Storm & Averij (Brouwerij de Molen, Bodgraven, Netherlands)

Very beautiful beer in the glass—tall, fluffy white head that lingers for a long time over the golden body. The nose is tremendous—spicy, peppery notes blended with biscuity malt and hops. Dry hop noted on the bottle is clear, though the Premiant hop is not a smell I'd recognize. Taste is very good, but doesn't quite live up to the nose. Grainy and bitter with a smooth, oily coating—and those are compliments. Alcohol is apparent in nose and in the taste, and even more in the impact. Great beer and fun to drink, though the style guideline doesn't seem very useful to me—too hoppy and yeasty in character to be pilsner or American anything. The Dutch aren't as found of categories as we are, and while the brewer is clearly learning some lessons from American brewers here (think Dogfish Head in style), it is what it says on the label—Dutch Ale.