Belgian Strong Golden
Comrade Brewing Company

this is well outside of the wheelhouse for these guys. nice to see them not resting on their laurels and striking out in a new direction. they have done a really nice job with it too, which makes me like them even more. its clear and bright and sunny and it holds it white head awhile. less lacy than the classics, but its attractive and appetizing. it smells like a pretty fruity belgian strain, not dominating, but prominent. the grain base is almost irrelevant in the nose, but there are some hops on the back end that make this interesting. the same is true in the taste, yeast driven as it should be for the style. fresh herbs and bubblegum from it, not out of line in intensity, and quite long tasting which is really nice in the style too. what i like more than anything i think here though is that they didnt spike the abv with some weird sugar just for the sake of strength. those always seems sloppy and unnecessary to me, and they have avoided that. i would much rather see a beer in the 7% abv range that i can drink a few of than have something closer to 10% with all kinds of residual sugar. well done in that regard. not their most compelling beer, but pretty cool new project here. i hope they keep it up.

I really liked this one, and I hope they make it on a more regular basis. Strong, yes, but not overpowering. Great balance of yeast and delicate hops really makes this a good beer. This is a new style for these guys and I'm glad they tried it. Would definitely get this again.