Verboten - Weyerbacher Brewing Co.

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.38/5  rDev -10.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On-tap at Mr. Goodbar's. Some yeast aroma. White soapy head on light orange body. Medium mouthfeel. Smooth, and spicey, corriander, a little cloves and pepper.A little bannana. A little hoppy and drying in the finish. An average beer overall, likely better with food.

Serving type: on-tap

08-17-2009 04:02:20 | More by northyorksammy

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

4.43/5  rDev +17.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Polished pumpkin with a lustrous luminescence when backlit with radiant morning sunshine. The incredibly creamy crown is more ecru than alabaster. It almost looks good enough to be called Belgianesque, something that rarely occurs with Belgian-style beer brewed in America. An attractive array of tattered lace graces the glass.

The aroma is pretty close to classic for the style. I used those words because this Belgian pale ale uses American hops (Centennial and Cascade). Their citrusiness takes a backseat to what smells like an incredibly estery yeast strain, though that's fine with me. Warming brings out even more boldness.

This is fantastic beer that reminds me of one of the all-time great ales in this corner of the country (or anywhere else for that matter). New Glarus Dancing Man Wheat is a kick-ass hefeweizen that uses American hops and does so in gobsmacking fashion. Zotten isn't quite that special, but it is a marvelous marriage of the Old World and the New World.

The mouthfeel is more than fine and has picture perfect carbonation that adds sparkliness to a flavor profile that is already as zippy and zesty as all get out. That said, no one who knows better would mistake it for having been brewed in Belgium.

Zotten is Belgian/Flemish for 'fools'. Anyone who loves Belgian-style beer that is insanely drinkable would be foolish not to seek this one out. I'm amazed at how many styles (from a multitude of countries) that Weyerbacher does well. Slam Dunkel and this beer are perfect examples.

*reviewed on 10-25-2009

Serving type: bottle

10-26-2009 22:51:50 | More by BuckeyeNation

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4.05/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

golden amber in color with a nig head of white on top that only slowly faded as the session wore on, dropping tons of lace up and down the sides of the glass. Richness to it that looked just fantastic as it warms up. Aroma of light fruit touches, hints of a light grassy touches, maybe pine. Apples and grape skin start to come to the front as it warms up and it gets a very complex touch to it. Smooth, even flavor here, really quite wonderful. Light and airy on the palate, the carbonation is spot on. Light touches of apples and bananas, hints of light peach and a delicate touch of grape are all coming out at me. Nice bready and grainy touch to it now as well, really again very well done.

Serving type: bottle

07-24-2011 06:10:44 | More by mikesgroove

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.23/5  rDev -14.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Bottle thanks to ChrisPro as part of Blind BIF 4. Served in a Bruery tulip.

Pour yields a light copper-colored brew. Very, very short white head without much retention. Nothing else comes of the foam other than a very thin collar. The nose brings some light clove character along with a bit of bread-crust malt. The taste falls through with many of the same characteristics and then hit a bit of bitterness toward the end and in the finish. Fairly plain, other than the clove character. Bit of light floral hops. The feel is light and undercarbonated. Slight bitterness again in the finish along with a bit of alcohol. Drinkability is decent, though nothing too special here.

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2011 00:49:13 | More by Thorpe429

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

4/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Snatched up a 4-pack of Zotten for $7.49 at Bullock's in Marietta, Georgia. I've typically enjoyed most of the Weyerbacher product I've had, so hopefully this'll hit a home run for me even if I'm not a sick, sick child dying in the hospital.

Appearance: Pours out a dark, orange-amber body with a frothy, though somewhat short-lived, bone white head.

Smell: Pale malts and light, crisp wheat malt brushed with a light, sweetish caramel sauce. Boldly spicy, zesty scent of fresh-ground pepper along with notes of Dubble Bubble bubblegum and citrus with some pine awakening upon warming.

