Sinister
Laughing Sun Brewing Company

 

This an excellent US homage to the Trappists. The head is towering, thick, and slow to subside. The ale is golden, dark straw. Perfect carbonation contributes to great mouthfeel. Taste is spot-on, something I appreciate after a spate of poor stateside attempts to ape this genre. I will definitely buy this again.

 

No-one is going to confuse this with a beer from Belgium but is has redeeming qualities and is a good stab at the style.

Aroma has some grainy malts and a bit of spice...black pepper...Taste follows suit with some light honey emerging in the malt and still a nice lighter peppery spice.

Body is medium and like some in this style way too easy to drink. Overall I give this a thumbs up. Hits the mark overall but a notch short of the true Belgians in this style...

A pale, clear, burnt orange color, with a small white head, dying quickly to thin center cap and ring of bubbles. What lacing tries to form falls quickly down into the liquid.

Aroma is pear-forward, with a bit of bread and spice hiding behind.

Taste is pear, spicey, crisp but a bit sweet. No bittering. The finish and aftertaste is a bit sticky, with the pear flavor and a bit of banana lingering in the mouth. Easy drinking with no hint of the alcohol.

Medium body.

Overall, a tasty beer. Dominated by the fruit (pear, slight banana) tastes, but with just enough complexity from the sweet biscuit and spice to keep it interesting.

L: Blood orange slightly hazy brew with a two-finger head of moderate retention and lacing,

S: Boldly pear forward, with Belgian yeasts and bread, and a note of nutmeg.

T: Crisp and spiced pear esters and semi-sweetened biscuits dominate.

F: Medium weight and carbonation.

O: A bit sweet but drinkable - less repeatable if not you're style.

 

This beer pours a pale copper with a smallish head. The aroma features green banana, clove, organe peel, nutmeg, apple skin, and dried apricot. The flavor is sweet upfront with notes of brown sugar, baked apple, clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, an a bit of raw dough. The mouthfeel is moderately rich with average carbonation. Overall this is a decent beer - a touch too sweet for the style, and just lacking in some carbonation and balance - but I love to see a Belgian style in a breweries main line up.

12oz can courtesy of Victory_Sabre1973. No canning date, but at 9% alcohol, I'm not overly concerned. Incidentally, I'd b hard pressed to think of a beer with smaller type on it than this one. Even digging out the readers was of no help! Are the eyes of North Dakotans superior to those of Washingtonians? Maybe so.

Poured into an Iron Goat snifter, this was a hazy apricot color, with a fluffy, off-white head. Lots of lace.

The nose is a pleasant one of soft, fruity Belgian yeast esters and mildly grassy hops, but seems a bit muted.

Taste is more assertive than the aroma. Fruity and spicy flavors abound. I'd say the clove-like aspect of the Belgian yeast wins out, lending things a banana-like cast, but there's enough other fruity flavors to understand why this was once apparently known as Sinister Pear. Finishes on a mildly dry, grassy and herbal note.

Light-to-medium bodied, with a mouthfeel and level of carbonation appropriate to the style.

A very pleasant and enjoyable Belgian Strong Pale that doesn't reinvent the wheel but does exactly what it's supposed to and does it well. I'd drink this regularly were it available in my neck of the woods. Thanks, James!

 

 

Pours a murky golden color. The head is 2 finger, white, and very frothy. The retention is good, and there's some lacing on the glass. As i'm drinking this, the foam really sticks to the glass like crazy.
The nose is a slight fruity, aroma. There's also a slight malt sweetness to the aroma.
The taste - It has a an interesting biscuit flavor up front. It has the fruit that I described in the aroma mixed in. It's sweet, but not offensive.
The body is full. The carbonation goes deep into my palate. The biscuit flavor and feel does linger.
Delicious Belgian Strong Pale Ale. You wouldn't think a brewery in one of the smallest states could do something like this, but they did, and it is good.

Poured from 12oz can into glass. No canning date information found.
Cloudy, deep gold colored body. Just a skiff of white head with a vigorous pour, which retreats to just a remnant and a ring. Lacing spots slide back down into body.
Aroma is heavily influenced by the pear ester, and is joined by light malts and floral hops.
Taste balances the slightly sweet malts, the pear and citrus esters, and the spicy hops. Mild tongue burn.
Medium mouth feel. Good carbonation.
An average example of a Belgian ale with its esters. I find the beer a little too sweet. Hides the higher ABV% well.

 

 

 

On tap. This was poured into a tulip. The appearance was a nice looking hazed over glossy orange color with a thin wisp of a head. After the head died off after a minute, a nice looking faded lacing strung itself around the glass. The smell had a sweet slightly spiced Belgian yeasty pear with a light sweet breadiness about it. The taste was semi-sweet with an off spicy sort of nice Belgian-esque aftertaste. A light semi-sweet/spicy dry finish rounds it out. On the palate, this one sat about a light to medium on the body. A decent sessionable aspect accompanies and makes a well rounded out feel all around. Carbonation feels good and rolls along nicely over my tongue. Overall, good fruity Belgian-esque beer. I would have again.