Sant Rock
Castelló Beer Factory

my first beer from these guys and its a neat one, and one of the very few authentic belgian styles we saw in much of spain, so i was highly intrigued. its a little lighter than many, not as rich and caramelized and dense and dark and sweet, instead its more like a belgian amber to me, sure a bit stronger than what is common, especially here, but lighter in alcohol than a lot of the classics in this style. it has a high tan head from the tap, a reddish bronze color to it and is not quite perfectly clear, glows mellow in the low light. the nose is a little soapy, a little spicy, and pretty rich on the grain side, with hints of white pepper, clove, red apple, and molasses, neat mix of the elements coming together here, yeast and grain both riding shotgun. the flavor is neat, definitely belgian yeast here allowed to run hot, estery but just short of phenolic, cut flowers even lavender essence to it, clove and allspice, and some weird fruitiness from hard cider to white wine with a little exposed alcohol. the malt has some up front sweetness but its drier later, toasted and kind of nutty, a raisin note to it too, and the whole thing drinks kind of autumnal. its not as rich or layered or refined as the best of these are, but thats a near impossible standard, and i was pleased to see such a strong attempt at the style, unique fermentation profile even if its not quite dialed, and a good sturdy malt composition, quality ingredients evident. excellent carbonation, medium body, frothy feeling beer, a touch astringent as it sits. fun stuff, would have loved to try more from these guys while i was over there! next time for sure.