Taste: Pale malts and wheat coming across as a taste of particularly grainy whole wheat (but wholesome) bread. Light touch of sweet caramel glaze. Already there's a zip of peppery spiciness and flavor of bubblegum. Lesser hint of banana. Pinch of Florida orange citrus pith and a few drop of pine resin with a medium-plus amount of hop bitterness. A bit of watercress late in the taste. Dry, earthy, spicy finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium-plus carbonation.

Drinkability: Why, that's generally likable! Plenty of flavors and complexity to keep me fairly well-entertained, but, thankfully, it's easy-going on the overall ABV. I do look forward the three remaining bottles!

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2009 15:12:22 | More by ChainGangGuy

brentk56

North Carolina

3.9/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Pours a slightly hazy amber color with a reasonable head that does a fine job providing a lace curtain

Smell: Bready with a spicy herbal character; apple and pear fruit elements and some phenols

Taste: While there is a hint of breadiness, up front, it doesn't take long for the Belgian character to arrive, bringing apples, pears and spicy phenols; by mid-palate, a surprising level of Germanic hop character joins the profile, too; after the swallow, the herbal elements dominate, brining phenols into the aftertaste

Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderately high carbonation

Drinkability: A little too much phenol character for my palate, but this is a decent stab at the style for a domestic brewer, and one that verges on Belgian IPA territory

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2011 23:49:46 | More by brentk56

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

4/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle: Poured a bright golden color ale with a large foamy head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma of dry hops with some nice light fruity ester and some grain is also noticeable. Taste is also a very nice mix between some cereal and dry hops with a light fruity touch in the finish - I very much appreciated the hops presence and this was somewhat reminiscent of DDC Dernière Volonté thought a notch below overall.

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2009 02:29:52 | More by Phyl21ca

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3.63/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Delicious and fruity, this classy American brewed Belgian-style ale has a simplistic overtone has a sweeter and more estery fruit flavor mix compared to Belgian exports.

Starting with a very froathy light amber color, the beer carries a mild yeasty haze, a blanket of ivory-white foam that lasts well into the session while lacing all the while. A very creamy looking ale with perhaps more visual weight than preferred.

Honey and banana notes give first impressions in aroma. The malt character of light grain, honey, bready, wheat, and light biscuit give a rich and sweeter aroma while the esters of citrus and tropical fruits give a roundness to the sweeter nose. Lightly spicy with tea-like herbs, white pepper, and bitter orange peel, the beer seems to balance toward the sweetness.

The delicious sweetness of honey, powdered sugar, and soft sweet breads set the tone in taste while complementary fruity esters of oranges, banana, appricot, lemon drops, and white grapes help to reinforce the sweetness and offer roundness and support. Mild herbal hop notes seem like sweet tea, lemongrass, and marmelade before turning lightly bitter in finish. With a spicy yeasty flavor of white pepper, corriander, and mild detergents, the phenolic balance is unsettled and could use more development to balance the beer.

Quite creamy from start to finish, the sweeter and richer tone is unexpected, prefering a drier, zestier, and more spritzy carbonation and prickle instead. But the beer struggles toward dryness late as the alcohol and hop resins can only take it so far, leading to a semi-dry finish.

The aftertaste of honeysuckle, spices, and wheaty grains has a whisp of evaproative taste that extends into the next sip. All culminates in a sweeter and less complex Belgian ale than what's offered from authentic Belgian breweries, but this beer compares well with others brewed in the U.S. like Ommegang BPA or even Belgian brewed Leffe Blonde.

Serving type: bottle

09-06-2011 04:31:23 | More by BEERchitect

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Carefully poured to leave the yeast behind, Zotten displays a crystal-clear orange body beneath a creamy head of white. The head retention is good, and it leaves some very nice jagged lines of lacing about the glass.

The aroma is quite perfume-like, combining a strong floral side with some phenols and sweet malt, a bit of spiciness, and possibly a bit of alcohol.

The flavor follows suit, and it's the yeast and hops that carry this beer. What malt lies beneath it is just a springboard for the more complex, yet etheral, flavors. It's delicate, but it has a real presence to it. Spiciness acts as both an anchor and driving force, helping to lift it into the air, but also keeping it from becoming sweetish. Beyond that, a firm bitterness helps keep it focused.

