6.8

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7

Spiced Belgian blonde made for the municipality of Stekene in eastern Flanders, thanks Stefan! Thin, egg-white head with decent retention, clear pale golden blonde colour. Aroma of cinnamon, coriander seed, apple peel, chicken broth, honey, gooseberry, gingerbread, flowers, grass, dried banana and a weak whiff of DMS (cooked cabbage). Soft sweet onset of apple, light banana and apricot with sourish gooseberry and starfruit undercurrent, softish carbo, lean and ’fluffy’ body. Lightly honeyish and bready malt sweetness ensues while a sweet ’speculoos’ spiciness comes up and intensifies towards the finish, yielding retronasal impressions of gingerbread with a lot of cinnamon, along with the initial esters persisting till the end. Coriander soapiness and a very light, mild grassy hop bitterishness round things off. Okay beer, a bit different thanks to the generous but well-crafted dosis of sweet, cinnamon- and coriander-like spiciness; expected a lot less than this, to be honest.