Omnipollo Leon Belgian Pale Ale at 6.5% ABV (C$6.08 at Collective, 330 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 11-Sep-2018, reviewed 15-Sep-2018)
Appearance: clear pale gold with an out-of-control rocky ivory head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: pithy grapefruit, stone and orchard fruit, earthy funk, pale crackery malt. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, light tart and peppery spice. (8/10) Medium-light body, moderate-high carbonation, dry mildly bitter slightly spicy finish. (4/5)
Hah! On the Omnipollo web site, the artwork for this bottle has a torso with a bare butt in the upper left corner, while on my bottle, that butt is artfully disguised by means of a pair of cherries. I guess the North American market is too prudish for the original? Anyway, labelling aside, I like this beer. I had to mark it down for the ballooning head that made it impossible to pour the full 330ml bottle (I mean, come on, it’s only 330ml!) but in its defence it does retain well, with a “marshmallow” remaining all the way to the end. Surprisingly, despite the monster head the carbonation in the body tends only slightly above moderate. Character-wise, it’s a very Belgian Pale Ale, which I mean as a compliment: fragrant, slightly funky, dry and pleasant. Actually, it’s very like Duvel, or maybe De Ranke XX. It also doesn’t hurt that the name reminds my of Léon: The Professional, which was a super cool movie and the only movie Natalie Portman ever starred in and any suggestion there were ever any Star Wars movies involving her is clearly nonsense designed to ruin my appreciation of the franchise (ahem). Bottom line, I could drink a whole lot of these. (16/20)
8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
