2007 Resolution #1
The Defiant Brewing Company

An unlabeled corked 750ml bottle given to me by Neill Acer back in the June of 2007 during a trip to the brewery with BeerBeing. Uncorked and poured into my tumbler. The ale appears a hazed bright golden yellow color with about a finger of off white foam. Nose and flavors consist of fruits such as apples, grapes, and orange peel, spicy, peppery yeast, white sugar, mild vinegar notes. Decent medium body with light yet prickly carbonation. Slightly warming, but quite drinkable. Thanks Neill.

A nice example of a Belgian Strong Ale. Nice and fruity with a strong alcoholic content to boot. I poured the growler into a glass mug. The body was nice and dark with a bout a half inch white head with decent retention; winds up reducing to a nice lacing that stays with the beer. The smell was slightly fruity with the alcohol very evident. First sip was very counter-intuitive: kind of on the sweet side, like a Hefeweizen, but within the next few sips, the alcohol becomes more evident and you can really taste it. While the alcohol is strong, the fruity esters do give a littel bit of balance to it, which is quite nice. Pretty warming as well. A nice mouthfeel; not too thick and fairly comforting. The fact that it tastes pretty good and is comfortable to drink makes it fairly drinkable. As with all Belgian Strong Ales, the high alcohol content will get to you and start to slow you down, so you cannot drink too much of it. Overall, a very nice brew and I can't wait to try out what else is on tap.

Poured out a golden brown with a bubbly white head. Nice spicy nose, with some citrus like sweetness, yeast, and belgian candi. The taste was lovely, like a Belgian Imperial wit or something. Nice yeasty spice, orangey, citrusy sweetness, some tempered alcohol, and an overall well balanced beer. Has a good mouthfeel, a bit crisp, a bit creamy. Very drinkable.

12/22/2006 $8.00 750 mL 7.40% No best by date.

Appearance:

Pours a hazy banana yellow that is relatively still with just a faint wisp of white foam on top that settles instantaneously.

Aroma:

Bready yeast with a touch of tropical fruit and coriander.

Taste/Mouthfeel:

Defiant's first bottle only offering. Billed as a Belgian Golden Style ale, this is a blend between a Strong Pale Ale and a Witbier, incorporating the best of both styles. Creamy smooth mouthfeel overlays a blend of banana, coriander and sweet biscuity tropical fruit. I'm glad I picked up two bottles of this limited edition, so that I can ring in the new year with this gem.