Belgian Best

Had one of these on Friday evening. It's a new (for me) beer from Sussex brewers Burning Sky called "Recusant" (a person who refuses to submit to an authority or to comply with a regulation) and was an absolute revelation! The beer is advertised as "Belgian" in style meaning that it's a pale ale made with Belgian yeast which imparts a very "funky" and ester rich flavour to the beer. In this particular case the brewers had also used Brettanomyces Bruxellensis which is a bacteria that imparts a spicy, leathery barn-yard vibe into the mix. Then to top this unusual combination they hopped the beer with Austrian Styrian Goldings giving even more spice and a resinous background. Sounds like a dogs breakfast, and certainly not "compliant" with the usual norms, but in fact was stunning! A delicious drink with a real depth and breadth of tastes starting off like a really good best bitter on the nose then quickly transitioning to a classic Belgian pale (like Duvel) and finishing dry and clean a little like a modern IPA. This is a seasonal beer meaning that Burning Sky only make it once a year; must snag myself a couple more cans of this before they're all gone! I bet it improves with age, and could well top my beer of the year chart so far!