Van Hunks
Rhinegeist Brewery

sample from can at share. Clear, pale golden with a nice foamy head. Yeast up front, sweet, slick mat backbone. A bit of warmth from the ABV. At times a bit harsh and herbal.

L: thin and light
S: strong citrus
T: bubblegum but with tangy bite and a little booze
F: surprisingly crisp and dry
O: light and dry for a Belgian but it works

 

 

We are now into 31 October 2019 on this site, thanks to their use of Zulu time (+0 UTC) & I want to celebrate Hallowe'en with some ghost CANs for The CANQuest (tm)! This one definitely came to me courtesy of my local, in-person trader, @tone77 who gets my utmost thanks.

From the CAN: "Belgian Style Golden Ale"; "There they sit, the Dutchman and the devil, foes enveloped in fumes and plumes. Now it is peace they seek, a liquid respite from their intense duel. Van Hunks proffers a Belgian style brew — dry, fruity, with a touch of spice —a golden ale sparkling like the sun."; "22 IBU".

I beCAN by Crack!ing open the vent on this latest Rhinegeist CAN, my third & last of the evening. I was very excited to try this one since I had truly enjoyed the previous two. I employed a slow, gentle C-Line Glug that produced just under two fingers of dense, foamy, rocky, bone-white head with excellent retention. I was also impressed by its head retention, which hung in nicely before leaving great lacing in its wake. Color was a gorgeous Yellow-Gold (SRM = 4 - 5) with NE-quality clarity, enticing The Gelt Gang of Croesus, Mammon & Midas to sit up & take notice. My TV is currently OOC due to my unwillingness to pay exorbitant fees for satellite service & I wanted to see how I would feel with it off for a couple/few weeks before calling to open negotiations. Sofa. So fa, so good, but I am streaming the WS Game 7 on my laptop so the boys are with me in the kitchen. Nose had the signature Belgian yeast mustiness like old newspapers out of the attic with a slight honey-like sweetness. Mmm. Mouthfeel was medium. The taste was like a punch to the palate! There was simply no playing around with this bad boy. It was very fruity, initially, softening me up for the body blow of honey, musty yeast & a peppery spiciness, all undoubtedly from the yeast. Phew! HOW MANY ABV?!? 8.0% Phew. This was a very Belgian-like ale from an AmeriCAN brewer & they are to be applauded for it. Finish was dry, not precisely hot, but with enough alcohol warmth to keep me honest. I would almost defy others to simply suck this down. I won't do that since I eschew stupid drinking games, but suffice it to say that this was GOOOOD! YMMV.

 

 

 

 

Looks light, but once you taste it it becomes full bodied. Good blonde ale.

Canned on 1/3/19. 12oz can poured into a tulip. Pours golden with great clarity and transparency with bubbles racing upwards; eggshell white head that fades leaving nice retention and decent lacing. The aromas have some hints of bubblegum, pear, banana and green apple. Yeasts and malts are there. The flavors follow the nose. More bubblegum, pear, banana and green apple leading the way. Some lemon in the mix. Subtle hints of black pepper. Moderate sweetness. Moderate to low bitterness. Some earthy notes. Yeasts and malts do their thing without completely dominating. Alcohol is ultimately well hidden. Mouthfeel is nice. It's on the lighter side of full-bodied with active carbonation. It's sharp, fluffy, smooth and dangerously drinkable.

This is a nice brew. It's basically what you would expect from a "Strong Belgian Pale Ale". It's very clean, crisp and refreshing. It's enjoyable and fun to drink. I really like it.

Poured from a 12 oz. can. Has a rich golden color with a 1 inch head. Smell is of malts, fruits. Taste is malts, a good bit of spices, a touch of alcohol. Feels medium bodied in the mouth and overall is a solid beer and a bit to easy drinking for it's abv.

 

 

 

I got a six pack of this from my local meijer. It poured a clear golden with thin white head that is not leaving any lace. The scent had Belgian malt and spice. The taste was nicely balanced and easy to drink with Belgian sugar and spice. The mouthfeel was lighter in body with good carbonation. Overall its a good beer.

 

Look - light golden clear color with a slight skimming
Smell - very grainy and bubblegum
Taste - bubblegum period.
Feel - medium light body with a slight carb dry
Overall - needs more malt backbone

Form the growler via Jungle Jim's in a snifter. This almost a saison
ale pours a pale golden color with a nice head of white foam that settles
to a thick ring, thin white foam laden layer, and displays some nice soapy
lacing. Nose of light grain, cracker, lemon zest, coriander, and subtle
sweet malts hinting at candy malts. Flavors exceed the nose with a
honey tinged candy malt and coriander notes over a light layer of
cracker and lime zest (?!?) with subtle hints of white pepper. Nice mouth
feel; medium body, medium light carbonation, and a lightly
dry subtly sweet and herbal tinged finish with a touch
of herbal hops.

A decent brew, but this would by presentation fall more easily
into the realm of saison than a golden. Nice, but reminiscent
of Gloam.

While Rhinegeist puts out some solid ales, this one is somewhat
like other Belgian style brews in their profile. While I enjoy many
notes in a song, a change adds depth to a piece of music much like
ingredients in beer. Madtree beats some chords to death, hopefully
Rhinegeist is not following the same tune.

Cheers