Contemplation Ale - Brewery Vivant

mikediesel124

Michigan

3/5  rDev -18.5%

10-04-2012 20:20:30 | More by mikediesel124

Summer78

Illinois

4/5  rDev +8.7%

05-20-2013 02:05:24 | More by Summer78

HarmonMW

Michigan

3.5/5  rDev -4.9%

05-12-2013 01:01:34 | More by HarmonMW

BuffBeerGeek

Michigan

3.5/5  rDev -4.9%

04-28-2013 22:55:54 | More by BuffBeerGeek

vitrael

Wisconsin

3.48/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: Clear and bright orange, rocky white head, moderate lacing. Poured into tulip glass.

S: Good honey aroma right up, looking quite a bit more out of it however. None of the expected fruitiness.

T: Great raw honey type profile to this beer. Fairly sweet, moderately hopped with a bunch more honey in the finish. Did I mention honey?

M: Medium-light with high carbonation appropriate to style.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2013 00:03:47 | More by vitrael

jadedlilmonkey

Michigan

4/5  rDev +8.7%

01-08-2013 10:40:39 | More by jadedlilmonkey

denimdemon

Indiana

3.25/5  rDev -11.7%

12-23-2012 01:43:29 | More by denimdemon

avschmitt

Michigan

3.5/5  rDev -4.9%

12-07-2012 16:18:50 | More by avschmitt

DrIPA

Michigan

4/5  rDev +8.7%

11-30-2012 02:26:51 | More by DrIPA

Cyberhoptic

3.5/5  rDev -4.9%

11-20-2012 21:40:24 | More by Cyberhoptic

rolandboy

Michigan

3.5/5  rDev -4.9%

11-13-2012 05:03:56 | More by rolandboy

duceswild

Maryland

3.75/5  rDev +1.9%

11-01-2012 04:59:23 | More by duceswild

marlinsfan4

Maryland

3.5/5  rDev -4.9%

10-28-2012 16:17:05 | More by marlinsfan4

jduprey007

Michigan

5/5  rDev +35.9%

10-26-2012 00:17:08 | More by jduprey007

superspak

Michigan

3.9/5  rDev +6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

16 ounce can into tulip glass, no canning date. Pours fairly crystal clear golden orange color with a nice 2 finger fairly dense off white head with good retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Spotty foamy lacing clings to the glass. Aromas of honey, pear, apple, pepper, biscuit, banana, clove, herbal, floral, earth, and light yeast spiciness. Nice and pleasant aromas with good complexity and balance. Taste of pear, honey, apple, bread, banana, pepper, clove, earth, herbal, floral, and light yeast spiciness. Lingering notes of light fruits, honey, bread, herbal, earth, pepper, and light yeast spiciness on the finish for a bit. Nice balance of flavors with good complexity; zero cloying flavors after the finish. Malt sweetness overshadows the spicy yeast esters, but is not overly much at all. Medium carbonation and body; with a fairly creamy and slick mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with almost zero warming noticed on the finish. Overall this is a very nice Belgian style ale. Well balanced with nice complexity; very smooth to drink. Very enjoyable offering, well done.

Serving type: can

10-22-2012 04:29:02 | More by superspak

KCM

3.75/5  rDev +1.9%

10-20-2012 15:23:13 | More by KCM

chocosushi

Oklahoma

3.5/5  rDev -4.9%

10-11-2012 00:35:49 | More by chocosushi

aaronblain22

Michigan

3.75/5  rDev +1.9%

10-06-2012 11:44:37 | More by aaronblain22

warnerry

Michigan

3.75/5  rDev +1.9%

09-21-2012 21:48:37 | More by warnerry

dpasotti

Indiana

3.75/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Orange-tinted copper color with small cap. Solid lacing. Nice clean aroma of doughy malt, melon, flowers, herbal hops, Belgian yeast bubblegum note, and a tad of funk underneath. Fresh and complex while remaining light.

There's a distinct orange/tangerine character that pops in the mouth, but otherwise pretty much the same as the smell. Actually, it's not as good. The honey definitely comes through.

