Bottled Belgian Pale Ale

I thought I would post something on our bottled Belgian Pale Ale before they are all gone (we only have a few left). This one was different than most before it in that we used Saaz hops instead of the Amarillo/Cascade combination used in the previous 2 batches.

Appearance: brilliantly clear, maybe one of the clearest beers we've ever made. It has a nice straw color to it, and as you can see from the photo, a good amount of bubbles rising from the bottom. There is a nice head  from the pour, but is dissipates quickly into a thin lace.

Aroma: I guess I haven't had enough experience with Saaz hops, but I dont smell much of the spicy/noble hop character that is normally attributed to that hop. The aroma is mostly of grain and yeast, nothing fancy. We might need to warm them up a bit before next time to hopefully coax some more aromas out of the beer.

Taste: The taste is slightly sweet, pleasant, and overall very enjoyable. I have complained in our other hoppy/pale colored brews of not having a crisp taste, but this is quite the exception. There is a nice snap at the end providing a very refreshing brew. However, as this beer has aged the carbonation has become much more noticeable. This level of carbonation is about at the threshold for Elise and I and it is probably a good thing we dont have too many of these beers left as a couple of more months of bottle conditioning would send it over the top.

Overall: this is a great beer. We really enjoy drinking this one outside during the hot days as the refreshing crispness is a good palate cleanser. It also goes well with spiced food (e.g., Vindaloo chicken), cheeses, and just about everything else. I like the Saaz version and I'm interested to try the new version once we get it on tap to try to compare the differences in hops. I think the fermentation schedule for this beer was much better than the newest one, as it was about 4 degrees cooler. As a result, the Belgian yeast was a little cleaner, but the Belgian-ness came through after being in the bottle for a few weeks. The newest one seems just a touch estery from early samples (nothing as bad as the Tripel though), but hopefully that will subside as it is conditioning. This is definitely a good recipe and a beer that we'll be brewing a couple of time a year, especially for the Summer months.


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