Flesje thuis gedronken. Roodbruin helder bier met stevig beige schuim. Aroma is kruidig. De smaak is zoet, kruidig en ook fruitig. De kruidige smaak blijft even hangen.

F: big, tan, long lasting. C: dark coppery, hazy. A: malty, mellow fruity, bit bready, caramel, touch of tropical fruits. T: malty, fruity, bit bready, dark cherries, banana, caramel, weak herbal bitterness, medium to full body, lower carbonation, 33cl bottle from Dolma Magasin Bio in Brussels.

33cl bottle. A almost clear reddish golden beer with a huge most good lasting off-white head. Aroma of herbs, spice, red malt, soy. Taste of herbs, medicine, red malt, soy, caramel, dark malt, interesting!

At BBF. Every blonde needs a brunette in Belgium so here we are: the blonde Gageleer coloured with caramel - instead of applying actual dark malts and making something truly different. Moussy, pale yellowish beige, stable head over a hazy deep coppery bronze-ish beer. Aroma of gale as in the regular one, toaste, apricot, gingerbread, some caramel, soap, peach, pineapple, light banana, rainwater, old bread. Fruity onset, hint of banana ester but subdued, some peach and pineapple, medium carbo, sourish touch underneath, smooth mouthfeel. Cereally, lightly bready and only very subtly caramelly, relatively ’light’ malt body, leading to a mildly, aromatically spicy finish with impressions of gingerbread, gale and some soft but ’palpably’ warming alcohol. I retain a certain sympathy for the original version, but this one literally does not add anything, this is clearly only made to please the Gageleer consumer who prefers dark beer merely by sight rather than by taste. Reminds me of the dark version of Bavik’s Pilaarbijter, which also thanks its darker hue only to the addition of some caramel syrup. Completely redundant, but enjoyable by itself.

[Thank you for sharing!][330 ml. bottle sampled @ O.B.E.R. Kerstbierfestival 2016] Dark brown amber, tanned head. Nose is sweet gravy, stock, extremely big on kitchen spices, sugar, herbs. Body is thin chemical, bread, medicinal, excessive kitchen spices, thin plastic, sugar, pain, stale bread. Body is thin & chemical. Unpleasant, clear step down from the regular one for me.

Bottle sampled at Essen Christmas Beer Festival ’16. Hazy brown with a small cream head. Aroma of big herbal notes, caramel, spice, malt and overripe dark fruits. Flavour is above moderate sweet and light moderate bitter. Medium bodied with soft carbonation.

33 cl bottle. Pours hazy brown to deep orange, hazzlenut brown, with a small tan head. Aroma is toffee and solid hoppy. Toasted, caramelish and toasted malty. Dry and bitter. Toasted malty dry finish.