Peace Tree Brewing - Blonde Fatale

This last weekend I was in Iowa visiting the inlaws. My wife, being the wonderful person that she is, allowed me to scoop up a big pile of Iowa beers during our stay. I was able to snag up four different brews from three different breweries at one store. Each beer I purchased is not available in MN, so I was very excited to get my grubby, Iowa-beer deprived hands all over these bottles. The first of the four that I'll be reviewing is a Belgian Golden Strong from Peace Tree Brewing.

I love these stubby little bottles! The artwork is pretty cool too.

Peace Tree is located in Knoxville, IA.  They opened their doors, well, I have no idea to be honest.  The page on their site that is supposed to bless us with their rich, historical story is down.  Don't worry, though.  I know exactly what I need to do to get this crucial tidbit of information.  To the Googlez!!! 2009, that's the year they opened their doors.  Thank you Googlez.  Due to IA beer laws at the time of their inception, Peace Tree was only able to brew beer below a certain ABV percentage.  4.9% was the limit, I believe.  After much lobbying and a couple free cases of beer, the IA beer brewers were able to get this outdated law overturned and open the doors for Iowa brewers to brew higher ABV beers.  In celebration, Peace Tree decided to brew Blonde Fatale.  This sneaky blonde Belgian was such a huge hit that they decided to make it a winter seasonal.

This ale is a stupendously clear golden pale color.  Its appearance is accentuated by numerous columns of carbonation bubbles speeding to the top of my pilsner glass where a huge billowing foam... wait a second, WTF happened to the foam??? It's gone! Or, more accurately, it never was. I'm a bit surprised since Belgian ales tend to produce a metric shit-ton of foam. Nonetheless, I pressed forward and took a sip. The flavors are very delicate. You'd miss half of them if you powered through the bottle without a second thought. The light, Belgian yeast fruitiness is present but quickly disappears into a subtle sweet malt and lightly toasted bread flavor. Hints of hops are there but hardly discernable. Some bitterness shows up towards the end but is quickly phased out by additional sweetness and a pleasant alcohol warmth.

Overall - I can definitely see why they added this brew to their annual line-up.  It's a very tasty and devious beer.  The alcohol is nowhere to be found other than in the warming sensation you get in your cheeks.  The flavors are full but light.  Take notice of your first few sips to really appreciate everything going on in this Belgian blonde.  And definitely drink it at cellar temp (48F) to get the full bouquet of flavors.  I'm happy I grabbed this sixer out of the four others I had to chose from.  I'll be buying more from Peace Tree next time I'm in Iowa.


P.S. - GO CYCLONES!  Yes, I know it's five days later.  But it was seriously the best... damn... game... ever!  Besides, how can I write about an Iowa beer without mentioning the best football team in the state?!

Epic Brewing - Brainless Belgian-Style Golden Ale

Today I'll be drinking the Brainless Belgian-Style Golden Ale from Epic Brewing Company in Salt Lake City, UT.  I'm new to this brewery, just ran across it for the first time today at the brew-shop.  It was founded in 2008 after the state of Utah changed their brewing laws, allowing David Cole and Peter Erickson to open a "strong beer" microbrewery.  This brew is part of their Elevated Series, which is a showcase in variability within different beer-styles.  The bottle states this is part of their Release #17, with 8.5% alcohol.  According to the website, this batch was brewed on June 8, 2011.

The beer is crystal-clear straw-golden color with about 1 inch of white foam.  The aroma brings candi sugars, cloves & spice, and some of that classic belgian funk.  The taste starts off extremely sweet, candied apples and sweet peaches.  Once the carbonation catches up, it brings with it some of those spices and cinnamon cloves from the nose.  Hints of booziness there, teetering on too boozy, but doesn't quite go over the edge, just keeps things warm.  The belgian yeast comes along for the ride, but it's a side-thought behind the sweetness.  The finish has some sugaryness that continues to linger.

Overall Rating:  This was a very drinkable Belgian Golden Ale.  A little on the sweet side for my taste, too one-sided, not enough other things there to break up the monotone sweetness.  Not my favorite belgian brew, but worth trying for yourself, especially if you like the style.  B

Brooklyn - Local 1

Tonights review is of a brew from yet another new brewery distributing to the Midwest.  However, this brewery is from the East!  New York to be precise.  Brooklyn Brewery has a long history behind their name.  In fact, you can read all about it in their book, Beer School: Bottling Success at the Brooklyn Brewery.  In short, the brewery was incepted in 1987 by a news correspondent and a banker.  Two years later, they were distributing their first brew, Brooklyn Lager.  Today, their lager is one of the top selling beers in New York and one of the top 40 breweries in the country.  I'm excited to be tasting their beer for the first time.  Of the brief research I've done so far, Brooklyn Brewery is a very reputable maker of fine craft beer.

The brew I was able to get my hands on is their Local 1.  I wasn't sure what to expect as the bottle only hints at the fact this is a Belgian inspired beer.  But hey, I'm a fan of Belgians (the beers, not the people, although Ive never met a Belgian person so Ill reserve judgement until then.  I'm sure they are nice and smell pretty) so I didn't feel like I was going out on a limb purchasing this fine looking bottle.  Digging around on the breweries website tells me this is a Belgian inspired Golden Strong Ale.

After letting the intense amount of foam settle I was able to discern the clear signs of a golden strong.  Pale straw in color, frothy white foam and an intense sweet malt and floral yeast.  From the looks, this is already a great example.  The flavor doesn't fall short either.  Sweet malt and fruity, almost tropical flavors from the yeast are abundant.  Hints of pineapple and mango mix in with a grainy, malty body.  An alcohol warmth comes through towards the end.  The finish is smooth and dry.

Overall A/6.0 - This is a great example of what a Belgian Golden Strong can be.  Brooklyn brewery went to great lengths to craft this treat.  Bottle conditioned with an extra spritz of yeast, thick bottle and sturdy cork are all signs of attention to detail.  The beer itself is great.  Brooklyn also releases a Local 2 which is a Belgian Strong Dark.  I'll be picking up another bottle of Local 1, along with Local 2 next time I'm out on the beer prowl.