What is there not to love about big cans of Belgian-style beer being brewed in the American midwest? Brewery Vivant is a shining example of how the craft brewing industry is really branching out and the beer consuming populous has a palate that has branched out considerably as well. Solitude is one of three beers they are currently canning and they've got a bunch more on tap at the brewery. 

From the Brewery Vivant site:

"A deep mahogany colored beer that is made in the tradition of the famous brewing monks of the Abbeys of Belgium. It is malt forward with hints of caramel, pear & raisin."

Here we go...

Pour - a dark chestnut color in appearance with some ruby red highlights. The head on this is almost two inches thick and fades to a thin ring around the glass. Mysterious and enticing.

Aroma - cherries and baked apples along with honey and burnt sugar. Lots of what they tend to refer to as "stewed fruits" and definitely raising and prunes. Condensed fruit basically. I quite like the aroma as it spells out complexity when it comes to taste.

Taste - sweet and juicy and light on the tongue. Lots of those burnt sugar and dark fruit flavors, definitely the cherries and the raisins. Lots of flavors to digest both metaphorically and physically. Not overly sweet with some very nice malty undertones and semi-dry finish. 

Overall - personally, I really enjoyed this beer. I loved the dark fruit flavors and the complexity of a beer that doesn't feel overly heavy on the palate. It wasn't cloyingly sweet and it was certainly something new out of a can for me. It tasted very fresh and was surprisingly thirst quenching. 

Would I buy more of it? - absolutely. I need to get out to Brewery Vivant some day and try the rest of their beers on tap. A big "cheers" goes out to Trent in Michigan for hooking us up with this and other midwestern canned craft goodness!

Note - Brewery Vivant is currently canning Solitude (Belgian Dark Ale), Triomphe (Belgian IPA) and Farmhand (Saison).