Belgian Strong
Banded Oak Brewing Company

 

the beers are really improving here, and this is a nice winter brew in a style not easy to do well. paler in color, hazy and thick, without a lot of head. aroma of sweet white dessert wine, white pepper and even ginger spice from the yeast, and a bright fruitiness that includes green pears, red apples, and golden raisins. the flavor matches the nose pretty well both fruity and spicy, and very flavorful from the belgian yest strain. it is a bit sweet though for me, a whole pour is a lot to drink of it. its boozy and the sugars dont help. that said, the yeast strain is great, it just seems like it either needs more time to ferment down, or if its having trouble going much stronger than the 12% or so abv this comes in at, perhaps scale back the original gravity and end up with a slightly drier beer. notes of toffee, vanilla, and confectioners sugar with the yeast in the finish. desperately missing carbonation! this one might be well suited to one of their wine barrels, a little wood and tannins in here could really add a layer. cool beer though, and a nice step forward over what they had on tap when they first opened up!