Monday, March 18, 2013

Review: Saint Arnold Divine Reserve #13

Alright, time for a quick review that's not part of the "Feature Beer Friday!" series, the Saint Arnold Divine Reserve #13, which officially releases TODAY, March 18th.  Due to distributor and/or retailer miscommunication some of this was released in Baton Rouge a week or so ago, and I was able to get my hands on a 6-pack.

Lately Saint Arnold has done a great job turning their Divine Reserve series into full release or seasonal beers, as the Pumpkinator and Endeavour both started off as a Divine Reserve recipe.  Last year's release, the #12, was an old ale, and I enjoyed it but really need to revisit a few that I have aging to see how it aged and developed.  It was definitely one that was meant to be cellared for a while.  

This year's release is a Belgian Quad, coming in strong at 11% abv with ample amounts of Belgian candi sugar to boost the alcohol and give it a rich dark color.  The dark fruit flavors that are characteristic of the style come through extremely well, and the strong alcohol content is barely present.  There are also no metallic off flavors that I find in a lot of poorly done Belgian ales, which allows the malt backbone and yeasty esters to come through and flourish.  Another fine well-crafted offering from Saint Arnold, and one that should age extremely well.

So... this officially hits shelves today, go get some if you can, and don't be afraid to try one now and save the rest for a later date. 

No comments:

Post a Comment