When I first started blogging, I was thinking I should stick with American craft brews. I believe that we should buy American and buy local. But you know what? There are some amazing micro-breweries out there that aren’t American. Different styles and beautifully crafted beers. Wouldn’t it be a crime to ignore to turn my nose up at these wonderful beers from micro breweries around the world? So when Hercules (who you’ll hear more about soon) recommended that I try some of his favorite Belgian beers, there was no way I was going to blow him off.
St. Sebastiaan Golden comes to us from the Brouwerij Sterkens in Belgium. Brewing from the village of Meer since 1654, these guys are out to make a quality beer.
Appearance: This beer comes in a fancy ceramic swingtop bottle and pours a light, cloudy golden color. It produces a small fizzy white head that quickly dissipates.
Aroma: Sweet malts and fruity hops. Lightly citrus, but more tropical fruits abound here – banana, pinapple, a little apple, yet there’s a slight earthiness to this beer.
Taste: That sweet fruitiness up front, followed by a sweet malt flavor. As I drink this beer and it warms up, the fruitiness turns somewhat rounder and richer. Like changing from a sweet white wine to a richer spicer red wine. I kind of like that transition in flavor. It’s sweet, but not overwhelming. Overall, a very complex and rich beer.
Mouthfeel: Surprisingly carbonated for a beer that didn’t pour with much of a head.
The tripel style of beer gets it’s name from being brewed with up to triple the amount of malts. It tends to be higher in alcohol content, bitter and spicy, and lighter in body. I find that while this St. Sebastiaan is definitely a good beer, I don’t feel that it’s a great representation of the tripel style.
The Facts:
ABV: 7.70%
On Tap 
bob said,
April 7, 2007 at 7:30 pm
Hi Carrie, I hate Belgium beers. They all have a funky taste. I prefer bitter German beers, however I am partial to Corona for obvious reasons. Time to go get a taco. See ya.
Jonas said,
March 16, 2008 at 11:28 am
Oh my god, you hate Belgian beer because it has a ‘funky’ taste?!
Belgian beers are so succesful because there’s something for everyone.
Even friends of mine who come to Belgium and say they don’t like beer can’t resist the taste of fruity beers like faro, kriek, framboise. Occasionally some of them even like a geuze.
If I were you I would reconsider.
btw: thanks for the tip on Sint-Sebastiaan, never heard of it but I’ll definately try it out!