CBC Smaragd Belgian Pale Ale - Victory Brewing Company

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.43/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Served in a tulip glass at ChurchKey.

I love learning about new hop varieties. This beer pours a clear straw topped by a half-finger of white foam. The nose sadly faint, comprising straw, hay, florals, and some light greens. The taste holds notes of lemon zest, grapefruit, orange zest, and some floral bitters. Kinda disappointed over the lack of earthiness and spice. The body is light, with moderate carbonation and a somewhat dry, almost sticky finish. Overall, a decently solid BPA, but nothing to write home about.

Serving type: on-tap

07-16-2010 23:07:19 | More by TMoney2591

Gavage

New Jersey

3.83/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: light orange in color with a 1" head that lingered around a while. Some moderate lace painted the glass.

Smell: caramel, a hint of lemon, and some soft yeast tones are easy to detect.

Taste: caramel, some bread tones, lemon zest, some decent belgian yeast flavors, and a moderate bitterness.

Mouthfeel: medium bodied. Crisp at the start, less crisp and a touch dry late.

Drinkability: I found this to be quite drinkable despite the milder Belgian Pale flavors compared to some others in the style. Worth a try if you see it.

Serving type: on-tap

07-14-2010 23:50:40 | More by Gavage

johnmichaelsen

Oregon

3.6/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On tap at Vistory the other day. None of the CBC BPA beers I tried was particulary impressive, and absent a few subtle differences, they generally all tasted petty much the same.

The beer pours a honey gold color with decent head retention and minimal lacing. The nose is fairly spicey, consisting of considerable clove, light honey, orange citrus and some nutmeg. Unfortunately, this beer smells better then it tastes in this light weight, dry style ale. Really don't get much in this beer, just some light spice and bitterness, leading to a dry, nearly flavorless finish. Given the nose, I was surprised by the lack of flavor, and how dry this beer was. There is literally almost no mid palate to the flavor profile. Mouthfeel is light and a bit watery. Drinkability would normally be OK (it's apparent the alcohol isn't too high), but there's so little flavor, I just can't call this a drinkable beer.

While by no means terrible, I'm really not very thrilled with this beer. A bit more malt and/or honey would have helped this beer a lot.

Serving type: on-tap

07-05-2010 19:34:38 | More by johnmichaelsen

plaid75

New York

3.9/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On draft at Blind Tiger, NYC.

Poured a medium hazy copper hue with a two finger foamy white head. There was very good retention and good lacing.

The smell featured a light grassy hop with a touch of earthy spice and doughy malts.

The taste consisted of a sweet, bready element with an initial lemon zest. No esters to be found.

The mouthfeel was typical of the style.

Overall a good flavorful ale, that lacked the requisite esters.

Serving type: on-tap

07-14-2010 21:30:02 | More by plaid75

cpetrone84

Pennsylvania

4.13/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had on tap at the brewery

A-darker clear golden orange with a pure white head

S-the nose is quite faint, hints of butter, notes of pale malts, hops in the back, grassy with notes of lemon.

T-toasted grains up front with some nice caramel malty sweetness behind. The hops take hold in the back adding notes of grass with a light lemon taste. a light bitterness in the finish that lingers for a moment.

M-this has a smooth and creamy feel to it, medium body and chewy with a good crisp finish.

D-this is very tasty and easy to drink. a nice blend of malts with a good hop balance and nice bitterness.

Serving type: on-tap

05-20-2010 15:02:13 | More by cpetrone84

Kendo

New York

3.9/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Got it on tap at the Victory Brewing Company in Downingtown, PA, 5/27/10.

A: Cloudy orangey-golden body with a 2-finger whitish head. Good lace left behind.

S: Slight hint of barnyard funk, some hoppiness. Seems to get the nose mainly from yeasty-type esters. Not terribly strong in the nose, however.

T: Banana-like esters up front, but finishes with a nice drying hop bitterness. A "clean" drinker compared to some lighter Belgian-style ales that get more of their flavor from sugar and yeast. Not terribly complex, flavor-wise, but easy-drinking. Hop bitterness balances this one nicely without taking charge.

M: Call it slightly heavier than light in heft.

D: Good. A solid beer.

Serving type: on-tap

06-07-2010 13:58:04 | More by Kendo

jampics2

Ohio

4.2/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap @ the First Fat Heads Brewers Brawl. Served with a smile by Cameron! Thanks, dude - you brought the rating-less heat this time!!

Pale gold with a nice white head - a nice looking BPA.

Smell is REALLY nice. This new Smaragd hop gives a nice earthy smell, just a touch of spice and some smooth fruity, almost vinous qualities that really groove well with the whole bright Belgian pale.

Taste is good. I like this beer, wish I could try it again in a less hectic session. But this was really refreshing, nice slight biscuit toast and smooth caramel malts. Touch of citrus and some lemon. Very nice flavor profile, light but flavorful.

Mouthfeel and drinkability were good. In fact, this was my pick for the best session strength beer I had at the Brawl!

Serving type: on-tap

05-24-2010 22:36:31 | More by jampics2

TheHoppiest

Ohio

3.63/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Prepared from a voice memo a recorded last night at the Beer Engine.

Served in a small snifter. Is a beautiful sunshine yellow-orange color with very little head.

Has a floral, fruity smell, with slight sourness underneath.

Has a smooth, lemony taste, some grass and malt, with a slight sourness to it as well.

Relatively drinkable, though I'm not surprised this is not in Victory's regular lineup.

Serving type: on-tap

07-24-2010 21:57:48 | More by TheHoppiest

JAXSON

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

April, 2010 rate on tap at Victory.

Poured medium gold with a white head. Not overwhelmingly yeasty or reminiscent of Belgian-style ales. Quite dry and crisp in the mouth, nice high carbonation. More wild and herbal than the other CBC offerings. Dry, slightly bitter, very pleasant. I liked this one a lot, my favorite of the 2010 CBC Victory offerings.

Serving type: on-tap

01-02-2011 04:40:09 | More by JAXSON