Lips of Faith: Hof Ten Dormaal Golden Ale

Off the pour, the beer is a solid golden color with an ivory-colored head of loose bubbles and a lower retention. The aroma is of sweet clean malt, some spicy pepper. I also get a high pome fruit aroma, a combination of apple skins and juicy pear flesh. There is also some kind of herbal and phenolic element to the aroma that I’m not fond of. The flavor is very nice; it’s sweet up front and the malt character is light and clean. There are low bittering hops, and a lot of fruity esters and some pepper. I’m digging the flavor a lot more than the aroma. Whatever that herbal or phenolic character is, it works in the flavor and hits me towards the front end of the sip. The carbonation is just barely enough to wash over the sweetness, so the beer may be a bit too sweet for some people. Still the flavors are good, the body is a bit more full and viscous than I expected but not bad, and the aroma is OK. All in all for a Belgian Golden ale, it’s a solid pick.