Jolly Belgian Honey Ale
Jolly Brewery+Restaurant

(Notes of Dec. 2009) Tasted by a pint at this "mock brew-pub", served by a tap behind the bar. Note: This is a "seasonal" offering according to the beer menu; but, surely, a seasonal "honey ale" should not be for the winter? Maybe it does make sense in Taiwan's warm winter anyway. Also, there's no explanation why this is a "Belgian" honey ale, although it might actually be more proper to call it a "Taiwanese Honey Ale" since the famous Taiwanese high-mountain longan-flower honey is used in this brew. Lastly, I add it under "English Pale Ale" since the colour is semi-pale and this term has been abused in most cases anyway.

A: coming in a dark reddish amber hue, murky (coz it's unfiltered but pasteurised); a off-white thin beer head sustains reasonably well, on top of rather low carbonation.
S: thick-bodied but not sweet honey aromas comes on top of very light, faintly cocoa+nutty aroma as of pale crystal malts, while there's very little sign of hops. Thanks to the honey aroma balanced by the malts, the nose is actually rather pleasant.
T: lightly sour-sweet fruity swallow precedes an interesting aftertaste consisting of light peatiness, longan-fruits' uniquely light smoked aroma (coming from the shells of the dried/smoked version), and pale crystal malt-like undertone and "undernote". The finish is clean, semi-dry, but the bitterness is way too mild to be considered an input.
M&D: nice and smooth on the palate, a light yet healthy amount of fizz sustains throughout the drink, med-bodied and overall very easy to drink. Honey's aroma is rather intense in its longan-fruit department, while the aftertaste is full of malt aroma balanced with some mild esters - a likeable ale all in all.