Belzebuth
Glossy apricot with a generous amount of swirling yeast that soon settles into suspended animation. The alabaster colored crown achieved three fingers on the pour and isn't that interested in melting. Tiny cirlicues of lace grace the glass and look as if they'll hang for a spell as well. I'm not sure what I expected, but it wasn't this. There's no way this beer is a BSPA. The nose has no Belgian yeast character and, frankly, there isn't much else goin' on. Maybe some pale malt, but that's hardly the most aromatic of grains. Amazingly enough, almost no alcohol is noted. Something tells me I won't be saying that when it comes time to upend the glass. Belzebuth Blond Ale tastes pretty much as expected. It's most reminiscent of an American malt liquor, although more refined. How about Euro strong ale? Whatever it is, it's heavy on power and light on complexity. It does, however, have a strange sort of charm for those of us who appreciate big beer (and don't mind the 'better' malt liquors). Something slightly darker than pale malt gives it slightly more flavor interest. Honey liqueur is another appropriate comparison. A decent amount of hop bitterness keeps it from being a cloying mess, though it might be nothing more than alcohol cutting through the sugars like a hot knife through butter. It's definitely warm, but stops well short of hot. What should the mouthfeel on a 13.0% ale be like? That's a tough one since there are so few of them. This one is closer to medium than full and has a 'just about right' amount of carbonation that keeps things from bogging down. Brasserie Grain d'Orge Belzebuth is more interesting than it is good. Having said that, any beer that calls to mind honey liqueur, mead and malt liquor is okay by me. Even if I'll never lay out the cash for another bottle.