Great Brewers and Great Beer Styles Unite
Written: Oct 22 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Exceptional flavor, strong but not too demanding and not too expensive
Cons: It's cold but it's not Coors Light
The Bottom Line: If you love Belgian beers or are not sure if you do, this Pranqster's for you. Arguably one of America's best brewers throws us more proof. Exceptional.
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| andaryl's Full Review: North Coast Pranqster Belgian Style Golden Ale |
In my short time as an American beer drinker and rater, I can honestly say that there are few brewers who do things better than North Coast in Mendocino County. Their “Old No.38” Stout and “Old Rasputin” Imperial Stout are without doubt two of the best beers brewed in the United States, while “Reudrich’s Red Seal Ale”, despite my lack of enthusiasm for American red ales (or lagers) is itself a solid performer.
So what would you expect when a great brewer, who does things right take on a great beer style? Well, let me tell you more, but the premise is obviously one not to miss out in “Pranqster Belgian Style Golden Ale”.
The Premise
Those Belgians know how to brew their ales, and fortunately so does North Coast’s headbrewer Mark Reudrich (incidentally pictured on the label among a cartoon illustration of Belgian drinkers).
Pranqster weighs in at a hearty 7.6% ABV (the website states 6.9%) and follows in the Belgian tradition of “a mixed culture of antique yeast strains that results in a floral nose, a full fruity flavor and a clean finish”.
Awards
Gold Medal, 1998 World Beer Championships, Chicago, IL
Bronze Cup, 1998 World Beer Cup, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Silver Medal, 1997 World Beer Championships, Chicago, IL
Silver Medal, 1996 World Beer Championships, Chicago, IL
92 Points, Rated Exceptional, Beverage Tasting Institute, Chicago, 1999
Tasting Notes
Pranqster pours to a bright golden color, of surprising clarity for its style. A little later I made sure to shake up the bottle and got some of that yeast sediment in there. It’s adequately carbonated while a white foam forms but does not persist
An impressive mix in the nose shows good sweet malts, citrus, and plenty of herbs and spice, as well as a light woody, earthy, yeast aroma. I detect some coriander in there, but that gets overshadowed by an almost peppery spiciness.
The palate makes this a much easier drinker than the 7.6% would suggest, a little spritzy carbonation at first, subsiding to a smooth almost sticky mouthfeel.
The palate is pretty sweet, with bubble gum fruity esters at first, green apple at the front, pear like in the middle with an underlying flavor of cloves and coriander, smoothing out to a banana or German wheat flavor towards the end. A slight sourness and dryness rounds out the finish, while there also seems to be a touch of candy sugar or honey thrown in to balance things out. The aftertaste is long, spicy and fruitful making this one to savor.
Verdict
My first impression is that you wouldn’t guess how strong this beer really is until you’d guzzled down a couple and tried to stand up. The fullness of flavor works perfectly, while the balance is equally well crafted.
I’ve heard several comparisons of this beer to Duvel but would add that it certainly seems lighter in body and on the palate, and while bottle conditioned the yeast does play a a lesser role. An exceptional performer nonetheless and I’ll have to say every bit as good as Duvel. Maybe I’ll rush out and buy one just to make sure. Certainly one for Belgian beer fans and won’t be disagreeable to too many newcomers.
Will I buy this beer again?
Definitely!
Should you?
If you like beer or know someone who does!
The best beer I’ve had in a couple of months.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
andaryl
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Member: Andrew Smith
Location: California via Yorkshire
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