Simon Girty
Strange Roots Experimental Ales

Simon GirtySimon Girty
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From:
Strange Roots Experimental Ales
 
Pennsylvania, United States
Style:
Belgian Dark Strong Ale
ABV:
8%
Score:
85
Avg:
3.75 | pDev: 15.2%
Reviews:
20
Ratings:
75
Status:
Active
Rated:
May 29, 2017
Added:
Feb 22, 2012
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  18
No description / notes.
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Ratings by baybum:
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Rated by baybum from Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev 0%

Mar 20, 2014
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.04 by Doomcifer from Rhode Island

May 29, 2017
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Reviewed by ajm5108 from Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Pours a deep amber with vigorous carbonation and half an inch of head. Aroma is dominated by the house yeast that Draai Laag uses - not dissimilar from Brett - with occasional whispers of cocoa and orange, which doesn't exactly pop but doesn't throw it off. Taste is mostly a combo of some pretty pedestrian brown ale malt with that semi-funky yeast - a little chocolate pokes through which doesn't mesh well but isn't too distracting. definite sweetness from the honey underneath, maybe some orange but not enough to stand put, though the sweetness helps cut some of the funky yeast. All in all it isn't as unique as you might expect from the ingredients, end up a middle of the road wild ale (definitely not a Belgian strong).
Apr 20, 2017
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Reviewed by woodychandler from Pennsylvania

4.09/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
It was difficult to contain my excitement when the FGBS initially began receiving distro from this Pittsburgh-area brewery, so I purchased what was then available & subsequently added to them. It was never my intent to create a Bottle Backlog here at Chez Woody, but its eradication allows me the opportunity to conduct horizontals as I go. I am finding the results to be VERRRRY interesting & not at all stupid, per Arte Johnson of "Laugh-In".

From the bottle: "Ale Brewed with Honey, Cocoa and Orange Peel"; "Wild by Design"; "Original Gravity: 17.5 (deg.) P (1.072 S.G.)"; "Apparent Degree of Attenuation: 86%"; "Made With: Orange Peel, Honey, Cocoa"; "At its freshest, this complex Belgian brown ale boasts crisp notes of orange peel backed by rich malts and cocoa. Let it age a year or two and see why some beers are totally worth a wait."

As with many of their previous beers, I am going to perform two separate pours, one leaving the lees in the bottle, the second with the lees swirled in.

I Pop!ped the cap & commenced a gentle pour. Unbidden, I got a finger of dense, foamy, rocky, deep-tan/light-brown head with decent retention, eventually becoming a skim atop the beer. Color was Brown to Dark Brown (SRM = > 22, < 27), closer to 22, but with NE-quality clarity. Nose was redolent with honey & chocolate (cocoa) & my mouth began to water! Man, this has been a wild ride with these guys. Mouthfeel was medium-to-full with a lot of carbonation. Taste was a riotous combination of flavors - milk chocolate and honey with a tart dose of citrusy lemon and orange. The latter was undoubtedly due to a mild dose of Brett, a common theme in their beers. I wonder what this might be like if they left out the Brett & went with a more standard Belgian yeast. No matter. That would be an idle musing on my part. Finish began tart and dry, kind of vinous, but then it subsided to allow the sweetness of the cocoa and honey to make a reappearance. An interesting, lingering semi-dry finish was the result, in total.

And now for the second, lees-swirled pour. I still managed to get an unbidden finger of head. Color was a muddy Brown to Dark Brown. Nose had a more assertive orange presence. Mouthfeel was on the thin side. The taste was more orangey and chocolaty than earlier with less lemony tartness. Finish was semi-dry. Another interesting experiment.
Mar 31, 2017
 
Rated: 2.75 by NomadDawg from Texas

Mar 12, 2017
 
Rated: 4.4 by pritchyk from Pennsylvania

Jan 19, 2017
 
Rated: 3.94 by Wheels2532 from Pennsylvania

Dec 21, 2016
 
Rated: 4.18 by hozersr from Pennsylvania

Nov 29, 2016
 
Rated: 4 by Wizzle32 from Pennsylvania

Nov 29, 2016
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Reviewed by Tucquan from Pennsylvania

2.89/5  rDev -22.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.75
Had this on 2016-11-25 in Pittsburgh, PA from a 500ml bottle.

