PDubyah: Beer – #32 – Harrington's

Sunday, July 1, 2012

Beer – #32 – Harrington's - Belgium Tempest

Harrington's Belgium Tempest a Strong Ale of 8% ABV in a 500ml bottle. Not a flash bottle, not a flash label.

Brewed by Harringtons Breweries (Christchurch) in the Abbey Tripel style the interwebtubes seems to be divided on this.

For me it poured flat and without head, and it doesn't carry the same aroma of a Belgium style beer, For me it's a bit hoppy. The label says "moderate" I'm not sure that means what they think it means.

It carries a citrus flavor that is noticeable, and an unerlying bitterness and a dash of caramel that kind of peeks in for a sneaky look but doesn't hang around. All a bit soft really.

But the taste is close to what is expected. Close but not close. Something with the malt that didn't quite turn up perhaps.

It's very very flat in the glass, no head, no lacing, but it's being brave with it's somewhat faintly pleasing aroma,

Overall though I think that this is a beer that is confused as to what it is and what it's supposed to be.

On the pdubyah-o-meter this is going to be arbitrarily disappointing at about 2 from 5. Like the bottle and the label this then isn't flash. It's not even solid, and it's not a welcoming taste or aroma that you'd get from other Belgium style beers that are styled as a Tripel.

I'd like to be kinder to this, and I should if I could, you know I'm easily impressed, equally I'm easily disappointed and I am disappointed in this.