Purple Dragon
Empire Brewing Company
- From:
- Empire Brewing Company
- New York, United States
- Style:
- Herb and Spice Beer
- ABV:
- 6.5%
- Score:
- +7 ratings needed
- Avg:
- 3.75 | pDev: 9.33%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 1
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- Jul 16, 2014
- Added:
- Aug 12, 2011
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 0
NO SCORE
-
-
An unfiltered Belgian Golden ale, spiced with purple basil grown on the farms at Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Tarrytown, New York.
Recent ratings and reviews.
Reviewed by ThePorterSorter from Oregon
4/5 rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4/5 rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
I saw this beer listed on the website as "golden dragon" which is described as being, "A Belgian style Golden Ale, spiced with Thai Basil grown at Empire's own organic garden. Light in color and medium bodied. 7.7% ABV"
I was described this exact description by the waitress, but it was listed as "purple dragon" instead.
Appearance:
Golden hazy beer with a thin, white head on top. There was plenty of carbonation and sticky lacing. I would have loved if they had thrown in some fresh Thai basil for a pseudo dry-hopping effect.
Smell:
Fruity esters and spice with sweet sugars. There was initially a grassy, earthy smell that was a little off-putting. However, the full beer glass as opposed to the sample size was more Belgian smelling. Unfortunately, the basil didn't produce much for this beer's nose, it was undetectable.
Taste:
This is a yummy beer. The basil provides a light spiciness and the golden ale is light and refreshing. This was a great addition to my meal and the herbal infusion was quite appropriate for an already flavorful beer style. I would have liked to taste the basil a bit more, but it's subtle nature was tasty!
Mouthfeel:
Medium bodied beer that has rich characher from the yeast and spiciness from the basil. Very refreshin and the alcohol was fairly hidden. The carbonation cleansed my palate of the accompanying elk burger and blue corn bread and paired better than expected!
Overall:
Outstanding beer that was fairly inexpensive and completely refreshing. I love the idea of using basil in a golden ale, it's fairly unique and an exciting dinner pairing possibility. I would encourage all to at least sample this beer, but it would also go great with almost any meal.
Aug 12, 2011I was described this exact description by the waitress, but it was listed as "purple dragon" instead.
Appearance:
Golden hazy beer with a thin, white head on top. There was plenty of carbonation and sticky lacing. I would have loved if they had thrown in some fresh Thai basil for a pseudo dry-hopping effect.
Smell:
Fruity esters and spice with sweet sugars. There was initially a grassy, earthy smell that was a little off-putting. However, the full beer glass as opposed to the sample size was more Belgian smelling. Unfortunately, the basil didn't produce much for this beer's nose, it was undetectable.
Taste:
This is a yummy beer. The basil provides a light spiciness and the golden ale is light and refreshing. This was a great addition to my meal and the herbal infusion was quite appropriate for an already flavorful beer style. I would have liked to taste the basil a bit more, but it's subtle nature was tasty!
Mouthfeel:
Medium bodied beer that has rich characher from the yeast and spiciness from the basil. Very refreshin and the alcohol was fairly hidden. The carbonation cleansed my palate of the accompanying elk burger and blue corn bread and paired better than expected!
Overall:
Outstanding beer that was fairly inexpensive and completely refreshing. I love the idea of using basil in a golden ale, it's fairly unique and an exciting dinner pairing possibility. I would encourage all to at least sample this beer, but it would also go great with almost any meal.
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