Rubia
La Selva Cerveza Artesanal

B01

not my favorite in the la selva range of real ales, but a cool and distinct beer nevertheless. this is intended to be a belgian golden, and in my time in costa rica i saw abv levels of this beer vary wildly from menu to label, even their website lists this at 7.8% abv, while the bottle i drank said 6.8% abv right on it, must be some serious batch variance going on. this has a lot of body and quite a bit of residual sugar to it, and the yeast is not what we normally expect from belgian strains. its sweet in its own right, with a saltwater taffy character to it, notes of banana and pear as well, and soft earthy spice. its flavorful and good, but this seems like it was fermented really warm and the esters from it are quite pungent. the grain is simple but sweet for sure, with a honey and a floral note alike, but also kid of heavy, and it doesnt quite taste or feel finished to me. easy drinking when ice cold though, less so when it warms up a bit. it has a naturalness to it that i really like, all their beer does, some organic and minimalist vibe. not what i was expecting, far from a traditional belgian range of flavors, but a curious and enjoyable bottle of beer for sure.