Weyerbacher Verboten

I like supporting local breweries.  And by "local," I kind of mean PA breweries.  I recently came across a bottle of Weyerbacher's Verboten, a Belgian-style Pale Ale, which I've never tried before.  I've liked every other beer of theirs that I tasted, so I bought this one and enjoyed it very much:

Vittles:

Belgian Pale Ale

5.9% abv

30 IBUs

First Impression:

Very bold and crisp.  The hops profile seems strikingly American -- not quite what I was expecting to taste in a Belgian-style Pale Ale, but it's ok.

Appearance: 8/10

In the picture, it looks a little murky, but that's probably due to the slight condensation that formed on the glass while my camera opened.  It's a nice golden color with about an inch of mostly white head.  Moderate levels of effervescence helped retain a thin head after the bulk of it fell.

Aroma: 20/25

The combination of American hops notes (citrus/grapefruit) and Belgian yeast characteristics such as clove, is interesting.  I can smell a light malt aroma in the background, but it doesn't seem very assertive.

Taste: 30/40

I'm not overly fond of the grapefruit and clove combination.  It's drinkable, but it's not exactly something I look for in a tasty brew.  The American hops flavors are just too sharp and bold to really blend well with more mellow Belgian yeast profile.

Mouthfeel: 8/10

Decently effervescent and medium bodied.  Finishes mildly dry.

Style: 3/5

This beer plays fast and loose with several of the guidelines for this category, like flavors and abv.

Drinkability: 7/10

Because of the flavor combination and the abv, I wouldn't really want more than one of these at a time, and I wouldn't seek this beer out very often.  I'm sure I'll come back to it at some point in the future to see if/how my tastes have changed, but it juts doesn't put forward the kinds of flavors I tend to seek out in a beer.  I think I would've liked this beer much more if it used something like Hallertau instead of Cascade.  I think the flavor profile would've been more compatible with a mellower, more herbal hops variety.

Overall: 76/100

I've enjoyed most of the Weyerbacher beers that I've tried.  Unfortunately, this one didn't hit the right notes for me.  Maybe I've just been having too many beers that use Cascade lately and I'm getting bored with the flavor.  Or maybe I've been having too many beers that try not-too-successfully to combine European yeasts and/or styles with American hops flavors.  Who knows.  I'm still glad I've gotten to try all of these beers, despite not being overly thrilled with some of them.

Cheers!