Seven Luminaries
La Cumbre Brewing Co.

Pale yellow body; mildly hazy; thick, sculpted head, dense and creamy. Initial earthy and citrus like aroma; fades to a low grassy and herbal quality; sage. Tastes like a sage saison; mild brett; lemon bread; medium bitterness. Medium body; dry and soft on the palate.

This beer is an interesting anniversary offering. The bottle label claims the beer is a combination of the brewery's pale and Belgian strain ales with a wide variety of unnamed hop styles. From my vantage point, the beer leans strongly towards an herbal saison quality. Regardless, the beer is unique and tasty.

Picked up a 750 ml bottle from TW Arrowhead on 1-7-18 for $12.99. No bottling date visible; stored in the beer fridge since purchase. Suspect it was a December release.

Beer poured a pale gold with an outstanding huge billowy white head that has some great hang time.

Nose is lemony and light pepper.

Taste is lemon, some pepper, herbal hops, nice harmony with the malt base.

Mouthfeel is light to medium bodied and very smooth.

Overall this is a very delightful beer! A little pricey but an enjoyable splurge!

Pours a very hazy pale yellow with a nice white head but an odd brown sludge at the bottom of the glass. Smells incredible and of tropical fruits, citrus, sweet malt, and Belgian yeast. Tastes of strong Belgian yeast, alcohol, dry hops, light citrus, tropical fruits, and some earthiness. Medium-heavy body with medium carbonation. Overall this is a good beer if you're into high yeast profiles, which I am.

 

Nice healthy white foamy lingering head and a hazy, dark yellowish-gold color. Strong, inviting aromas of Belgian yeast, pineapple, lemon drop and pine on the nose. Front palate had ample grapefruit, pomegranate and pineapple notes, transitions in the mid palate to green apple and pear flavors, and finishes on the back palate with a smooth, coating finish of honeysuckle, mineral and allspice. Lots of layers to this beer. Medium to medium-heavy body. Nice palate-coating finish that lingers.

Drank this with Layne & leftpaw after destroying both of them on the golf course.

Poured a yellow pale ale with haze and 2/3" white head on the top. Aroma was a yeasty excursion, belgian in unmistakable smell. Phenols and shit.

Taste was a mix of American hops and Belgian yeast. Pale toasted malts were standard. Alcohol seemed noticeable and around 10%. Kind of a weird choice for an anniversary beer I thought. Mild galaxy hop notes as pineapple, more pepper, coriander and clove as well. Carbonation seemed fair. Body finished dry, but the entire Belgian thing seemed out of place, but I liked it with a little more conventional hops of an ipa in there.

750ml bottle from brewery. Good, an interesting mix between fruity IPA and a Belgian tripel/strong pale ale, but too high in ABV and unable to hide it when the beer warms.

Pours an eggshell white to very light beige foam with excellent retention, fading to a thin film atop the body of the beer for the entire session. Lacing is also excellent, with heavy washes clinging to all sides of the glass. Body is a very hazy yellow color, with light bringing out lighter (but still hazy) yellow hues (SRM 5-6). Nearly opaque, 70-80% opacity.

Aroma of light, white fruits (apple, pear), subtle pineapple, custard apple, and honeydew melon, with mild Belgian yeast phenolics and "funkiness".

Flavor of light fruits, hops, and Belgian yeast byproducts; good, but ethanol too obvious for its own good. Front: white fruits (apple, pear), light pineapple, phenolics, light melon, white pepper, hints of custard apple, guava, and passion fruit. Mid: white fruits (creamy apple, pear), pineapple, custard apple, slight floral character, phenolic and ethanol spiciness, white pepper, hints of guava and passion fruit, light hop bitterness, and a touch of ethanol. Back: ethanol, spiciness from phenolics and ethanol, white pepper, white fruits and pineapple in the background, and light hop bitterness. After: ethanol heat and spiciness, lingering fruit, phenolic spiciness, medium-low hop bitterness.

Beer has medium to medium-heavy body, with light carbonation resulting in a balanced foaminess and smoothness. Ethanol felt rather easily as heat or burning in nostrils and palate, not atypical for a strong Belgian beer, but not exactly necessary, either. Closes very dry, with medium stickiness on the palate and lips.