(Bottle 25 cl) Remember having this for the first time on tap on a hot summer’s day in Lier, where it’s the local beer. Dark golden with a nice head. Presumably filtered. Some wooden notes, with touches of roasted malt showing through. Sweet’ n’ sour with emphasis lying on the sweet side. 120697

Dark orange, slightly hazy beer; creamy, yellowish head, as freshly whipped double cream. Initial slap of acetic acid, with a decaying vegetable nose, or very badly assaisoned salad. In the taste, the beer gets fully Vlaams oud bruin character, with both lactic and acetic acid, wood, but also some no-quite right tasting sweetness. The tastes balancing each other out only in the palate, with even some meaty and vinous notes. Rather fuller bodied than most Flemish Oud bruins, quite some acid burn. As everybody agrees, this beer has acquired the Verhaeghe oud bruin character. Which, no doubt, it shouldn’t have. "Caves" is the old alestyle from Lier, small town halfway Antwerpen and Mechelen. Once, it had a pale amber colour, and I doubt it was very sour. But never having tasted the real one, I cannot hold Verhaeghe responsible. I just feel sad - and Lier ought to feel ashamed. They still had Cuyckens, less than forty years ago.

A red beer with a beutiful white head. The aroma is sour yet sweet with notes of wood, over-ripe berries, plums, and prunes. The flavor has a great balance between the sweetness and the sourness with primary notes of wood and plums. A very nice beer.

Vinous, slightly vingary sourness. Appearance like cola: Red brown, quickly dying head and heavy carbonation. Sweet fruityness (grapes) on a sour background. Thinbodied, some fizzyness but mostly refreshing. Style should probably be flemish sour ale. Rated bottle was a bit past its expiration date.