Pro-Am Series No. 7 - Rudolphus VI
Beau's All Natural Brewing Company

 

 

 

Hazed deep orange colour, ring of off white head, little bit of lace. Smell is sweet with a bit of spice and some earthy/grassy hops, fairly weak nose though, not a whole lot of anything coming through really, a bit bland. Taste is sweet with a bit of spice, moderate bitterness but nothing really in the way of hop flavour aside from slight earthy notes, sugary toward the finish, sweet malt aftertaste. Medium carbonation, medium-light body. Fairly shitty, nothing remotley Belgian about this and nothing here that you would expect in an IPA of any sorts, incredibly off style and nothing I will try again.

Appearance: It has a nice golden/orange color to it. It has a nice beige head that dies down moderately and leaves some spotty lacing.

Smell: The aromas definitely give out hints of Belgian yeast, citrus, some lemon, grainy malts, grassy hops and faint pepper.

Taste: Like the aromas, it has some Belgian yeast, a somewhat unpleasant grassy bitterness, faint citrus and some lemon pepper.

Mouthfeel: It has a med carbonation with a decent overall balance and feel.

Drinkability: It's a very smooth drinkable beer accompanied with decent flavors and aromas.

 

600ml bottle part of the xmas mixed pack from the Ottawa LCBO

Appearance - Slightly hazy gold colour with an average size white coloured head. There is an average amount of carbonation showing and there is some fair lacing. The head lasted for around 4-5 minutes before it was gone.

Smell - Malts, hops, yeast, grapefruit/lemons

Taste & Mouth - There is an above average amount of carbonation and I can taste malts, grapefruit/lemons, and hops. There is also some ginger, corn, and a yeasty/astringent spiciness.

Overall - Pretty solid minus the slightly medicinal/astringent type flavour. Worth a try.

 

600 ml bottle from Best of Beau's 4-pack. 6.9% ABV Belgian IPA.

Beautiful dark amber honey colour. Two inches of light honey rocky head. Only a few carbonation bubbles. Good lacing with retention.

Sweet and musty aroma. Very Belgian. Cream puff sweetness and apricot fruitness.

A hops forward taste that fills the whole palette. Sharp bitterness - herby, pine and citrus with a solid malt core. Sweet brown sugar and grainy bread. Big aftertaste of bitter grapefruit in the very back of the palette.

Medium feel. Dry. Coats the mouth.

Excellent, well-made Belgian IPA. A real fusion of a Belgian yeast and west coast citrus IPA. This deserves a wider release from Beau's.

 

 

Another 600 ml bottle from The Beau's taster's pack. Served fairly cold into a pint glass.

Appearance - Dark copper color with golden hues. Enormous 4+ fingers of head poured and lingers for seemingly eternity. (I didn't think it was that bad of a pour) A bit hazy and a gigantic foamy cylinder rests on top of the beer.

Smell - Nice blend of Belgian yeasty smell and citrusy hops Hops are subdued and also a sweet aroma fills my nostrils but is hard to identify.

Taste - Smooth, slightly bitter taste. Earthy but hints of sweetness up front and some tropical fruits in there to that were unexpected. I'm getting a bit of ... melon? The beer also becomes boozier as it warms.

Mouthfeel - Low carbonation, slightly dry finish. At the same time a bit on the syrupy side. Improves in this aspect as it warms because the syrupyness is less pronounced.

Overall - Nice but each step of the beer gets gradually less enjoyable. Started great but descended into an above average Belgian IPA. Since I love the style anyway would get this again anyway. Just wish the syrupyness wasn't quite as pronounced.

 

 

 

600 mL bottle picked up at the LCBO, part of their 'Best of Beau's' 2013 sampler pack. Served slightly chilled, and poured into a tulip. This isn't a style I've had a lot of experience with, but the one that I have tried qualifies as one of my favourite beers of all-time.

Pours a muddy orange-amber colour, topped with two fingers of fluffy, frothy white head. Great resiliency; it takes a long while to die down into a dense, creamy cap, and leaves a doily pattern of lacing behind as the process continues. The aroma is rather hoppy and quite yeasty, with notes of orange and lemon citrus, peaches, grassy hops and a light clove spiciness. No complaints thus far.

This one is easy to enjoy, with a prominent bitterness to the profile that is likely to satisfy the hophead demographic. Grainy pale malts with a light caramel sweetness, in addition to light peach/apricot and orange citrus provide the bulk of the flavour. The citrus becomes pithier and drier toward the end of the sip, with a building astringency characterized by pine resin notes that mingles with the spiciness of the Belgian yeast. Light pepper/clove notes are also detectable. Somewhat pithy aftertaste. On the fuller side of medium-bodied, with restrained carbonation that gently prickles and scrubs the palate. The alcohol isn't much of a factor, but this one's bitterness (and overall tastiness) make it more suited to sipping than sessioning.

Final Grade: 4.0, an A-. Beau's Rudolphus VI is a successful fusion of an American IPA and a Belgian ale, but I wouldn't call it wildly so. I'd like a bit more out of the Belgian yeast, but as an IPA fan I am still pleased with the end result - this one has a nice, hoppy flavour to it with a dry finish that I absolutely love. A good inclusion in this year's sampler pack; probably more interesting than a regular IPA or Belgian ale would have been on their own.