Bottle 0,75ltr: Strange but great dark brown ale with they added Japanese mushrooms.

Specialty beer, a kind of vegetable beer if you like, which was once made for De Bospaddestoel in Retie but has been discontinued since the beginning of the century; I tasted it as an old beer of 7 years of age, at De Gans, the beer pub which in itself has ceased to exist meanwhile. Being an old beer, it came as no surprise that there was little carbonation left, head retention was low and oxidation and maderization were obvious. Colour was very dark brown, almost blackish, head as said unstable, beige in colour. Powerful, old ale-like aroma of soy sauce, dried mushrooms, fresh meaty mushrooms, balsamic vinegar, old sherry, candi syrup, butterscotch, coffee grounds. Oily and sherryish palate, sweet basis with a slight saltiness (soy sauce), liquorice, meat broth, mushrooms again, ketjap, dark fruit, roasted bitterish finish. I have no idea if actual mushrooms were added to this, I can only say this belongs to the weirdest Belgian beers I ever tasted, but I enjoyed it. Not to anyone’s liking, though.

Fairly aged sample, discontinued for some time now, it seems. What the way of making was, has always been a big question. According to BES, Proef was involved Very dark brown, but with ruby shine; dark brown-yellow head, dwindling. Rich molasses nose, liquorice, some oxidation, portwine-like. Heavy, nearly burnt taste, overtaking the sweetness to roasted, syrupy concentrate. There’s a taste which MIGHT be mushrooms - or anything else, probably vegetable. Very heavy, syrupy mouthfeel, treacle or soy-sauce like. Yet it is fairly highly carbonated. Aftertaste is like ketjap, with a dash of port. Weird beer - don’t know what to think about it. Certainly not my preferred taste. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn something (mushrooms and caramel syrup) have been added to existing beer, and then boiled.