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St. Sebastiaan Not-so- Grand Reserve BelgianOct 15 '02 Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line Tasty, mild, warming; lacks body,complexity. Like Red Hook Hefe-Weizen; disappointing. Hard-won, imported Belgian annual release specialty shouldn't taste American, especially not like Anheuser-Busch influenced Red Hook.
The Beer: St. Sebastiaan Grand Reserve Belgian Specialty Ale, Limited Edition. Brewery Sterkens, Meer, Belgium ---------------------------------------------------------- Stupid Beer Poem: (by Grovespirit, inspired by a folk song) There's a Belgian Ale in Texas, that I am going to buy, Nobody else could want it, Not half as much as I. It cost so much at my shop it nearly broke the bank, And if I get evicted, Saint Sebastiaan you can thank. It's the sweetest flip-top bottle that Texas ever knew, Made of old-fashioned stoneware, labeled with monk & brew, I've heard about a Bubba Dog, and tried a Cactus Queen, But the Belgian Ale in my fridge is the only ale for me. When this Copper Ale is flowing, the head foams up alright, To the nose it's sweet as honey, -to the eye it's diamonds bright: I admit that it's a strong one, and it tastes okay y'know, Grand Reserve & Limited Release; but where'd the flavor go? Oh now I must review it, For my heart is full of woe, This Sterkens Ale tastes rather like a Red Hook Ale I know, I've played the fool to buy it, hoping for taste galore, But this Belgian Ale in Texas sure won't fool me evermore. So next time I go a-thirstin' for a yummy copper brew, With clarity like diamonds, strong flavor like kung fu, Inexpensive unlike Grand Reserve, and better than A-B, Well, the YELLOW ROSE OF TEXAS is the yellow beer for me. -------------------------------------------------------- The Bottle: This interesting import is packaged in an earthenware bottle that promises so much. Its olde-timey packaging speaks of traditions long followed. The monk on the label hints of craft-brewing beer by hand, in small batches, using the best quality ingredients. But it's just packaging! The Style: Top fermented Belgian Reserve ale. This Special harvest ale is only brewed once a year at harvest time, but it's still not so great when you consider the hype that precedes it. I've had several imported German Marzens which were better harvest beers than this one. This Grand Reserve is similar to the Sterkens Golden, which is a tasty Belgian Blonde Ale. I'd call this one a Strawberry Blonde, or Light Amber Ale. Although it does leave something to be desired, it's still a yummy brew. The Pour: The beverage is well-carbonated. It forms a creamy, cauliflower-looking, lasting, moderately thick head. The ale itself is crystal clear. You can actually read small print through a glassful of it. The color can be called a gorgeous Golden Copper, Light Orange-Amber, or Strawberry Blonde in color, but whatever you call it, it's a beautiful gemmy look that reminds me of the best Citrine. It also looks quite like some gourmet orange blossom honey I have in my kitchen, which whets my appetite to taste the beer. Aroma: "You mean there's an aroma there? I just think it smells slightly beery" said my beerloving pal. I, on the other hand, have a sensitive nose and was able to detect a few faint scents to the beer. I smelled slight aromas of yeast, bread, spicy hops, caramel malt, alcohol, evergreens, and butter. Palate/Flavor: This beer starts out tasting dryish, and alcoholic at the start. It's warming. I suspected a strong ale (above 5% ABV) by the flavor. Actual Alcohol By Volume: 7.6% Next I noticed a mild, middle of the road, aleish character. Grainy flavored, with some light malts, but the beer isn't -malty- in the strict sense. Rather, it's biscuity, with mild wheat, light barley, and slight yeasty notes. There's a very tiny, spicy-flavored, hop presence, mainly on the sides of the tongue. The beer has a good overall flavor. Body and complexity: The body is light, edging toward medium. The mouthfeel is mildly creamy, as found in a quality wheat beer. This particular example of the style (Amber Belgian Ale) is MUCH lighter-bodied & less complex-flavored than I expected. Given all the things I smelled in the aroma, I was surprised that I didn't taste many of the appetizing things I had smelled earlier. Finish: Malty hints yield a slightly sweet aftertaste that gets more notable as the beer warms, approaching caramel flavor, but it unfortunately never really gets there. To be fair, it never gets so sweet as to be cloying, either. Not hoppy at the end. In fact, the hop bitterness is barely detectable at all in the finish, which was also a slight disappointment. The Verdict: Don't let the nifty ceramic bottle, monk label, and cool little Grolsch style bottle top fool you! Sure, you can reuse the neat container for trips to the beach, but are you really gonna buy it just for the bottle? I was definitely underwhelmed with the contents (the beer itself). This beer is tasty, mild, warming and coats the tongue. Yet it lacks depth, body, and complexity. It's similar to Red Hook Hefe-Weizen in some ways, which explains perhaps why I was disappointed. I don't want my hard-won, imported Belgian annual release specialty ale to resemble -anything- American, especially not something partly owned by Anheuser-Busch. I ended up using some of it for beer batter! To me this was a rather boring drink. It's not exactly a "world class beer" but it makes darn good onion rings. A friend I shared this with commented that it was "a bit like Grolsch, only copper colored." Personally, I think it's closer to a cross between Yellow Rose Pale Ale and Yellow Rose Bubba Dog. Hence, the Stupid Beer Poem. EPINIONS CRITERIA: Overall Rating: 3.5 Stars Beer Rating: Solidly performs well, but not better than most Belgian Ales. Weight: Light Body Flavor: Low flavor for the style; lightly sweet. Complexity: Fairly Simple (or, more politely, Direct) Price: I'm embarrassed to say. I definitely didn't get a good value. I think it was $6.49 for a 16-oz bottle. Recommended: Yes, if you have deep pockets or an insatiable desire to try every single Belgian beer.  |
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