Invasion of the Belgians Part Uno

Arizona is awesome - it's one of my favorite places to just get out of town and relax. Plus, the beer distribution there is intensely better than in New Mexico. I went over to Papago Brewing Co. and had a couple beers and as I was getting ready to leave, the waitress told me to check out the beer coolers. They offer a deal where you can get a mix-and-match six-pack for $8.50 of all sorts of different types of beers. I can't find too many Great Divide beers in the Burque, so this Belgian-style IPA sounded tasty.

At first glance, the Belgica Belgian-Style IPA had a decent (expected) golden color with a light cloudiness to it. The head was ok - sticking around for a little bit. The aroma was more subdued than I probably would like or would have expected with a beer that was a IPA and Belgian. There was some flowery scents, but it seemed more malty than hoppy (like an IPA) or spicy (like a Belgian beer). Well, the flavor was where you could get the unique flavor blend. There was definite spicy and citrus - lemon, orange, clove and honey. The hop and bitterness that is characteristic of an IPA was there too. It seemed like the beer would float between being an Belgian beer to an IPA as the beer worked through the flavors. It was a different type of beer - would have it again, but not one I'd keep constantly stocked.

Appearance - 3.5/5.0 - slightly cloudy, good head retention, golden color
Smell - 3.0/5.0 - hop aroma is subdued, a little flowery but not much; more malty than anything
Taste - 4.5/5.0 - spicy and malty - harmonious blend of the two styles; very complementary - got the different spices you'd expect in a belgian beer but also bitterness and sharp taste of an ipa
Feel - 4.0/5.0 - Lingers for a bit as it works through the different styles of beers
Drinkability- 3.5/5.0 - Different type of taste which is refreshing; sorta wish the aroma was there too