Minne’s variation on the Italian style grape ale theme, or in fact a strong Belgian ale aged on wine barrels, including sweet and desserty Sauternes. Bottle from Poseidon beers, shared with Goedele. Egg-white, foamy, regularly shaped, dense and frothy head, slowly diminishing over a misty peach blonde beer with ochre-ish tinge. Aroma of indeed white dessert wine and ripe white grapes, grape skin, eau de vie, ripe apricot (typical for Sauternes as well), lemon butter, oak wood, peach cake, kiwi, pear wine, gooseberry jam, calvados, green apple, fresh lemon thyme and a background hint of stale sweat. Very fruity, juicy onset, lots of lovely sweet white ‘grapeyness’ with sourish edge, ripe pear, kiwi and pineapple aspects, touch apricot jam; quite fizzy carbonation, full and notably vinous mouthfeel. Cake- and brioche-bready, soft and fluffy malt sweet backbone with a mead-like sweetness heavily draped on top of it, adorned with lively herbal-spicy impressions of lemon thyme and orange zest, the latter adding refreshing citrusiness to a warming, complex, soothing, vinous finish, in which that lovely vanilla-scenting oakiness and calvados-like alcohol play a very prominent role. Lingering yeasty breadiness only adds to the overall ‘fluffy’ and sweet-bready feel of this beer. Liqueurish barleywine-esque grape ale – quite delicious, elegant and colourful, one to savour in small sips. Another great beer by this marvelous Ardennes brewery.

Bouteille 33cl, partagée avec l'équipe du Birrot.
BB 22/09/2023.
Couleur dorée moins pâle plus orange que la version Layon, col blanc.
Arôme est délicat finement vineux et fruité. Léger grillé de la barrique avec en retrait un fruité plaisant entre abricot et coing, fine douceur en rétro-nasal.
Palais sur une version plus classique et moins complexe que celle de Coteaux du Layon. Douceur se prête bien à une base belge de triple pour ce grape ale, qui fait les clins d’œil à De Dolle. Note d'amande, reine claude, abricot et coing avec une fine note de sucré résiduel. Effet cire d'abeille et une fine amertume qui arrive en toute fin de bouche.

Bottle, 330 ml shared with kajser27, Max and Miro B. Cloudy orange, white head. Ripe fruit, sweet, estery. Medium bodied.