Verhaeghe Caves

Caves

 

Verhaeghe in Vichte, West Flanders, Belgium 🇧🇪

  Sour / Wild Beer Regular
Score
6.60
ABV: 5.8% IBU: - Ticks: 46
This gueuze-like beer is brewed by the Verhaeghe on behalf of the guild "Heren van Lier" vzw.

Fun fact: The Guild 'Heren van Lier' decided to have Caves brewed again in 1976. Since then, it can be found in abundance in the Lier region, where it is a regional specialty. It therefore has the subtitle 'Het bier van Lier'. "In principle", Caves may only be served in Lier and in the own cafes of the Verhaeghe brewery. The Heren van Lier adhere to this rule and if an exception has to be made for whatever reason, a little Lier soil is scattered on the tap place (source: Wikipedia).
 

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5.6/10 Appearance 4 Aroma 5 Flavor 6 Texture 6 Overall 6.5
Clear brown colour with thin soapy head. Aroma has lots of oak and a touch of malt vinegar. There’s a genuine sweetness to the flavour and it mellows the intensity of the sour notes nicely.
Tried on 01 Apr 2016 at 15:04

5.8/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 6 Flavor 6 Texture 6 Overall 5
250ml bottle in the Bier Paleis, Brugge on 5th Feb 2016. Red hue to the brown body, the head a thin cream coloured affair. Semi-sour, tart feel, cherries and raspberry flavoured: interesting but a little too sour for my palate.
Tried from Bottle on 15 Feb 2016 at 12:49

7.2/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 7 Flavor 7 Texture 8 Overall 7
On tap at Café Sint-Gummarus , Lier, Friday 20th March 2015 Amber in colour with a slim white head. The nose is very similar to Rodenbach, in fact the taste is also similar. Sharp, and zippy, sour and fruity and tart. Refreshing sour beer. Nice. A7 A4 T7 P4 Ov14 3.6
Tried from Draft on 20 Mar 2015 at 06:20

8.3/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 8 Flavor 8 Texture 8 Overall 9
330 ml. bottle split with Kogymo. Procured from Willems & Zoon. I have never heard about this nor have I ever seen it before but apparently the name has quite a bit interesting history behind it. This is nothing like the original beer, no recipes appear to have been written down for the original & the original that was sold in Lier was apparently a sour & golden beer of 11,7% ABV, so nothing like this one. Pours a dark brownish amber. Nose is sweet foeder, barrel, balsamic vinegar & sugar. Taste is lightly metallic like some lesser glasses of Rodenbach Foederbier, tastes of malt, cherry, foeder, brown sugar sweet, light herbs, balsamic vinegar, flowers, caramel. Lightly watery. A lesser brother to Duchesse De Bourgogne but still this drinks pretty well even if its clearly not at the top of the game.
Tried from Bottle on 02 Feb 2015 at 12:17

7.5/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 8 Flavor 7 Texture 8 Overall 7
29/11/2014 bottle @ WBF Amber-ruby colour, small head. Smell is cherries, oak, sourness. Taste is in beyween lambic/oud bruin. Red fruits, sourness, oak, some sweetness.
Tried from Bottle on 09 Dec 2014 at 07:40

7.1/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 7 Flavor 8 Texture 8 Overall 6.5
Volgens het etiket is dit een 16e eeuws bier wat sind 1976 door de vzw Gilde "Heren van Lier" weer op de markt is gebracht.
Lichtbruin helder bier onder schuim. Smaak is fruitig, licht zuur en licht zoet en lijkt erg op een geuzebier. Blijft gemiddel hangen. Etiket is anders dan hier aangegeven.
Tried on 16 Aug 2014 at 06:02

6.6/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 8 Flavor 6 Texture 4 Overall 6.5
One of those old-fashioned, if not historical beers which have been in existence longer than the brewery that makes them. Already mentioned in 16th-century sources and regarded by the early-20th-century writer Felix Timmermans as "the best beer in the world, as to no longer even look at wine". Again brewed since 1976, for many years now by Verhaeghe. Yellowish white, irregular head, colour a dark brownish amber with copper hue, misty. Sweet and sour aroma of apple sauce, grapes, mango, cassis, oak, balsamic vinegar, old red wine, walnuts, dried orange peel, tomato puree, fennel, mint, liquorice, cookie dough, iron and cloves. Tingling fruity taste with strong carbonation, sweet and sour as an old brown, bit vinous, citrussy, honeyish, bit woody, sourness drying till into the finish where some of the initial sweetness also lingers. Probably too sweet to be believable, but nevertheless a very interesting brew I enjoyed quite a lot. Unlike many other Belgian ales, that’s for sure.
Tried on 09 Aug 2014 at 09:12

7.3/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 7 Flavor 7 Texture 6 Overall 8
Bottle at t oud lier . Pours fuzzy red/orange , huge white head . Smell is bit sour , some fruit , some oak . Taste is surprisingly intense . Sour , rather dry , bit fruity , some oak , rather sweet . Too much carbonation . Ok .
Tried from Bottle on 20 Jul 2014 at 06:31

5/10
Tried on 24 Jun 2014 at 10:21

7/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 7 Flavor 7 Texture 6 Overall 8
Dark amber, white foam, medium carbonation. Sour and sweet. Aroma of lemon and sour apples. Well balanced. Good beer!
Tried on 17 Sep 2013 at 11:50