Abbey Beer
Yo-Ho Brewing Company

Curses! I reviewed this beer for a friend in Japan a couple of months ago, with the intention of adding it after I'd gotten my review total up high enough. Now I find that Naerhu has beaten me to the punch. Sigh...

---

So tonight I made a serrano pesto chicken pasta, and decided to have the Yaho Abbey Ale with it. When I poured it out, I was simultaneously impressed and a bit concerned. I was impressed because the color was perfect: a deep brown (leaning towards red, almost a whisky color) that became this stunning rich ruby color when held up to the light. (which makes me wonder why this is a Belgian Pale instead of a Belgian Dark). Excellent. Concerned because there was no head to speak of. My guess is that the lack of bottle conditioning lead to this complete head-ectomy. The presumption being, of course, that science overcame art in this case in order to prevent the goddam thing from exploding. So I was concerned, but only mildly.

Smell: The smell was perfect. There's always a sweetness to the nose of a Trappist style ale, one that I assume comes from the Belgian candi sugar they add to the mash, but I'm not certain. It could also come from whatever yeast strain they use, but I doubt it. Clearly it will require further research.

Mouthfeel: This one is quite lovely. Not too thin, definitely not too much. You know the sugars are there, but they aren't syrupy. They add just the right amount of body to make drinking it an experience, rather than just something to do.

Flavor: I'm really, really impressed by this beer. It's rather unassuming while cold, as the temperature really mutes the malts and allows the candi sugar and the yeast to really rule the moment. As it warms up, however, the malts come out to play and balance those two out. The alcohol asserts itself stongly in the finish, reminding me further of a whisky (not in flavor of course, but in it's lingering presence). There's a sweet, warming alcohol presence that just lingers on the tongue.

--

One thing this beer does not do is take extended life in a can very well. After a month or so it really starts to get very metallic tasting, so I'd strongly recommend drinking this fresh. For if you do, you will not be disappointed in the slightest.

A - golden transparent body with red highlights and low head
S - soft pastry like aroma with light lemon and black tea
T - lemony, soft malt, very light bitterness and lightly sweet, olong tea
M - light bodied, no defects, smooth.
D - This is an interesting beer. I was surprised by the citrusy notes on both the nose and palate. This was a good beer, but I am sticking with their YonaYona or National Trust.