‘8°’ Belgian Brune by Dageraad Brewing Inc

“Ain’t got nothing but love babe /
Eight days a week” – Some band that calls themselves ‘The Beatles’. I’ve never heard of ’em either.

I picked this up a few weeks ago when I visited Dageraad for a growler fill (I got the Burnabarian, it’s pretty good). I don’t know why it’s called 8°, I’m just guessing it’s because of the 8.9% ABV. They also have a 10° that is 10%, which is too damn high for me, but that’s how I came up with the theory on the name. It doesn’t explain the name on their website either, so if someone at Dageraad is reading this, be sure to tweet me an explanation if I’m wrong. Last time they corrected me for not knowing what a ‘bine’ is. I didn’t know what a bine was. I know a lot of random crap, but I guess it never came up on Jeopardy!

The pour is a turbulent, muddy, chestnut brown with no head, a minor collar and some light, fleeting lacing. It’s got a bubbly vibrance, so I bet it has a GREAT personality!

The smells are strong, citrusy and a bit sour. Plum, toffee, pomegranate, and melty brown sugar. A strange, almost holiday type spice as well. Smells tart and festive.

The tastes are milder than the nose. Brown sugar, prunes, light banana cloves, tea leaf and salty biscuits. It’s very interesting. I can’t compare this to any other beer, it stands alone. MAYBE like a tart brown ale, but not really. Cannot detect the alcohol at all. I appreciate that. The taste of pure alcohol usually turns me off.

The mouthfeel is pretty heavy and velvety. Has a good tingling carbonation to it. Flavors seem to concentrate around the center of the tongue, and work outwards. Light sticky residue at the back of the tongue.

3.5/5 It’s definitely unique, and I didn’t love it at first. This beer is a slow burn, and I found myself enjoying it more and more as I went. I can’t call this a must-try, but that might just be a style preference on my part.