Belgian Strong Ales — North Coast Brewing Co. vs. New Belgium

North Coast Brewing Pranqster
Belgian Style Golden Ale
ABV 7.6%

Color: Orange, slightly hazy, very low carbonation.
Aroma: Floral honey, cardamon, bit of damp cellar funk.
Flavor: Almost no carbonation. Honey sweet, almost mead-like with herbal notes.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Malty.
Finish: Sweet with piney/rosemary herbal notes.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good +

New Belgium Lips of Faith
Belgian Style Blond
ABV 8.5%

Color: Straw yellow, fitting of the blond(e) moniker.
Aroma: Very sweet smelling, like banana cream pie.
Flavor: Classic banana and clove. Not as sweet as it smells.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Malty (but not as much as Pranqster).
Finish: Dry, woody, slight hop bitterness.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good

Winner by unanimous decision: Pranqster. The New Belgium came out swinging and really had Pranqster on the ropes for awhile. But despite a slow start (the low carbonation took some getting used to) the Pranqster eventually wore down the Blond with a touch more complexity and range of flavors. However, if you're in the mood for a American version of a Belgian style beer you can't go wrong with either of these offerings. Both were more appealing to us than the world-renowned Duvel.

Extra Credit: Despite the different names of these beers, they actually both fit in the Belgian Strong Ale category. That means, be careful. These will sneak up on you. One minute you'll be enjoying a Belgian Strong Ale with friends and the next you'll be playing a one string banjo in a boxcar headed for Bakersfield, California.

In the interest of full disclosure to satisfy the FTC’s law, this battle features a sample bottle received from the New Belgium Brewery.

Short Hiatus for Seattle Beer Week

We here at Bottle Battle headquarters are currently busy enjoying all the fantastic Seattle Beer Week events that we can manage to fit into our schedules. There is just too much good beer out there on draft for us to conduct a Bottle Battle this week. Don't panic though, the battles will resume next week. In the meantime, go to Seattle Beer News and read the review I wrote about the amazing beer dinner we attended on Monday. It was organized in perfect Bottle Battle style — two beers for each course.

Seattle Beer Week Double IPAs — Hale's vs. Pike

Hale's Seattle Beer Week
2010 Double IPA
ABV 8.3% IBU 100

Color: Hazy, honey/orange.
Aroma: Floral and citrus hops with a slight scent of yeasty dough.
Flavor: Almost savory bitterness, like bitter greens that evolves into citrus hop bitterness.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Really hoppy.
Finish: Grapefruit and pepper hop bitterness.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good +

Pike Double IPA
(First brewed for inaugural Seattle Beer Week 2009)
ABV 8% IBU 80

Color: Clear amber.
Aroma: Malts and toasted nuts.
Flavor: Sharp piney hops with a touch of stinky cheese funk.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Hoppy.
Finish: Burnt toast bitter hops.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good

Winner by unanimous decision: Hale's. Tomorrow is the first day of Seattle Beer Week! In celebration and anticipation of this event we decided to pit this year's SBW Double IPA (Hale's) against the one brewed for last year's inaugural SBW (Pike). Both are good beers, however, the Pike came up a bit short when compared directly against the Hale's. Both are intensely hoppy beers that will appeal to any and all hopheads, but they both emphasize a different style of hop. The Pike has more of a focus on citrusy hops, while the Hale's leans toward the piney, sappy hop character. What set the Hale's apart for us was the generous dose of malty sweetness that did an admirable job of tempering the hoppiness for awhile before finally giving in to a mellow burnt toast bitterness. The Pike, on the other hand, didn't have the same malt profile and ended up being dominated by intense citrus hops through and through.

Food pairing thoughts: Despite the fact that the Hale's was the victor, it may not be the best with food. Its massive hop flavors are very dominant and would overwhelm most foods. The Pike, on the other hand is a softer, rounder beverage that might be able to marry well with spicy or acidic foods that could use a bit of hops to counter the intense flavors.

Pale Ale Can Clash — Oskar Blues vs. 7 Seas Brewing

Oskar Blues Dale's Pale Ale
ABV 6.5% IBU 65

Color: Golden yellow/orange.
Aroma: Big, wonderful, piney hops.
Flavor: Big, juicy citrus burst that quickly turns into citrus peel hoppiness.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Hoppy
Finish: Intense, lasting, bitter citrus peel hops.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good

7 Seas Brewing British Pale Ale
ABV 5.4% IBU 24

Color: Golden yellow/orange (exactly the same as Dale's).
Aroma: Malts and toasted nuts.
Flavor: Crisp, lemony, simple, refreshing.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Balanced
Finish: Dried grains, toasted malts, touch of sweetness.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good -

Winner by unanimous decision: Oskar Blues.
You see that crazy looking fellow with the mutton chops on the 7 Seas can? Well, he taught us something. He taught us that British Pale Ales are for sissies! Just kidding. British Pale Ales are generally not nearly as aggressively hopped as what we're used to here in the Northwest. Such was the case with the 7 Seas version. To our biased palates it actually was dangerously close to tasting like some Northwest ambers. Having been raised on hoppy pale ales, it will come as no surprise that we preferred the generously hopped Dale's Pale Ale. The 7 Seas certainly has its place as an easy drinking sessionable ale that would taste great after a long hike or a full day of yard work. But for a volatile Spring day in the Northwest (featuring areas of hail and slush) pass us a hoppy Dale's Pale Ale please.

Extra Credit: On the bottom of our Dale's can it announces the canning date along with a quote from The Big Lebowski, "8 Year Olds Dude." We wonder if they change the quote for each canning date?