Never made it to The Bruery during my stint in California…another reason to go back! Out of Placentia, CA, Mischief is a Belgian Golden Strong Ale. Have a glass ready when you open this one because it is very highly carbonated, which is appropriate for the style, however I think it was overdone a little much. It’s one thing to highly carbonate a beer, another to have a beer where after an inch of liquid is poured, the head fills the rest of the glass.
Appearance: After the carbonation panic and the beer is in an appropriate glass, you’ll notice a thick, rocky head. The color of the beer is golden and cloudy as is typical for a Belgian Ale. 2/3
Aroma: The aroma is fruity and malty, but with no noticeable hop aroma even though the website says this is dry hopped. I live in WI and picked this up at my local grocery store and with no way of knowing when mine was bottled, the lack of hop in the aroma is forgivable as this dissipates quickly. The aroma of this beer would make you think it’s a traditional Belgian Ale. 10/12
Flavor: There is a slight hop bitterness at the end which compliments the maltiness well. A slight hotness combines nicely with the malt as well to remind you that this is a strong ale. No flavor dominates this brew. The malt, hops, and hotness all combine to raise the bar and yet compliment each other very well. 18/20
Mouthfeel: This brew has a medium to medium high body with a slight warmth. After letting the head calm a bit, the carbonation is medium to medium low, another reason I feel this beer was overcarbonated. The carbonation was so high that by the time you’re actually able to drink it, most has left and it is no longer a highly carbonated beer. 4/5
Overall Impression: This was a big, but not overly dominating Belgian Ale. A great beer that hits most of the marks across the board. It has just enough warmth to remind you that this is a relatively big beer but not enough to offend you. I would have no problem cracking open another one of these! Total: 43/50
