Belgian-style beers are always exciting. A curious amalgamation of history, tradition, and new-age thinking leads to flavors and styles that can range from damn tasty to not so much. Actual’s Temporal Abbey Ale falls firmly near the former end, serving up a Belgian-inspired brew with a few twists along the way.
On the nose, Temporal begins with a base of light grains, accented with notes of apples and a touch of raisins. The fruits aren’t as up front as other Belgian styles, such as a dubbel, but they are still noticeable. Faint notes of toffee and candy sugar dance around at the sides, while a breeze of tartness arrives near the end of each breath, led by a moment of lemon juice. The tartness fades rather quickly, but it lingers enough to create a well-rounded aroma. Despite this, each breath is fleeting, fading from the nose an instant too early for my liking. However, such a flaw is minor, and hardly detracts from an otherwise pleasant aroma.
Moving onto taste, what fruits were present on the nose have been subdued across the tongue. A grain base combines with Belgian yeast to create estery hints of apples and a touch of fresh cut grass, but these diminish under the crispness of each taste. A gentle, peppery spice shows up along the sides of the tongue, working quite well with how dry this brew is. Each mouthful ends with a hint of tartness and a split-second of lemon zest, before quickly fading. Fortunately, the flavors remain long enough to create a bright experience that washes over the entire mouth, seemingly darting across the tongue.
Actual’s Temporal Abbey Ale is a curious brew. It’s 6.3% ABV is hidden because of its light and fleeting aroma and dry taste, but its flavor is far from diminished. Not quite a dubbel, it focuses more on the brighter aspects of a Belgian style. Because of this, it is wonderfully drinkable, though in traditional Actual style, you’ll begin to feel a slight heat near the end of the bottle. The aroma fades a bit too fast, but you’ll forget about it as soon as you take your first drink. If you’re feeling a bit too inundated with the heaviness of winter-centric brews, Temporal is a tasty change of pace.
