Pranqster

A beer I rarely see anymore -- perhaps, for no other reason, that because my eyes are always in search of "real" Belgian ales in the liquor stores, that they skip right over this. But while I wouldn't say that I'll make it a point to seek this out each and every time I'm beer shopping, I do admit that this is a Belgian-esqe beer that deserves at least some credit.

Had this off the tap at Hilltop Brewing Company in Virginia Beach, where almost every beer they offer is served a touch on the flat side. Be that as it may, this beer still looked quite nice, with a thin layer of white foam atop a beer obviously intended to be a Belgian Golden Ale. Nice, reasonably complex aroma, too -- hints of fruit complexity in the nose.

The minute this touched my mouth, I knew where this beer was going: Duvel Light, anyone? Not in a derogatory manner, that is, but just a less assertive Second Cousin to The Master. Maltiness and the well-behaved alcohol in the front, and with yeast-derived fruit and perhaps even some breadiness in the middle and backend. Perhaps not too complex -- this is a rather Americanized Belgian, after all -- and not bottle conditioned (so no aging will improve this), but still, I enjoyed this quite a bit.

This beer has been around for quite a while (in American Craft Beer terms), and deserves more credit that it gets for "Belgianizing" the West Coast beer palate. Recommended.
//TB