Spring Time

It finally feels like spring is here; hard not to be happy with good weather and a few days off coming up. I'm in London next weekend, I'll probably not get a chance to sample too much interesting as I will be fully celebrating a mate's wedding in true Norn Iron style (I'm guessing that even if there was something worth writing up my notes might be a tad blurry...). This weekend was therefore rather reserved but I did get a couple more beers ticked from the list.

204. Birra del Borgo Re Ale
Style: APA. ABV: 6.4%. From: Drinkstore.ie 
Description: Pours dark amber with an off-white head. Smells wonderful, sweet fruits (mandarin), floral notes, and some tart grapefruit - hop heaven. I was expecting a big hit of hops following the small, but this was light, subtle, floral but quaffable, with a nice caramel malt backbone. Light but slightly sticky.
Thoughts: A bit like last week's Celebration, this may not have been at its freshest, but it stood up really well. Not too bitter, not too sweet, this balanced APA hit the spot with me.
Score: 8

205. Gouden Carolous Classic
Style: Belgian Strong Ale. ABV: 8.5%. From: Drinkstore.ie 
Description: Poured very dark brown, opaque, small off-head. Not a huge aroma (my fault it was too cold) but there's hints of treacle and fig. Taste is dark fruits, figs and plums, toasted malts, treacle, and that Belgian yeast backbone. I also got some smokiness on the finish and a boozy hit. Mid bodied, syrupy. 
Thoughts: I didn't read too much of this before trying, which screwed me up as I served this too cold, but as it warmed up it really came to life nicely. Felt a wee bit like a mini quad, or a big dubble. Either way it was good stuff.  
Score: 7.5

Quick round up of a few other things I tried.

Off-List: 165-167. Steen Brugge Blonde / Wit / Dubble
For ease I have stuck these all together as they are all a bit same-y in my mind. First up I had to google Gruut - as each of these beers (picked up in the Vineyard) had "Enriched with Gruut" on the side of the bottle. While this made them all interesting, it made them all have the same herbal taste despite the style difference. None of them were bad but I couldn't see me buying them again.
Score: 5

Might manage an another quick post picking off a few more beers before the weekend, if not I'll catch you on the other side of Easter. Have a good one!

Cheers