Not what I expected. It was sour with orange and chocolate flavor. Didn't appeal to me at all.
Nov 26, 2016
 
Rated: 3.96 by micropale from Pennsylvania

Jul 26, 2016
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Rated by rlee1390 from Indiana

3.6/5  rDev -4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Honey and cocoa and Belgian do not mesh well. Nice flavor but just all over the place.
Jul 24, 2016
 
Rated: 4.02 by burnstar from Pennsylvania

Jul 10, 2016
 
Rated: 4.04 by madelf66 from Pennsylvania

May 29, 2016
Photo of gopens44
Reviewed by gopens44 from Virginia

3.88/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
First off, this thing gushed on like a proud grandma. Very tough to pour without losing too much. Once it settled down, we were left with a mountain of beige foamy time. Further settled, it's a bit more of a creamy head that is stubborn to leave lacing but will in reluctance. Beer itself is a murky, brownish opaque orange with active little floaties that eventually peter out.

First noticed on the nose is a vinous thing. As I delve further along in the aroma, I start to get some honey before the heat component plays in a bit more. Last thing I get is a very faint hint of orange candy.

Tart, puckeringly so, at first. Need to let the tart shock dullbefore I can really get down to detecting much more...... Ok. Got some other things happening now. Directly after tart is when bitter orange peel steps in to pave the way for a not very well hidden heat. Mid way through a touch of sweetness does a drive by before the "tastes like the smell of rose" finish wraps things up.

Thin, maybe deceptively so when you consider the abv. Virtually no aftertaste whatsoever. Nothing left on the tongue, throat, nose or anyplace else.

Very interesting beer despite it being a style I rarely investigate.
Apr 25, 2016
 
Rated: 4.14 by BeerForMuscle from New Jersey

Apr 22, 2016
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Reviewed by deleted_user_971432

3.28/5  rDev -12.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5
Draai Laag - Simon Girty Dark Belgian Strong Ale - Brewed with cocoa, honey and orange peel
-- %8 ABV.
This was had from a 12 ounce bottle purchased at the brewery and poured into a nice curvy tulip glass.
As a dark Belgian style ale I was thinking it might be comparable to a Leffe Brown, or a Corsendonk Abbey Brown. Anyways, as it poured from the bottle there was already a hazey cloudyness to the beer. Oh my gosh, that could mean good things for me since I love a good unfiltered beer right? I gave it an aggressive pour and got a crazy ton of tan foam head. There is a milk chocoalte brown color to this beer and it is cloudy as all get out. You can not see a thing through this one even in strong light. Tiny fast bubbles are seen close to the top of the glass.
Taste: Kind of got that abbey ale tastes that a monk would brew, but there is alot of other things going on. It has sweet and sour tastes at the same time. There are some citrus characteristics and grapes. I don't taste honey, or cocoa. If there were any of those to begin with the sour aspects of the beer take over and bash them into the abyss. It is actually dangeously close to tasting like a sour sparkling wine, or champagne. I get the same alcohol notes that go with wine and the sourness that comes with a wild ale, or sour beer. They use the wild yeast and it certainly has made an impact with this beer. I just kind of wish that it tasted more like Leffe Brown with more booze. I think for me Belgian style beers bring back moments of happiness for me of days gone past. Maybe I am just a sentimental bastard, but I don't like my Belgians too sour. This one was a bit too sour for me, but it has some nice things going on.
Feel: chunky unfiltered, well carbonated, right for the style
Mar 20, 2016
 
Rated: 3.83 by ArtAttackEd from Pennsylvania

Mar 02, 2016
 
Rated: 4.25 by geodonnokepyo from Pennsylvania

Oct 12, 2015
 
Rated: 3.88 by Knapp85 from Pennsylvania

Sep 13, 2015
Simon Girty from Strange Roots Experimental Ales
Beer rating: 85 out of 100 with 75 ratings