YuleSmith (Summer)
22 oz bottle of the 2010 vintage poured (several times) into my Duvel tulip. A: Pours a hazy golden amber color, pretty standard for the style. But the head on this beast is otherworldly! A good 2" of meringue tops this beer and refuses to dissipate! Right now, there is a big chunk of foam clinging to the glass even after the rest of the head has receded to a very thick ring around the glass. Did I mention that I started this beer 15 minutes ago? S: Huge notes of mandarin orange peel and a whiff of honey from the malt supporting the fruit. Faint pineapple notes lift to the surface as well. Incredible aromas! T: Everything the nose promises and then some. On top of the citrus notes from the hops is a crisp, almost minty note in the aftertaste. And boy, does the flavor stick with you. I'll be having dreams of this beer tonight. M/D: How can I sum this up? In a word: perfection. Enough carbonation to support the head for an amazing length of time, plenty to keep the taste buds hopping, but not so much as to distract from the experience. I'm having a hard time savoring this beer... My mouth keeps saying "MORE"! I've had PtE at 3 weeks and this beer at a similar age. I'm sorry, but this beer blows Pliny away. I never thought I'd give a beer a perfect score, but like James Bond said, "Never say never again"