Brouwerij Huyghe Averbode Belgian Strong Pale Ale at 7.5% ABV | 38 IBU (C$4.99 at Oak & Vine, 330 ml, best before 6-Jun-2020, acquired 22-Aug-2017, reviewed 11-Oct-2017)
Appearance: slightly hazy pale gold with three fingers of rocky white head, excellent retention and moderate chunky lacing. (4/5) Aroma: Belgian yeast, cloves, lemon zest, banana, green apples, white pepper. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Medium-light body dropping off slightly watery, moderate carbonation, sweetish mildly warming finish. (3/5)
I definitely see the similarities to Delirium Tremens, but this is milder, both in flavour and in body. It also fades fairly quickly, with the initially bright lemon zest being rapidly overtaken by spices and banana. The finish has a similar tendency to wilt slightly, with an initial crisp and off-dry finish ending up slightly watery and sweet. To be clear, I’m probably giving these minor tendencies more emphasis than they actually deserve, mostly for the purposes of comparison to the other Huyghe beers – all in all, I think I’d prefer a Delirium Tremens to this, but not by a large margin.
(Hah! Turns out I did a brief review of this about 18 months ago at a tasting event, and gave it almost precisely the same scores. I might be full of shit, but at least I’m consistently so.) (15/20)
7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
