Deacon
Selkirk Abbey Brewing Company

i wanted to like this one a little more than i did, not to say it isnt tasty and well made, just that after being impressed with the old world authenticity of some of their other beers before this one, i expected a more unique yeast profile. as nicely done and well controlled as this is, its kind of samey in terms of fermentation profile, high tone fruity esters and clean, i could use a little more rustic character here, even from the grain, or some more nuance from the yeast, this tastes almost too simple then, too american in that its like every other american made belgian. i like the juicy hops in this, dripping citrus and some green tea herbal quality, nice with the fresh pear and white wine tones in from the yeast. rock candy crystalline sugar in the middle but drier in the finish, clover honey there too, some minerals, a little tinny thing before the swallow, and excellent carbonation. definitely drinkable, maybe improved with a food context too. drinkable and well made beer here, but less exciting and old worldy than i have come to expect from these guys. solid by american belgian standards for sure though, as is to be expected here.

Bomber purchased at a bottle shop. Pours a copper/gold color hazy with a sticky white head.

Smell is sweet bread aromas with a little acerbic medicine scent.

Taste is a sweet pale ale. Bread flavors with some burned sugar flavors.

Feel is light and wet, with a dry cider finish.

Overall a nice pale ale. Short on hop bitterness by northwest standards, but not bad.

 

 

22oz bomber

A — Pours a deep orangey/brown hue, dark copper almost. Puffy off-white colored head forms and leaves some fairly consistent lacing.

S — Smells of bright peppery yeast and light bitter hops, grassy, fresh, bright. Light sweet malt undertone.

T — Tastes of lightly crisp hops and clean malts, big yeast character and profile as it warms.

M — Medium bodied, carbonation is a bit low.

O — A nice representation of the style.

Bomber poured into a tulip. A cloudy orange amber (just grading into bronze) with two fingers of brisk soda-like white bubbles.

Aroma is notably bready, with distinct honeyed breakfast cereal and shortbread notes. Some fruity esters that recall apples, pears, perhaps plum brandy. More robust on the nose than some other more commercial Belgian pales. Flavor is a rich boozy fruity sweetness, much like the mixture of cereal and fruit on the nose, coupled with some dry spicy notes. Pears, plums, sultanas, cumin, yellow flowers, a dash of orange creme ... There is a lingering candy-like sweetness in addition to the more fruity notes. There is a lot going on here! Quite a thick body/mouthfeel, not syrupy but not exactly light and fizzy either. Gentle carbonation. Getting some clove notes late. Finish stays quite bready/fruity, maybe a whiff of herbal hop bitterness.

More boldly "Belgian" than expected, full of assertive fruity yeast and medicinal phenols yet not unpleasantly harsh. Has different layers to plumb. As mentioned by others, this brewery has a unique "house" character worth checking out.

 

 

Poured into a Gulden Draak tulip. Pours a medium bronze amber with a one finger white head with great retention and lots of lacing. Aroma of Belgian yeast, clove, apple juice, bready malt. Flavor is bready malt, clove, the distinct Selkirk Belgian yeast, ripe light stone fruit, phenolic and spicy. Lingering clove bitterness in the finish. Medium bodied with a light creaminess; nice mouth feel. A nice domestic take on a BPA, with the unique fruity house yeast that I have taken a real liking to. There is a touch too much clove in the finish, which gives it a bit of a medicinal taste, but overall enjoyable and true to the style, if with a distinct house yeast taste. Pleasant and flavorful.

 

Poured from bottle into a pint glass

Appearance – The beer pours a deep golden color with a two finger head of fizzy white foam. The head fades moderately quickly leaving a lighter level of foamy lace on the sides of the glass.

Smell – The aroma of the beer is largest of a more bready and doughty smell with some other aromas some sweet caramel and a little bit of a fruity smell of apple and pear. Some light spice of coriander and pepper as well as a hint of yeast are there as well.

Taste – The taste begins with a rather bready and slightly sweeter taste (although not that too sweet) with the sweeter being mostly of a caramel nature, but containing some lighter fruity notes as well. As the flavor advances the fruity notes get slightly stronger while the bready and the caramel fade a little bit. A light spice flavor, some herbal and earthy hop flavors, and a spice flavor of a black pepper and coriander nature later come to the tongue, combining with a little bit of a yeasty taste. These flavors take the taste to the end, where they leave a bready and lightly sweetened malty taste to linger on the tongue.

Mouthfeel – The body of the beer is on the average side in terms of thickness and creaminess with a carbonation level that is on the average side. A little bit higher carbonation may have made for a slightly more refreshing brew overall, but for the most part, the feel was pretty good.

Overall – A decent Belgian pale ale, but nothing too exceptional. It’s worth a try, but not one I would frequent for the price of ~ $6 for a bottle.

 

I can only say that this stuff is peculiar. Appearance is nice enough, with the clear glowing amber color and modest foam in the Affligem chalice. Plenty of suds in the mouth. The smell is like fruit cake and the vacuum cleaner bag.

The flavors are so weird it takes some thinking to describe them. Candied rutabaga. Some malt with cooked green beans and an aftertaste with medicinal bitterness. Applesauce with butterscotch hard candy. A dry finish in the Belgian style but not much yeast flavor.

This is not very drinkable and the fourth in my Selkirk bottles. They seem like they're trying some interesting stuff, but either they have sanitation problems or they have strange ideas about Belgian flavors. From the 22 oz bottle purchased at Bottleworks in Seattle.

 

 

Aroma and appearance are right on for the style, taste is good, overall palate is a little weak, but not a bad Belgian overall. Orange amber with light silky off-white head, initial sticky lacing. Aroma of flowers, honey, sweet malt, taste is more of the same with a hint of bread. Finish is short and dry.

 

 

22oz bottle, another offering from this brewery that plays heavy on its monastic European leanings, both in name and style.

This beer pours a clear, medium copper amber hue, with two fingers of puffy, loosely foamy, and bubbly off-white head, which leaves some streaky coral reef lace around the glass as things evenly subside.

It smells of bready, doughy, and biscuity caramel malt, earthy yeast, bittersweet apples, a well-blended spice contingent - black pepper, clove, and candied ginger - and some further sweet banana chip fruitiness. The taste is very yeast forward, the spicy, phenolic edge predominating, before a nice mixed domestic table-top fruit bowl slides right in - underripe bananas, apples, gritty pear flesh - all over a tame grainy, crackery, and slightly caramelized malt.

The carbonation is quite active, in a sassy, fizzy manner, the body just on the light side of medium weight, and plainly smooth, the yeast still kind of mucking about. It finishes generally dry, the fruitiness turning as such, the grain bleeding out its sweetness, and the yeast lurking as ever was.

A decent rendition of the style, the 'Belgian' character being a bit too dependent on a heady yeastiness. Enough going on, though, spice and malt-wise, lending further credence to this Idaho panhandle abbey (those words still sound funny to me) and its adherence to old-world brewing traditions.