Flander's Abbey Ale
French Broad River Brewing

 

On-tap at Brewvival 2011.

Pours a hazy orange-amber with a thin white head. Aromas of bready malt and perhaps a bit of apple. Tastes pretty similar, much like a Belgian Pale Ale with perhaps just a little bit of tartness. Light-bodied with fairly crisp carbonation and a dry finish. Moderately drinkable, but I guess I was hoping for a nice vinegary Flanders Red Ale, so I was pretty disappointed. Oh well.

Picked up a couple growlers of this on my last trip through town. I had been anxious to try it since I heard it was back. The pour was nice, a deep russet orange color with a good amount of haziness to it. Lots of carbonation rippling up toward the top. There was a nice sized head, maybe an inch high that stayed around for a couple minutes before settling down into a thin veil across the top. Some nice side glass lace was also easily apparent.

The aroma was a nice mix of bready malts and some nice hints of peach and banana from the yeast. As it warmed there was a slight bit of spicy hint that came through from it now, with the banana still becoming the dominant aroma here. The flavor picked up right where that left off. A nice light bodied feel with a good carbonation profile, this was a nice tight little ale. The bready malt flavor was the dominant tone, with a nice fruity vibe kicking through it. This was easily a nice sessionable ale, low abv and some nice flavors made it a clear choice as a good drinker.

Overall not half bad. I am not the biggest fan of the style, but that was fine as it more then held its own overall. I would love to try this one on tap, probably more then decent.

Thanks go out to mikesgroove for sending this one my way.
The beer had a bit of haze and was a light orange/amber colour topped by a ring of soapy bubbles and a fine lacing. There was some spotty stickage and although there wasn't much of a head generated from the pour, the bit that was present stayed around for a long time. Toasty malt aroma with some bread and earthy apple skins. Light bitterness that stayed in the background. Mild malty sweetness with a hint of caramel and brown sugar. Fruity towards the finish, a combination of pear and apple. Light bodied and a bit on the dry side, moderate carbonation. Nice texture for a lighter bodied beer. Very drinkable with a pleasant mix of malt and fruit.

A nice golden brew with a decent white head. A very nice yeasty Belgian session brew in terms of aroma and flavor. Soft maltiness abounds. Light bodied and very easy drinking.

On tap at Barley's Taproom in Asheville on 6/19/04. Would love to have again the next time I'm in the area... Wish their beers were available in bottles so I could bring some back to the DC area for a more detailed review...