Red wine barrel aged edition of Notre Passion, from a 75 cl bottle shared by Stefan, cheers! Very thick but regularly shaped, frothy, lacing, egg-white head, very dark burgundy-tinged bronze robe, translucent, initially clear but hazy with sediment; does not really look very porter-like, frankly. Aroma of medlar, overripe blue plum, wet wood (almost furniture-like), burnt sugar, gooseberries, stewed red apples, old red wine, raisins, banana peel, caramel, dried mushrooms. Estery, fruity onset, stewed plums, banana and gooseberry, sweet with residual brown sugar and a sourish undercurrent, medium carbonation, soft and fluffy mouthfeel - but lacking the slickness and oiliness I’d expect from a beer called porter. Caramelly and lightly bready malt sweet middle, fruity esters persist and spicy phenols show up in the end, meeting a gently toasted bitter aspect - but again, not the amount of toasted bitterness you’d expect from a porter. Drying woody tannins in the end, some warming alcohol, a dash of earthy hops and, most of all, a clear red wine tartness lingering afterwards, as is often the case with wine barrel aged beers. Not a bad beer per se, but clearly a classically Belgian quadrupel rather than any kind of porter.

Bottle split at ABC Beer The Hague, 24/09/2015. Thanks. Light hazed caramel brown coloured pour with a halo of loose off white head. ARoma is bretty funk, plastic rye bread, apricot and raspberry, Palate is semi sweet, oaky tannin finish, highish carbonation. Flavour is composed of tangy peach and apricot yogurt, brown sugars, caramel, Decent.
Earlier Rating: 5/18/2016 Total Score: 3.5
Bottle split at ABC Beer The Hague, 24/09/2015. Thanks. Light hazed caramel brown coloured pour with a halo of loose off white head. ARoma is bretty funk, plastic rye bread, apricot and raspberry, Palate is semi sweet, oaky tannin finish, highish carbonation. Flavour is composed of tangy peach and apricot yogurt, brown sugars, caramel, Decent.

Bottle 750ml. @ [ Pre-Borefts Ratebeer evening ] - ABC Beers, Korte Koediefstraat 5, Den Haag, Netherlands 2511CE. [ As Montaigu Notre Passion Oak Aged ].Clear dark brown color with a average, frothy, good lacing, mostly lasting, light beige head. Aroma is moderate malty, caramel, dark malt, wood, oak. Flavor is moderate sweet with a average to long duration, yeasty, fruity, dried fruit, oak, wood, dark malt. Body is medium, texture is oily to watery, carbonation is soft. [20150924]

750 ml. bottle sampled & shared. Dark red amber, lightly tanned, off-white head. Nose is massive vanilla, oak, sugar, candy oddly mixed with vinous, light lactic notes, touch herbal,… Taste is body is thin & watery which is a real shame, barrel is interesting, huge, candy, massive vanilla, oak, sweet red wine, light oxidation, candy, sugar, vinous, massive amounts of vanilla,… dark fruits, vinous. The barrel is great, massive vanilla is odd but interesting but the base is thinned out so heavily & quite watery, it really doesn’t work which is shame because the barrel is good. They either kept it too long in the barrel (2 years is a very long time) or they tried fixing a failed batch. These barrels needed a massive beer & this is sadly very watery, totally ruining the beer & making it not fun at all to drink.

Bottle split at the ABC Beers pre Borefts tasting, 24/09/15. Chestnut brown with a decent beige covering. Nose is malt, spice, bitter orange, dark fruit rinds, earthy hop notes. Taste comprises light funk, dark fruits, toffee, biscuit, wooded notes, subtle barrel. Medium + bodied, fine carbonation, semi drying close. Decent fruity barrel number.

24th September 2015
Pre Borefts Tasting at ABC Beers, Den Haag. Clear dark amber beer, good pale tan head. Palate is light and smooth, mild fine carbonation. Nice melllow wood under mildly tangy fruits. Some citric peel. Woody airy finish. Not bad.

Bottle at ABC Beers Pre-Borefts tasting, The Hague. Pours hazy brown with a small off white head. Aroma of massive wood, oak, light smoke, overripe dark fruits, vinous notes and toffee. Flavour is over moderate sweet and moderate bitter. Medium bodied with soft carbonation.

Sample at Pre-Borefts tasting at ABCBeers. Thin white head. Hazy deep amber pour. Some oak notes. decent