Unlike quite a few American attempts at Belgian-styles, it's not overdone. Some may mistake that as lacking flavor, but that's off the mark. There's just enough malt to it, and it's a bit "sweetish", but that's just one component that quickly passes before it moves on. Interesting. Intriguing, in fact. It keeps you looking for more! A unique ale!

Serving type: bottle

09-17-2009 20:30:22 | More by NeroFiddled

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.68/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Served in a Devil's Backbone willibecher.

Thanks to Hophead101 for this bottle!

Reviewed blind as part of the Blind Beers BIF. Here goes: It pours a hazy light amber topped by a nice finger of off-white fizzy foam. The nose is fruity: lime, grapefruit, orange, banana; yeasty; spicy: pepper, clove, coriander (maybe). Let's add a bit o' wet hay for the hell of it. The taste is heavy on the Belgian spiciness: pepper, cardamom, rye, clove; some sharp piney hops, some banana, and some orange peel finish things off. The body is pretty light, with an active-ish carbonation and a crisp finish. A very nice BPA, though the hops and spices don't seem to get along all too well, deciding instead to clash. Beyond, that, though, a solid offering.

Serving type: bottle

07-23-2010 23:58:15 | More by TMoney2591

WesWes

New York

4.43/5  rDev +17.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

The beer pours a slightly hazy gold color with a thick frothy white head that slowly fades to lacing. The aroma is great! It has a solid pale malt scent along with good hop character and one hell of a yeast aroma. It's fruity/peppery; all of the above. The taste is great as well! I'm loving the bitter hop flavor compiled with a yeast character that's out of this world. It's dry and bitter and just plain good. The mouthfeel is fine. It is a low bodied beer with good carbonation. This is a Belgian pale that borders on a Belgian IPA. It's complex and super enjoyable. Great job Weyerbacher!

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2010 18:33:04 | More by WesWes

zeff80

Missouri

3.98/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Poured out a clear, golden/orange color with a one-finger, khaki colored head of foam. It left thin rings of lace on the glass.

S - It smelled fruity and yeasty with a touch of caramel.

T - It tasted fruity with green apple. Nice sweet flavors with a yeasty, spicy bite.

M - It was crisp, sharp and smooth. A medium bodied ale with a dry, clean finish.

O - This is a really tasty Belgian Pale Ale. Another great brew from Weyerbacher.

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2012 20:20:02 | More by zeff80

metter98

New York

3.78/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Cask at d.b.a., Brooklyn, NY

A: The beer is hazy copper in color and poured with a thin ring of bubbles covering the surface.
S: There are aromas of fruity yeast in the nose along with some hints of pale malts.
T: The taste is similar to the smell, except that the flavors of pale malts are a bit stronger and there are only notes of fruity yeast and some hints of sweetness. There is a light amount of bitterness.
M: It feels light- to medium-bodied on the palate and has little if any carbonation.
O: The beer is relatively easy to drink and a good representation of the style.

Serving type: cask

11-06-2011 12:44:36 | More by metter98

Gueuzedude

Arizona

3.68/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Quite aromatic smelling as I pour this beer; I get layers of fruit and vibrant spice. A soft pour yields a four-finger thick, light tan colored head in my 25cl tulip glass. The beer is a bright, amber color that shows an almost brilliantly clear, copper color when held up to the light. Aromas of ripe pears, sweet plums and aromatic apples mix with spice notes of big clove and light pepper. Towards the finish some notes of thin, fermented grape juice aromas start to come through; a touch tart, almost cider like and with a mineral, almost metallic edge. A touch of dusty malt towards the finish helps to round things out a bit. An interesting aroma that accentuates fruit and lots of clove.

Lightly sweet with a mix of apple and some huge, phenolic driven clove flavors up front. The beer is quite well carbonated, which contributes to a definite fizzy texture as it flows across the tongue. The finish has quite a bit of sharp phenolic notes to it, leaning towards clove but with a touch of a harsher edge and something a bit like cola. Underneath the omnipresent phenolics is a touch of fresh grain character, some soft fruity esters (that the clove notes seem to make cidery at times) and some spicy higher alcohols. Pretty light bodied, though not thin, the carbonation definitely helps with the perceived lightness as well.

