Dochter van de Korenaar's take on the old Belgian witbier style but, as we can expect from this brewery, with a serious twist: instead of that worn-out coriander and curaçao combo, rosemary has been used as a spice here, and the beer was aged on barrels that previously contained one of Italy's classic red wines. A DVDK classic that apparently has escaped my attention so far, but here we are, with a longneck bottle from batch 2018/0009. Very slow gusher with foam creeping out of the bottleneck - yet so slowly that there is ample time to pour it properly. Thick and frothy, eggshell-white, large-bubbled but regularly edged, foamy head on an initially near-clear pale orangey peach-golden beer with very strong visible sparkling, champagne-like almost, turning misty orangey peach with sediment. The spice factor is the first thing that jumps into the nostrils, a very pronounced sweet-ethereal rosemary scent, also reminiscent of sweet cicely, gale and hyssop, dominating less 'agressive' impressions of red apple, apricot, sweetbread, linseed, vague touch of lime zest, bread crust, lavender-scented hand soap (which is probably just the rosemary again combining with the soapiness of the wheat), melon, orange peel or even yuzu, unripe mango, vermouth, banana and, when warming up, very light vanilla-like oak accents and a (very) faint background dash of sweet red wine. Very brisk and spritzy onset, very strong (over)carbonation even more so than would be typical for a more classic (Hoegaarden-cloned) wit, but there is still enough room for some nice fruity aspects to develop, reminiscent of pineapple, unripe pear, sourish green plum and red apple; sweetness is there but remains in check due to the carbonation and wheat souring effects. Slick, bit soapy, smooth mouthfeel coarsened by this sharp carbonation, bready middle with deep wheat sourishness but also very lightly caramelly barley sweetishness, quickly soaked in that ethereal, sweet-and-spicy rosemary, which again reminds me just as much of hyssop, sweet cicely and even angelica, scents I remember vividly from my childhood in my grandmother's herb garden. The herbal spiciness is so strong that it has a bright 'mint green' quality to it, but alas it overpowers the other finishing aspects too much: there is bread-crusty maltiness lingering, a wheaty sourishness and a tannic, drying woodiness, but the rosemary keeps attracting all attention. Wine barrel factors remain very understated at first: no grapey fruitiness, no tartness, no 'wild' yeast effects worth mentioning - only the wood is noticeable, making me wonder whether is was worthwile sacrificing a fine Brunello di Montalcino barrel on this beer... The drying, even somewhat astringent woody tannins do their job well, though, creating a perfectly thirst-quenching finale with even a deep, earthy, bit leafy and relatively subtle yet unmistakable hop epilogue. And then, after all is said and done and the beer is swallowed, this long-awaited wine barrel effect does show up after all, in the form of an unmistakable retronasal sweet and bit musty 'grapeyness' - I don't think I ever had a wine barrel aged beer in which the wine factor shows up this late... Still, as much as I want to like this, after so many Belgian spiced beers the spice factor is just too much for me personally to enjoy this to the fullest, though there is no denying that this beer is technically very well-made and has a fascinating 'personality'; I keep, however, regretting that the wine barrel treatment does not show more distinctly (and early). Recommended to taste once, as a very herbal twist on the old witbier theme, but I could probably not drink more than one full glass of it in one beer guzzling session. On a side note, it should also be taken into consideration that upon reading other reviews here, this beer seems to differ greatly from batch to batch, so I may need to revisit it some day.

Geur van rozemarijn. Wat kruidig in de smaak, beetje rode wijn. Mooi in balans

Bottle from European Swap 2018/3, Thank you MonsterMagnet! Golden clear pour, lots of white foam on the top. Nose has some grainy base but mainly spices and rosemary there. Taste is super herbal, lots of rosemary, other medicinal herbs. Good medium level of bitterness, herbs, medicinal. Should use this for some potency drinks. Quite dry, some herbal bitter linger in the finish. Not bad, kind of works.

Bottle, thanks jinroh! Pours golden. Aroma is sweet, herbal, fruity, grassy, slight vinous notes. Overall: ok.

Nice

Sample from the bottle at FatPhil's, Tallinn. Color is slightly cloudy orange with small white head. Aromas and flavors: Floral spices, dryness, spices, some wheat and malts. Confusing floral brew.

Bottle. Color: Orange golden, big frothy white head. Aroma: Rosemary, wheat. Taste: Over medium body, Wheat, subtle Rosemary and lightly vinuous Brunello red wine notes. Spicy, floral and lightly yeast notes. Fruity hints of orange. Moderate to medium sweet, moderate bitter. Under average carbonation. Very nice.

08/02/2019 - 33cl bottle @Café Bonjour, Oudenaarde Hazy orange, big white head. Nose is floral perfumy, malts, bit vanilla, Taste is malts, banana, floral, bit lemon, rosemary, bit tannins. Interesting.

Limited Edition Batch 2018/0009 BBE06/20; Belgian wheat with rosemary aged in Brunello barrels; Aroma of wheat bread,dough,yeast,citrus peel

Bottle at home. Slight hazy deep golden with big white head, looks pretty good! Rosemary, soft wheat, light red fruit, spicy yeast, dough, grass, soft dried stone fruits, white grapes, soft wood and twigs. Medium sweet and over medium bitter, light tart. Medium bodied with quite some carbonation. Quite some rosemary, but a very well done beer.