I had my first taste last night, after 8 days in the bottle.
Color:
Nice, amber-brown. Beige head on it.
Clarity:
Probably my clearest beer to date. No chill haze. Some yeast chunks prevalent due to lack of filtration. I might consider tying some cheesecloth around the bottom of my racking cane if I use the Abbey II again.
Head:
Semi-dense and beige. Retained the head for a good amount of time.
Taste:
A bit too much like LME. Intense caramel flavor that seemed to overpower. Almost a cloying sweetness, despite the 3oz of hops. The flavor didn't leave my mouth as quickly as I typically prefer. Hops are barely noticeable.
Mouthfeel:
Too much. As it stands, it's not a session beer because it's too chewy.
Overall:
Has the makings of a fine beer, but it definitely needs more rest. I don't know that I would use the LME again, and I'm just about to the point where the *ME taste has me ready to go AG. I'm already scouting out coolers. I'm going to try this again next weekend and I hope the flavors die down by then, as I want to pass this out as a Fourth of July brau. I'm sure a lot of people would like it as-is, but it's not perfect enough for me.
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Lazy Monk Belgian Ale
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