Photogenic at least
This gorgeous reddish brown ale has a subtle aroma of grain and fruit. A medium light body offers very little up front. There’s a bit of sweetness and a touch of acidity but not a whole lot else. The finish is a little bolder albeit only by comparison. I get some bitterness and spiciness headlined by clove but subtlety remains the rule. Nothing is wrong with this beer but nothing is exciting about it either. I’m disappointed that the plum color doesn’t deliver the dark fruit flavors that it implies. Yeast can be finicky little buggers it seems.
Pilsner as is often the case with Belgians, is the base: eight and a half pounds. The recipe piles on specialty malts with 13 ounces of Munich, and six each of aromatic, Caramunich II, and Special B. A 90 minute mash and 90 minute boil were also required. 1.50 ounces of Tettnang was the only hop addition, but extra sugar did go in at the end of the boil: both ten ounces of amber candi sugar and six ounces of plain sucrose. The yeast whose cooperation was sorely lacking was WLP530 Abbey Ale.