Verboten
From the Brewery: Verboten is a Belgian-style pale ale with an American twist. It is brewed with pale carahell and wheat malts and hopped with Centennial and Cascade hops to give it a distinctly American character. The medium bodied beer has a crisp palate and moderate bitterness coupled with the fruity esters from the abbey yeast strain. It is bottle and keg conditioned, so expect a tall, fluffy head and a small amount of sediment. ABV: 6% Zotten had become my favorite beer last year, and I am so glad it is returning as Verboten. If you don't know the story, there are multiple forum threads about this. This was poured from a bottle out of a case with Aug 27 2010 as the drink by date. There was about an inch of head, a clean white color, with the rest a slightly turbid golden color. The smell is the standard Belgian sweetness. The beer itself has the sweetness standard of a Belgian style. That's the first flavor. Then comes the bitterness from the hops (and two of my favorite hop species) and a bit of solvent from the alcohol. The beer is well carbonated: I like a beer with a bit of carbonation. It all combines to make what has become my favorite beer. I am about to brew my own Belgian Pale Ale and I can only hope it tastes half as good as this! I'd wish only that all this flavor could be achieved in a slightly lower ABV to make it truly sessionable. Still it is a great drink anytime, and I'll have to stock up unless they take this guy year-round!