American Heaven
De Meester in Lendelede, West Flanders, Belgium 🇧🇪
Collab with: Brouwerij de HopHemelBarley Wine - Barley Regular
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Score
7.36
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Alengrin (11609) reviewed American Heaven from De Meester 2 months ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7.5 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
Blend of two Belgian barleywines, one by De Meester which I feel is often overrated, and one by HopHemel in Limburg which may be, perhaps, underrated - apparently it was the one and only Bart Vanpoucke who brought them together in this collab, and indeed I recall him telling me about this at one occasion. Sample shared by Bart (not Vanpoucke but another one) at Proevertjesdag. Medium sized, yellowish pale beige, fairly stable head on an initially clear, deep coppery bronze robe, turning cloudy and more mahogany-brownish further on. Aroma of caramel, soggy brown bread, cinnamon rolls, vanillin (oak wood I guess), yellow raisins, brandy, plums soaked in calvados, ground hazelnuts. Sweet, quite 'candied' onset, yellow raisins, slight pear syrup and candied figs with a very thin sourish edge bringing balance to the sugariness, medium carb with vinous, smooth mouthfeel. Caramelly and brown-bready core, toffeeish and rounded, with a very light toasty-bitterish touch, sprinkled with a hint of cinnamon and vanilla - the latter of course connected to oak wood, providing a long, warm finish with a dash of (slightly too) herbal hops and warming, brandy-like alcohol. As a merging of two beers coming from almost opposite sides of Flanders, this blend does feel like one monolithic whole, packing the flavours one expects from a dark barleywine but with a strong Belgian twist - I guess it is fair to say that this beer is halfway between English barleywine and Belgian quadrupel. Cheers to the Barts: the Bart who offered me the sample (coming from Stacks apparently) and the Bart who conceived the idea (and is active as a lambic blender too nowadays).
nathanvc (6963) reviewed American Heaven from De Meester 3 months ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
11 - 14 July. Holiday retreat at Laon. Cheers! Bottle from Stacks.
Hazy dark brown, small, foamy, tan head. Aroma of cooked apple, pear, raisin, date, dried grapefruit peel, tea leaves, peanut, toffee, bourbon, wood. Taste has sweet pear, date & red apple in a toffee- & fruit cake-like malt body with a herbal hint of tea. Dryish, herbal hoppy finish of dried fruits, a touch of coffee and some grapefruit peel, indeed lending that bitter 'American' feel to the Barley Wine profile. Warming alcohol in the throat (somewhere between liqueur and bourbon). Medium to full body, oily texture, soft carbonation. Not super complex but it delivers.
Gerbeer (8214) reviewed American Heaven from De Meester 4 months ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7.5 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
330 ml bottle. Pours a dark reddish brown with full head. Aromas of fruity dark fruit, candi sugar, caramel, a little spice, a little mineral water, and bready malts. Flavors follow same with emphasis on figs and minerals. Comes across as more of a Belgian Quad than a Barleywine. Good stuff.
Bierridder (4318) ticked American Heaven from De Meester 5 months ago
EvNa (6056) reviewed American Heaven from De Meester 5 months ago
Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7.5 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 7.5
Bottle. Color: Hazy copper, beige head. Aroma: Malty, dark malt, caramel, subtle Bourbon. Taste: Dark malt, caramel, some dark fruit, subtle fruity Calvados, hints of Bourbon. Medium body, thin bodied for this style. Below average carbonation. Moderate to over moderate sweet, light to moderate bitterness. Alcohol is well hidden. Reminds me of a dark Bockbier somehow, although it has a bit more complexity. Mwah. Ok overall, but not what I expected. Maybe I'm spoiled with better beers by De Meester...