I finally feel healthy enough (after 2+ months of limited smell and taste ability) to open a Christmas gift from my wife Olivia: a bottle of De Proef’s Flemish Primitive Wild Ale (Surly Bird).  As the name implies, it is a light Belgian-style ale (close to a Dubbel, perhaps), fermented with wild yeast and other critters.

Wow.

It pours with a nice, pillowy head.  The first sense is aroma, of a strong smelly cheese.  Like a Bleu, Stilton maybe, but smoother.  More like a very soft, runny cheese, but way more pungent than Brie.

The taste has a good malt start, which is followed by wave after wave of yeast flavors.  Some of it is familiar- Belgians often have distinctive yeast tastes- but others are downright odd.  “Complex” is an understatement.  Again, a full, ripe cheese comes time mind (which might sound like a gross thing to associate with a beer, but trust me, it is not).  Combine that with the malt, and you’ve got one hell of a ride in a glass.   I couldn’t put it down.

A big thanks to Olivia for the awesome Christmas gift in glass.