Magus

330ml bottle from Vanuxeem. Pours hazy gold with foamy white head. Fresh wit aroma, taste is banana, cloves, vanilla, perfume, spice, honey, lemon, citrus and floral elements. Very refreshing and flavoursome wit.

Belgoobeer’s first, a special witbier with spelt and oats and classically spiced with coriander and curaçao; re-rating as I had this beer once when it first came onto the market, but wondered how it has evolved since then now that (since February of this year) it is brewed in Van Aerts’ own brewery in St.-Pieters-Leeuw. Pours a hazy, peachy ’old gold’ colour with quiet fizz, under a moussy, dense but not very thick, yet decently lacing, eggshell-white head. Aroma of unripe redcurrant, white bread dough, red apple peel, banana, dry hay, breakfast cereals, sourish grains, green kiwi, raw rhubarb (acetaldehyde), coriander but not too overpowering, lemon peel hint, Conférence pear, dried lemonbalm, soapy wheat, vague accents of stale sweat, moist straw. Crisp onset, spritzy carb, fruity esters reminiscent of starfruit, green apple, redcurrant, unripe pineapple and some banana but not too much, bit minerally with a very light salty edge, gentle but unmistakable lemon peel sourishness which works quite refreshing in this case; pleasantly bready middle phase, sourishly grainy, sweetish, with a soft fringe probably due to the oats, supple, bit minerally due to a fairly strong carbonation; honeyish malt sweetness plays with the deep and ’deaf’ spelt sourishness, quite interesting. Finishes in more sourish graininess with additional, more ’high-tuned’ lemony sourishness, very refreshing, along with somewhat resiny coriander ’bittersweetness’ but very mildly so; dryish, with a certain leafy and earthy, ’structural’ hoppiness and clear bready yeastiness to it. Appetizing little beer, makes me feel I have not spent enough attention to Van Aerts’ creations lately; this is quite pleasant, it feels ’natural’, has no obvious flaws, is not ’overcoriandered’ like many other Belgian-style wheat beers and it quenches the thirst in an elegant, tasty manner. Better, more solid and more refreshing than I remember it from the original Binchoise-made version, so my rating goes up a bit.

Flaska från SBs beställningsortiment. Mörkt gyllengul, disig högt vitt skum. Fin annorlunda maltbas. Syrlig med mycket vetekaraktär men mustigare och mer komplex, lite surdegsbröd. Kryddig med nejlika, koriander, honung, jäst, lätt höig och jästig beska. Aningen för söt. annars trevlig.

Nose is soft fruit, herbs, and white peach. The taste is of white peach, and a soft sherbert like note, which reminded me of palma violets in a way I can’t explain. There is almost no bitterness to the taste, and the finish is floral. Full mouthfeel with some carbonation. An unusual beer, not unpleasant but I see no reason to return.

33 cl bottle @ Gastropub Praha. BBE 20.10.2009, rated on 23.10.2009
Aroma has toffee typical to aged Belgian ales, some herbal notes and fruits. Flavour has toffee, caramel, some fruits and yeasty notes. Fruity and rich, a positive surprise.

33cl bottle from bier paradijs. Thick white head. Hazy blond pour. Nice enough brew.

33cl bottle @ home shared with Dutchdrebus. Murky hazy pale yellow color, medium sized quickly diminishing white to off-white head that leaves a slight lacing. Smell is lightly malty and sweetish. Taste lightly malty, sweetness, slightly grassy. Low to medium carbonation, low to medium body. Not bad though.

Bottle @ Benzai. Clear pale yellow with a decent white head. Smells soapy, flowers, artificial, some malts. Tastes soapy, flowers, blossom, sweet. Medium body, quite active carbo.

Chmielowe i znacznie goryczkowe piwo, aromatyczne. Wytrawny finisz. Mętnawe lekko i piana dość spora.

Bottle from Au Grain d’Orge, Crissier, 6.6% ABV
Cloudy golden color, even if it was resting for months; generous compact head. The aroma has a mild Belgian character, more fruity than spicy though, and quite sweet. Smooth mouthfeel; sweetish malt flavor, with delicate coriander and light fruity touch; ordinary bitterness.
Simple but well brewed and pleasant.