Arabier

Tasting a De Dolle Brouwers Arabier:

Beautiful color--pretty close to my Pipaix-ish Saison. Lovely, very fine lacework--huge head.

Very interesting earthy, farmhouse ale kind of nose. This is probably a pretty old bottle. I've had younger ones that had a fairly explosive dry-hopped nose, which I love. Here, it's more subdued but also more complex. There's a little funky sourness, which is part of the house character. The aromatics are super-complex, with lots of fruity/floral tones and some definite vinous qualities. The palate, to my mind, is a little off--the bitterness feels a teeny bit coarse at the end and the malt character is just a little heavy, but it's still a really intriguing beer.

One other brewing note. I have produced my first offically fucked-up, spoiled beer. Keg of UK-style pale ale is getting quite sour. On the one hand, I'm pissed and paranoid something else will catch it. On the other hand, it was a mediocre beer anyway. I'm consulting with someone and may add fruit and see what happens--treat it as an accidental lambic.

I'm off to my neighbors to deliver a glass of my hoppy brown ale.