Golden Strong Ale
The LAB (Lexington Avenue Brewery)

 

 

light and cloudy amber color with a decent amount of haze to it and a nice three inches of head that came up and over the top, settling down and leaving a good amount of lacing. Aroma of light spice, peach, pear and a hint of herbal flower notes that seem to come across quite nicely, though a touch light. Nice light body and clean finish has all the touches of a nice strong Belgian pale. Light yeast, smooth and even flavors mingled together quite nicely I have to say. Light dry finish

On Tap at Brewery:
A: Poured golden pale, good clarity, 1 inch foam head with nice belgian lacing.

S: Strong fruity esters, more citrus like then pear. Moderate phenols added a spicy pepper like aroma to esters. Very low hop aroma.

T: As with Belgians, a rollercoaster of fruity, spicy, almost clove like flavors. Spicy phenols dominate the initial citrus flavors. No hop flavor with a balanced bitterness from hops and yeast.

M: Medium carbonation would be my major qualm here.

O: A great representation of the style. An easy to drink, very flavorful, yet deceiving beer at 10%. I recommend giving this one a try.

Sampled on tap at The LAB in Asheville, NC.

Golden with a small white head and a slight haze. Aroma is spicy with black pepper and a hint of honey. The flavor was fairly rich but lacked the complexity and character I'd expect from a BGSA. It seems like it was fermented at cooler temperatures. The consistency was creamy with a low carbonation of very fine bubbles.

It was a decent beer but lacked the Belgian characteristics that I'd expect from a good Belgian yeast.

I tend to review the ones I like and not bother with the others. This was quite a pleasant surprise. Loved it at the cool LAB location and took a growler back to Ohio. My beer snob friends raised their eyebrows (in a good way) at this one. We're all hop heads, but enjoy an interesting change once in a while. This one is it, baby! Bartender said it would last two weeks in the glass. Try two days max. This ale deerves more attention. A wonderful Belgian.

Had at the brewpub while on a day trip to Asheville. Served from tap into a snifter. Poured a hazy yellow-orange with a one finger pure white head that subsided to a minimal amount quickly. Maintained nice lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, banana, slight alcohol, and light dark fruit. The flavor was of sweet malt, banana, dark fruit, wheat, and slight alcohol. It had a medium with medium-high carbonation. Overall this was a pretty good brew. For the ABV this one was pretty smooth. The banana really helped mellow out the alcohol on this one in my opinion. I was really glad to see a new brew on at The LAB when I went there this time around. Hopefully they will start to brew more adventureous brews for me to try in the future. Definitely worth trying if you are in the area.

Listed as a "Belgian-style golden ale" on the menu with Belgian candy sugar and German noble hops. 10% abv and 45 ibus.

On-tap a 12 oz pour in snifter, a cloudy light orange with one finger white head leaving blobs of lace behind. Smell: sugary with lots of pear and a little soft banana. Taste: pear, apple, and sugary pale malt flavors. Alcohol is completely hidden. Straightforward but pretty nice. One of the better beers at the LAB.

Took a growler of this home, big hit with the wife. Appearance score jumps from 3 to 4 with a proper pour.