Burnin' Alive
Southern Pines Brewing Company

 

Look: It pours on the light golden side with a white head.

Smell: There are fruity esters which dominate the initial aroma. It also has some spicy elements as wells as some floral elements.

Taste: The flavors feature the initial sweetness of fruit combined with spices. The overall taste is bittersweet, with the sweet flavors being more prominent that the bitter flavors.

Feel: This is moderately textured with a sweet, yet dry finish. The name is not Burnt Alive, it’s Burnin’ Alive. Dry finish

Overall: This is a strong kicking fruity Belgian ale with a complex combination of sweet and bitter.

Crystal clear gold color with a steady stream of bubbles coming from the nucleation point of the glass. The white head dissapates and leaves only a random speck of evidence that it existed. The nose is typical Belgian with bananas and cloves. There is also Belgian yeast, toast and a very mild hint of melon. It tastes sweet with the bananas and cloves being joined by cracker, melon and a very mild bitter finish. This is a really tasty beer.

 

 

 

Served on tap at the brewery.

Look: I was surprised how crystal clear this straw colored beer was. Very inviting.

Smell: huge notes of belgian yeast and sweet malt. Very pleasant and a strong indicator of what was about to come.

Taste: Great Belgian. The yeast is the star of this beer with some support from sweet maltiness. Despite being 10.5% ABV, there is little to no discernable booziness. I think this beer could definitely sneak up on you after a few pints.

Feel: Subtle carbonation. The beer was bu no means thin, but the feel wasn't as thick as I expected given the high OG.

Overall: This is a great belgian without the heaviness of a big quad or tripel. The brewers allowed the yeast to be the star (as they should) and were rewarded with a great product.