Paljas Self Infused With Paljas Brandy Limited Edition
De Leite in Oostkamp, West Flanders, Belgium 🇧🇪
Belgian Style - Blonde / Pale / Amber Special|
Score
6.64
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When pouring, the soft maltiness emerges first; which forms the foundation on which the brandy subtly builds. On the nose, the alcohol warmth and rich, round notes of the brandy provide an inviting depth, while on the palate a full body and pleasant warmth develop. The finish remains pleasantly malty—familiar to Paljas aficionados—but with an additional, warming aftertaste reminiscent of a smooth round of brandy. The whole thing feels refined yet accessible.
Paljas Self-Infused lends itself perfectly to slow, cozy moments: think of a cozy autumn evening by the fire, a gathering with friends, or a family gathering where stories and laughter take center stage.
In short: an experiment with character — artisanal, warming, and perfectly timed for cooler evenings. Because it's a limited edition, this is a tasting you won't want to put off for too long.
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Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 6.5 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5
De Leite, owners of Mathias Van den Poel's Paljas brand since 2021, has made the expected efforts to keep the brand alive by adding a few new variants, and this is one of the latest to my knowledge: the blonde one infused with a liquor distilled from... the blonde one (hence 'self infused'). I am not the greatest fan of all these liquor-infused beers making a shortcut for barrel ageing, but I must admit that infusing a beer with a 'liquorised' (i.e. distilled) version of itself is new to me, so points for originality in a time when literally everything seems to have been done with beer (and to beer) already. Thanks Bart for sharing! Snow white, medium thick, moussey, stable head on a hazy yellow blonde robe with vaguely greenish tinge. Aroma of banana peel, dried apple slices, cheap 'jenever' rather than brandy, dry straw, white bread crust, DMS (overcooked cauliflower - long time since I had that, now that I come to think of it), wodka, moist white pepper, cooked turnip. Fruity onset with clear banana ester next to hints of apple peel and perhaps vague pineapple, sharpish carb (but not exaggerated for a Belgian style blonde ale); smooth white-bready maltiness with residual sugars on top but not too sweet at all, bittering straw- and white pepper-ish hops and of course the 'brandy' effect, again reminding me more of some cheap, wry jenever than actual brandy - logically so, since brandy is made from grapes and jenever from grains just like the Paljas beer that spawned this particular liquor... Retronasally, my old friend DMS makes its return. An original idea resulting in something with a remarkably banal taste, like the umpteenth crude and unrefined strong(ish) blonde... Then again, I have no clue what they could have done to make this idea into something great - failing is, whether you like it or not, part of experimenting, of course, though stating this particular experiment has failed would also take things a bridge too far. I think, however, that I even prefer the regular Paljas Blond over this limited edition.