Quick Sips: Weyerbacher Verboten

It's no secret that I enjoy Weyerbacher's beers. While the excellent Troegs and Victory get all the attention when it comes to great Pennsylvania brewers, Weyerbacher has been very quietly been brewing beers that are often their equal. Their wildly inconsistent packaging probably hasn't helped them in that regard (though I'm glad to see it has undergone a complete redesign). Don't judge a book by its cover sounds nice in theory, but in practice we all do it.

Anyway, here we have Verboten, a sometimes overlooked beer in the Weyerbacher roster, passed over for more popular offerings such as Double Simcoe IPA and Merry Monks. This is a Belgian style pale ale, brewed to style. It's got a vibrant, fruity aroma with hints of lemon - and of course, the expected bready smell of Belgian yeast. When it hits your mouth you feel active, palate-cleansing carbonation and a light body. There is some up front sweetness, but it's offset by a slightly more American-style hop profile.

A little fruitier than pale ales out of Belgium, a little more in the way of hops, but overall a fine take on this traditional style. Give it a try if you enjoy beers like Leffe Blonde and Ommegang BPA.