Gouden Schoen
The Tap Brewing Company

 

From notes: Well I think they nailed it, going for the old Westvleteren blonde with this one, and it pretty much hits the nail on the head. Light golden with a fluffy head of white foam that lasts and leaves damn nice lacing. Aromas are all fresh bready malts and spicy, floral Hops. Lovely. Taste is similar well integrated with the Belgian yeast flavors, and very bitter towards the middle and dry finish. Quite similar to the brew it is emulatin. Mouthfeel remains medium bodied, drinkability remains top notch as well. A very nice Belgian Pale, brewed by the Tap and Ba's, for Ba's. Thanx.

Pours a cloudy golden yellow, topped with a one finger white head, leaves webs of lacing.
Wheaty, grass, toast, apple, light caramel and some sweet malt, earthy, floral aroma.
The taste is very similar to the aroma, what you smell is what you get. A little sour with a nice harsh bite in the back, orange zest. Medium bodied to the lighter side.

Sampled on tap at the BA Belgian Beer Fest.

This Belgian Strong Ale poured a slightly hazy, golden color with creamy white foam that persisted a while and clung to the glass. The smell was lightly malty with a touch of sweetness (sugar) and a very mild vinous character as the sample warmed. A light hoppiness tickled the nose. The taste was malty with strong hop bitterness and a good amount of phenols. There was a bit of fruitiness (pears) and a touch of alcohol. The mouthfeel was dry and smooth with medium body and good carbonation. The mix of flavors and hops lingered on the palate. This was a very nice ale, and it was fun to finally sample it after participating in (more accurately "observing") its brewing.

A hazey golden/amber beer with a very nice and fluffy white head. The head leaves a good lace as you drink. The aroma was lightly sweet (suggested apples) with some hebal undertones. The flavor starts with a hint of sweetness on the tip of your tongue with a spicey almost peppery hop aspect taking over. That all leads to a great clean dry finish.

This was the official beer for the 2004 Belgian Beer Festival that the Brothers Alstrom put on. I was lucky to sample it at The Tap the day before the Festival. Interesting note: This was group-brewed by 28 beer-lovers/brewers in September.

A vibrant cloudy gold in color. Pronounced white head laces the glass nicely and hangs around for the duration. Aromas are a nice mixture of dry floral hops, malty sweetness, and some bready yeast. Flavor is more of the same. There's a very subtle orange rind note that underlies the mixture of burned caramel sugar, bready-doughy yeast, and spicy hops. Finish is dry, with a slightly sweet aftertaste. Great body and over-the-top drinkability. Put another "W" in win column for Dann.

Had on tap at Anam Cara, in fact had two. This was the beer that BA's were able to help brew, and also was the BA beer at the BBF. So yes, I remember throwing in some hops during this brew day. Anyway, on tap at AC, it was hazy lemon in color. There was some intitial sweetness, with hops in the middle, then some malt, and finally some citrus in the finish. I thought the carbonation level was good. I am glad the beer wasn't too big in the abv department, it halped out in the easy to drinkness, and the fact that I could handle two. One comment, I thought the beer was tastier when first served, after warming for a bit, I found some tannins become more apparent. I am glad this turned out well.

Was the top scorer of the year with this one on 11/11/2004. Maybe a 8.5 oz. pour in a nicely stemmed, small glass at ACPH.

Pleasant blanket of initial thin, covering head with stick and jab. Pale yellow to cut and sun dried straw to hue with just a touch of haze and mostly mute. Peach and light clover honey on nose, with some light gingery notes as well. A blue, velour tuxedo touch on the mouth composed of rosehip, tulip petals, and just a whisper of vanilla Charelston Chew sweetness. Initial clinging on mouth gives way to just a light bitter note that cleanses the palate. This was one of The Tap’s offerings at the BBF, where I tried a 4-oz. sample; I was happy to try it at ACPH in some glass.

Appearance – This one poured a hazy orange in color straight from the tap with a light, white head.

Smell – The light, fruity nose held the promise of a good hop flavor here. The yeast backbone to this ale way typical Belgian. Very well done for a US brewery.

Taste – The light fruit and yeast from the nose made their way nicely to the taste. I picked up a zesty orange flavor as well as some cherry juice at the finish.

Mouthfeel – This one is light to medium-bodied and very delicate in the mouth. It has some good, active, fluffy carbonation with some light dryness at the end.

Drinkability – Boy, was this a treat. It has to be one of the finest Belgian Pale Ales produced here in the US.

Comments – I had this on-tap at the Anam Cara pre-party for the 2004 Belgian Beer Fest. It was quite a treat to enjoy this tasty, locally-produced Massachusett’s ale with a pub full of fellow BAs. Cheers!