Belgian Pale Ale
Great Dane Pub & Brewing Company (Downtown)

 

 

 

 

 

a: served in an absurdly hefty chalice, hazy golden orange in color with a light cap or carbonation

s: big and pulpy noble hops dominant with a moderate yeasty presence, a touch herbal at times, the body is primarily wheat with a light sweetness

m: medium carbonation and a light-medium body

t: again, big and pulpy noble hops give a formidable grassy, herbal hop flavor that rises above the wheat malt body, there's a vein of yeast that runs through but contributes only a slight doughy flavor, a mild bitterness works through the finish

d: good enough for two massive servings, but the carbonation quickly becomes too filling towards the end of my second, the most enjoyable part is the hop presence

two chalices over a couple successful games of shuffleboard at the brewpub

on tap at the brewery

appearance: served in a MASSIVE chalice that weighs the better part of a ton...pale golden colour with a light beige cap

smell: light fruity esters, belgian spices and delicate yeast, citrus aromas well represented

taste: citrus and clove, yeast and white pepper, other belgian spices. when stacked up against the style, this beer falls pretty flat to me (literally). the follow through is a bit watery and i wouldnt order this again

mouthfeel: flat and watery after the initial spicy palate

drinkability: ok

Pours a hazy yellow color with limited head. Complex aroma, but very subtle. If you are familiar with the Crop Circle Wheat from the Great Dane, this has a lot of those fruity flavors at the end. Up front are the more complex flavors that would be more obvious in a bigger Belgian. Goes down nice, but I am really distracted by the fruity finish, not because it is bad, but because it is so similar to Crop Circle. I will have to have this another night.

I sampled the Great Dane's Belgian Pale ale at their downtown location. It was served in a chalice that appeared to be about pint sized. This beer pours out an impenetrable yellow color with a long lasting, white head. The aroma is citrus and spices, especially pepper and clove. Malty flavor with a tasty, though restrained, spiciness. Lots of lemon flavor. Medium mouthfeel. Good drinkability. If this beer had just a little fuller body and was a little spicier, this beer would be perfect. As is, it's still a very good Belgian Style Pale Ale. Very nicely done.

On-tap at the Great Dane here in downtown Madison. Served in a beast of a chalice that gave my arm a workout as well.

Sits a cloudy golden yellow with a spotty coating of white bubbles. Smells spicy, with cloves and strangely wheat. Taste continues with the belgian scicy clove, wheat and lemony/peppery hops. Has a lot of witbier in it surprisingly, not that it's a bad thing. Bubbly and crisp, this was a refreshing ale. A very mellow interpretation of a Belgian. Not extremely complex, but extremely drinkable. The Session Belgian.

What a wonderfully savory beer.

The Dane Folks served it up in a great big goblet, which was great because I hadn't made it to the gym that day and I need to get my bicep curls in.

My nostrils were immediately impressed with the beer, which I could clearly smell without bringing my face to the glass. I just sat back and took in the effervescent wheat, marvelous citrus overtones, and nice herbal undertones (Cokes hit this on the head in his review. I couldn’t figure it out until I read his review - the herb is coriander).

My first taste of the beer was almost as citrus filled as the smell and wheat stayed on strong too. It really tasted like a cross between a good APA and Franziskaner to me. I don’t think that’s really a bad thing. It seems to work for this beer.

A mild to medium body and perfectly balanced carbonation make this a very drinkable brew that’s as pleasurable to hold in your mouth as it is to your palate.

It finishes dry and yeasty moving from sweeter citrus (orange) to more sour citrus (lemon and finally grapefruit) as it goes down.

I’m not sure that they got the style right or not so I’m reviewing this generally, not within the style of Belgian Pale Ales. I just don’t know them very well and this one seemed very wheaty/hefeweizish to me.

As beers go in general, however, this one is good and I will return to the Dane soon for another round with it.

Update 9-11-07: This year's batch is intensely spicy - think a milder version of Strange Ghost or Rabid Rabbit.

Served in a rather massive feeling goblet. Sits a cloudy golden yellow in the glass with a nice creamy white head, that seemed to be gone by the time I got back to my table. No real lacings to speak of, blame it on the glassware I suppose.

Big fruit infused wheat aroma. Sharp hints of cloves are found everywhere along with corriander, orange, lemon and a mild grassy touch as well.

Taste starts out immensly wheaty with rounded sides of lemon and orange peel. Medium hop bitterness leveling off in the grassy side of the field. Dry yeasty pallate accentuates the finish.

Nice medium body with soft, yet firmly formed, carbonation. Fits the bill.

Something didn't seem quite right here, it tasted great, but just way too wheaty. I had to take a sip of my firends Crop Circle Wheat just to make sure I didn't get that by mistake. Still, a fine drinking BPA, just not quite what I had in mind I suppose.

A slightly obscured golden below a white frothy, albeit short-lived, cap.
Nostril-encompassing fruit-peel aroma. Oranges and grapefruits, with pricks of underlying coriander.
I expected an Abbey-style Single, instead I got an (seemingly) APA with a significant Belgian infusion.
Orange peel develops right away and dominates the early part of the profile. Spicing is minimal, but leans toward coriander (though not to the extent the nose promised). Grapefruit parades in next, thought I am less sure if it is a morphed continuation of the early orange flavor, or an entirely new hop-driven entity, or a hybrid of the two (my guess). Yeasty, doughball-like hues add a powdery bread sensation. Ends with grapefruit infused herbal tea.
A bit thinner than desired, but this is a drinker.
And a unique one.