Borealis Fermentery Speckled Ghost Belgian Style Abbey Ale, 750 ml, 1 pint, 9.5 fl oz. Brewed and bottled by Borealis Fermentery, P.O. Box 130, Knife River, MN, 55609.
ALC. by VOL. ???
My first taste of this was a day after hearing of the breweries existence (though they had been promoted a bit on mnbeer.com, weeks early,apparently on a day I forgot to visit the site), on tap at a coffee shop in West Duluth. Smitten with this brew, my friend and I vowed to find bottles for sale before we left the North Shore, and were successful.
Dark crimson coloring under a slim, cream-toned head, soon to disappear.
Aromatics: lovely. Sweet and spicy. Special B malts, and caramel malts, too? Some raisin, figs, toffee, vanilla, cream. A treat for the nose, a sumptuous olfactory delight.
Now, to drink the danged thing: Bam! It hits from the start, not meek or shy in the least, blasting dark fruit flavor, laced with spice. Pepper and plum aplenty. Juicy malt is the forward flavor, with spicy Belgian yeast added extra character. I have a word for this, and it is Yum.
Mighty fine consumability, also, …not too heavy, not too slight, juuust right. Hits all the right notes.
Not quite as dark, rich, and deep as I'd prefer a dubbel to be, but there's no quarreling with the taste, or the quality. Excellent stuff. There's the cherry version awaiting in the fridge, and I'll have to wait a bit for the others, I guess, (a wit and another wheat, their website says) but if they're as nice as this…keep 'em coming.
Let's look at the label gobbledygook: "At the Borealis Fermentery, our beers are craft brewed in small individual batches on Minnesota's beautiful North Shore using pure artesian water and the freshest ingredients available. Our beers are unfiltered and bottle conditioned. Please pour carefully decanting the beer into your glass while keeping the yeast on the bottom of the bottle.
Speckled ghost is an ode to the elusive trout. A Belgian style abbey ale that melds hop balance, sweetness, and a hint of maltiness.
Chill before serving, pour into your favorite glass, and enjoy this beer while dreaming of the perfect day wading in the river.
We hope you enjoy our handcrafted beer.
Enjoy responsibly, The Borealis Fermentery,
Big Lake, Big Beer."
I did enjoy it, but, damn it once again, a beer label tried to tell me what I should do while drinking it! (Shades of The Lost Abbey.) I did not think once of wading in a river, or about fish. I was re-watching this season's Mad Men, and also listening to Clifford Jordan's "Night of the Mark VII." And I'd do it again!
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