grab one while I can!  By the way, slightly off topic, but I would just like to reiterate what he mentioned yesterday - we don't have access to Russian River's Pliny the Elder here in MN, so if you're interested in a trade, we are IN!  To say we're desperate to try that brew would be an understatement...

Now, back to the focus of tonight's review, the Belgian Pale Ale.  This is a year-round offering from Ommegang that is primary fermented and bottle-conditioned using their very own special yeast.  It's brewed with 5 specialty malts, and "generously" hopped with Columbus, Celeia, and Cascade.  6.5% alcohol, a nice change of pace from the slew of big 9-10%er's I've been reviewing lately!

The label definitely has Duvel influence behind it - kind of boring, but it does include a great quote from Spinoza, "All things excellent are as difficult as they are rare."  The head on this brew is absolutely massive, I actually had to make an emergency move to keep it from overflowing out of the glass, close call.  Fluffy, white, and leaves a plateau in the middle that recedes relatively quickly.  The aroma is full of lemon-lime peels and a sweet belgian yeast funk.  Fresh-cut honey-crisp apples, and a hint of banana bread in the background.  Flavor starts off with big, crisp apples and pears.  Yeast funk dances around the palate for a while, but it's balanced out by a biscuity, firm malt base.  Pale malts, along with some of those piney cascade hops come next, and the finish leaves a spicy note that carries it's weight with the aggressive carbonation.

Overall Rating:  This is a great BPA!  Refreshing and delicious, I'm glad I bought a 4-pack because this bottle is already gone and I'm not done yet!  Go pick one up, great summer-time brew.