Definitely characterful for a Belgian Pale Ale. It can be a bit too phenolic at times as the Clove character is a bit dominating. Not bad though.

Serving type: bottle

08-08-2008 23:59:27 | More by Gueuzedude

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

3.65/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a deep gold color, with a short white head that fades quickly and leaves a thin lace on the glass.

S: The aroma is of Belgian yeast, spices, caramelized malts and a touch of hops.

T: The taste starts out spicy and a little fruity with flavors of pepper, coriander & citrus. Then a strong Belgian yeast breadiness and a hearty malt character come in. The hops presence is mild but complementary. The after-taste is slightly sweet and slightly spicy.

M: Crisp and smooth, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is slightly sticky.

D: Tasty, goes down easily, not too filling, decent kick, good representation of style, I wasn't really sure what to expect with this beer but was pleasantly surprised to find that the spice content wasn't overdone and that this was a decent beer overall.

Serving type: bottle

11-16-2009 03:34:21 | More by TheManiacalOne

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.83/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This beer has changed names at least twice and I'm hoping it is going to stay with what they have it named now. This beer pours out as a hazy yellowish gold color with a strong head on top. The smell is like a mix between and belgian triple and a german wheat beer with some hops mixed in. The beer tastes pretty refreshing. The flavors are of clove, wheat bread, spicy hops, and some soft fruits. The mouthfeel is quite carbonated and keep this beer alive.

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2011 04:35:13 | More by Knapp85

Gavage

New Jersey

4.13/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: orange in color with some yellow highlights. A one finger head lingers around a while.

Smell: bread and a spicy yeast aroma is very pleasant on the nose.

Taste: bready caramel base with a very spicy yeast flavor that comes through quite strongly. Bitterness is a bit mild, and there is a soft fruit sweetness in the background.

Mouthfeel: lightly crisp throughout. Medium bodied. Aftertaste is long as the yeast spiciness lingers in the mouth.

Drinkability: this beer went down quite easily and after the second glass, I could have had another. Nice new addition to the regular lineup.

Serving type: on-tap

06-05-2009 11:48:15 | More by Gavage

jwc215

New Jersey

3.5/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into tulip glass:

Pours golden amber with a thin white head that slowly becomes a patch. Some lacing sticks. Nice color, but doesn't have the head retention or lacing that I would expect.

THe smell is of a sweet fruitiness and grainy with some yeasty notes. Slight tart notes are mixed in from the fruitiness.

The taste is sweet and fruity - hint of bubblegum - that quickly turns to a dry, herbal finish.

It it light-bodied. A few more effervescent bubbles would make it more lively, IMO.

This is sweet and fruity/grainy turning (almost too quickly) to herbal (aspirin-y) dry. It has a certain character that gives it the "American attempt at Belgian". It's fine, for that.

Serving type: bottle

06-29-2009 14:42:44 | More by jwc215

akorsak

Pennsylvania

4.05/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A 12 oz bottle from the Riserva release last summer.

A: The ale is a brilliant, bright golden color, crystal clear save for the stream of bubbles in the center of the glass. A half a finger of head almost spilled out over the glass.

S: The aroma is strong, even from an arm's length the Belgian scents are strong. Candi sugars, pepper and dry fruity yeast are all strong.

T: Wow! This ale is intensely dry. The yeast strain has done its job and stripped all of the sugars out of this beer. Pepper is strong, tempering the ale with a pleasant heat. The remnants of candi sugar swirl around near the end of each sip. Pale grains add a caramel flavor and a nice dose of citrusy hops is not too strong. The ale is very similar to Orval, save for the lack of brett.

M: The mouthfeel is very crisp, clean and sharp with a constant stream of carbonation to keep things jumping.

D: A nice one-off offering that, at least for me, got lost behind Thirteen and Riserva.