The carbontion is quite low, especially for a Belgian style. This puts the body into the upper midrange, even though it is not a sweet beer by any means. I had 5 or 6 [creative but average] beers at Vivant's ridiculously awesome brewery, and this one takes the cake. I think higher CO2 and more yeasty Belgian phenolics would take this to another level.

Serving type: can

09-13-2012 00:26:48 | More by dpasotti

StoutHunter

Michigan

3.88/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I picked up a can of Brewery Vivant's Contemplation Ale a couple days ago for $3.29 at The Lager Mill. I was pretty impressed with Brewery Vivant's last special release, Zaison, so I'm hoping for good things with this one, so lets see how it goes. No visible canning date, Late summer 2012 Vintage. Poured from a silver 16oz can into a Belgian tulip.

A- This beer is in their normal special release can with a sticker that has a honeycomb on it and says that it's brewed with Local Michigan honey and Michigan hops, it look's ok but the only thing that really grabs my attention is the information. It poured a slightly copper amber color that took on much more of copper and ruby color when held to the light with three fingers worth of sticky white head that died down to a thin ring that stayed till the end and left hardly any lacing. The appearance was nice, the color and head were nice, but the lacing was a little disappointing..

S- The aroma starts off with a sweet and tart aroma, the tartness seems to come from the Belgian yeast, it's followed by a slight funky aroma, I have experienced this in a few Brewery Vivant beers. I pick up some nice spices and a slight banana aroma and after that I get some clean bready malts followed by a little more sweetness that has a slight honey like aroma to it. The aroma is nice and not overly tart or funky,, but it's nothing that makes my mouth water.

T- The taste is similar to the aroma, but it's much more cleaner and not as rustic and rough around the edges. It starts off with lots of sweet creamy honey and bready malts that go together nicely. All that sweetness is balanced out by a light herbal, spicy, and floral hops flavor imparts very little bitterness if any with just a slight bit of tartness. and it had a nice honey and bready malt aftertaste. This was a good tasting beer, the honey was the showcase of the beer, but there was some nice malts and hops to back it up so the honey didn't take over which can happen.

M- Pretty smooth, slightly chewy, creamy, medium dry, medium bodied, with a lighter amount of medium carbonation. I liked the mouthfeel of this beer, the slightly lower carbonation worked out nicely.

Overall I thought this was a good beer, I wouldn't really call it a Biere de Garde, but I would say that it is a good example of a Honey Ale, the honey stuck out the most and the malts and hops backed it up nicely and provided good balance. This beer had ok drinkability, it was pretty smooth and the flavor held my attention, but I think one would be enough for me. What I liked most about this beer was the taste, I liked how great the nice honey flavors contrasted with the malts and hops, it had great balance and the mouthfeel was also noteworthy. What I liked least about this beer was the aroma, it wasn't bad and I didn't mind the tart and funky yeast but it just didn't come together as well as it could have. I might buy one more can of this years release, but it's a little expensive, so there's a good chance I wont be having it till next time they release it, I do recommend giving it a try, especially if you are a fan of Honey Ales. All in All this was a good and solid beer, it wasn't everything that I expected it to be but it all ended up coming together nicely, good job Brewery Vivant, I'm on board for the next special release, it's one kick ass series.

Serving type: can

09-05-2012 03:51:09 | More by StoutHunter

jmich24

Michigan

3.75/5  rDev +1.9%

08-30-2012 02:52:46 | More by jmich24

Zaphog

Michigan

3.25/5  rDev -11.7%

08-26-2012 07:27:56 | More by Zaphog

erickehoe

Michigan

3.5/5  rDev -4.9%

08-25-2012 00:40:59 | More by erickehoe

zachary80

Indiana

3.45/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

16oz Brewer's Reserve can. Ale brewed with Michigan honey & locally grown hops.

Large white head fades moderately quickly to a rim. Golden-orange body.

Slightly funky and minerally, a little flowery.

Flavor is most reminiscent of a BSPA, somewhat fruity esters, medium bitterness.

Body is medium-full, light alcohol heat.

I like this beer but it is not something I would seek out. Don't think I would have identified the honey in it as a major component.

Serving type: can

08-22-2012 20:51:21 | More by zachary80