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When you do decide it is time to drink it, this is what you might taste…The yeast is of major importance in the beer. During fermentation, this yeast gives the beer its special flavors as much as the malt and spices do. I had a bottle last weekend (2/23/02) at The Liars Club and, after a couple draft Lucifer Belgian Golden ales, the coriander really jumped out: a huge coriander nose, with plenty of bitter orange, and a nice yeasty undertone. The flavor is also heavy on the coriander, a solid tanginess from the wheat, and a fairly light body (which makes me feel like drinking it more quickly than I know I should!). The after taste is quite bitter—(there is a fair amount of hops for any beer, and a lot for a Belgian style)—but the bitter orange seems to take some of the blame. An interesting circus of flavors moves around. With the coriander spiciness, the tangy wheat, and the yeasty subtleties, the after-flavors are the gifts that keep on giving! This is all from a bottle that is due to peak in 11 more years?? Yeah, I know. I'm not drinking much of my stash now, but I will gladly drink yours (or Louis' at Liars Club)! It will be great to see how these flavors change over time. If you have a few bottles, or are bottle-conditioning some of the homebrew version, don't wait to drink some, but put a few bottles away for a few years… and let me know what you think! What I expect is that the coriander and hop components will slowly recede to allow the more subtle yeasty flavors, hard-to-find black pepper, and more of the malt and grist flavors through. This is going to be fun! |
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