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2008 21:08:42 | More by akorsak

tempest

Pennsylvania

3.23/5  rDev -14.3%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

On-tap for $5 a pint at Liberty St. Tavern in Allentown. Appeared a hazy amber with a short head. This is an interesting beer, but I get some awful off aromas that really kill it for me. Still there's a relatively big, hoppy flavor with citrus and mild pine, while the aroma hits me with dirt and cleaning solvent - not cool. This beer needs some work, but it's not a good beer yet.

Serving type: on-tap

06-10-2009 13:13:33 | More by tempest

WVbeergeek

Ohio

5/5  rDev +32.6%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Appears a beautifully clouded copper orange hue with a thick chunky doughnut like cream tinted white head, has some yeast specks floating on board. Lacing is perfect fine Belgian style lacing evenly strong around my glass.

Aromatics offer up floral hops with citrus components joining in, mildly spiced yeast notes with fresh baked bread in the biscuit malt department. Very soothing and delicious smelling brew from Weyerbacher.

A superb blend of flavors collide with cookie dough like malt and sweet bread layers with yeast spicing the party up a bit. Finishing with mildly earthy, pungently citric, and pleasantly floral hop additions. A bit of undeniable Belgian funk going down brings it all together. A perfect blend of spiced bready hoppy ale sits in my glass very well done the most finesse to come of Dan Weirback in some time.

Mouthfeel is so smooth carbonation bubbles to tickle a bit but overall the balance of malt and hops streaks so nicely across the palate, quite the interesting medium bodied Belgian style pale. Leaves traces of yeast spice and bittering hops on the palate, and hop burps will follow and tickle the nose.

Drinkability overall kicks ass one of those OMFG beers that inspires me to try as many beers as I can. A case of this is in my near future I have to sit on these and watch them evolve, the best American brewed belgian style pale to cross my palate reminiscent but by no means a copycat of Orval Trappist.

Serving type: bottle

06-27-2009 15:59:15 | More by WVbeergeek

smcolw

Massachusetts

3.58/5  rDev -5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Large chalky white head. Leaves lots of spotty lace. Foamy. Slightly hazy in an otherwise amber broth.

Sweet, almost like maple syrup, smell. Lots of sugar and candy with a faint amount of Belgian yeast in the background.

More dry than the smell indicates. Quite chewy. Very short aftertaste. Low level of hop bitterness. Still, it works in terms of balance. The swallow shows up a higher alcohol level than the ABV would indicate. In a word, I'd describe this beer as enigmatic.

Serving type: bottle

08-22-2009 02:00:37 | More by smcolw

jdhilt

New Hampshire

3.48/5  rDev -7.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a cream, five-finger head that fades slowly leaving a good lace. Almost clear amber color, with yeast left in bottle. Light-medium carbonation and medium bodied. Pine hops and caramel nose and flavor is almost balanced pine hops and caramel but the hops win - too hoppy for a Belgian pale. $1.80 for a 12oz bottle from Tully’s Beer & Wine Wells, Me.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2011 23:15:59 | More by jdhilt

Billolick

New York

3.8/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On tap pours semi cloudy yellowy amber, it lifts a tight khaki head, but then trails behind onlyminor lacing. Midle of the road Belgain pale in my book. Fruity in the mid section and then quite dry in the finish. Pleasant enough stuff, sessionable, would be nice with a warm weather lunch, salads, bread and cheese, but nothing to seek out or go nuts over.

Serving type: on-tap

08-24-2009 21:07:52 | More by Billolick

mdfb79

New York

3.25/5  rDev -13.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into a pint glass.

a - Pours an orange-amber color with 2 inches of white head and high carbonation.

s - Smells of spices, cloves, bananas, and Belgian yeasts.

t - Tastes of spice, bananas, and Belgian yeast. A tiny bit metallic.

m - Light to medium body and high carbonation.

d - A decent Belgian ale. There was a nice smell but a slightly metallic taste which was offputting and the carbonation was too high. Probably wouldn't seek out again.

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2010 00:37:01 | More by mdfb79