Juli Goldenberg / Stone Brewing Company / Monkey Paw Brewing 24 Carrot Golden Ale Belgian Strong Pale Ale at 8.5% ABV (C$11.99 at Quarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 650 ml, bottle date 23-Sep-2015, reviewed 30-Nov-2015)
Appearance: slightly hazy medium gold with a short, short-lived white head, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: carrot, ginger, candi sugar, vanilla, raisins, assorted dark and boozy fruits. (6/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, growing bitter and slightly warming finish. (3/5)
I guess it’s pretty much what it says on the label – a Belgian-style golden ale that tastes like carrot cake. (I kind of waffled on whether it actually does “taste” like carrot cake, or is simply evocative of it – but yeah, I think it actually does taste like carrot cake. With cream cheese icing.) It’s definitely on the sweet side, but not to the point where it’s cloying or undrinkable. It’s also kind of interesting how that sweetness drops off fairly rapidly, leaving a fairly bitter (and growing) finish, along with a little warming from the high-ish ABV. Not a home run by any means, and I’m getting a little tired of Stone’s goofy one-offs, but it’s not a complete flop, either. (12/20)
6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
