Dernière Volonté
Pours a tall, airy, bright-white head with huge retention and lacing. Watch out, the head on this beer is explosive. No need to pour aggressively. The beer is a glowing straw colour, opaque with some small suspended solids. Big, full smell: oranges and limes, Belgian yeast, floral hops, a bit of grain, some sweet caramel malt in the background. Smells like a refreshing, hoppy Belgian ale. Not as big a flavour as I was expecting, judging from the nose. The hops are really present for a Belgian along with more of a wheaty taste than you'd expect. Floral hops and some light malt up front. The finish is quite bitter but not in a bad way; seems more like the finish of a darker beer. Some mild spices in the background, though nothing like you would find in a real Belgian ale. No alcohol presence. The label describes this as a marriage of Belgian and English brewing traditions; I think that's about right on. They don't list it as a Belgian IPA but I would say there's enough hops here to call it that. If this was less watery tasting I would give it 4.5; too thin. Medium-light bodied with fairly present carbonation. Not bad but doesn't stand out as being great. This is very drinkable and currently one of my favorite drinking beers. At 6.5% it's just right for drinking three or four...or six. Interesting and flavourful but won't overwhelm your taste buds.