Unexpected winter version of Achel Extra Bruin - the same beer in fact, but flavoured with ginger and cinnamon, inspired by a long tradition of dark Belgian winter ales; temporarily for sale at the brewery and online here and there. I was quite surprised to stumble upon this one, considering it came out at a time when Achel had already lost its trappist logo due to the fact that there were no trappist monks present anymore at the Achelse Kluis - but at least the abbey was still governed by 'mother' Westmalle, so the 'trappist beer' description remained valid. Coincidentally, however, less than a week after I tasted this beer, the news was out that the abbey has meanwhile been sold to a private investor - therefore ceasing to be a trappist abbey, and by consequence, the Achel beers will almost automatically turn from trappist beers into ('commercial') abbey beers, if anything; in any case Belgium loses a trappist brand in a time when new trappist brands pop up abroad every now and then. I did buy and open this bottle before the news was out, though, so it was still a semi-trappist beer at that time (last week Friday)... Thick and frothy, cobweb-lacing, pale greyish beige head, resting stable on a misty caramel brown beer with ruddy glow. Aroma of caramel, ginger powder indeed noticeable from the start and much stronger than the cinnamon which discreetly shows up later, brown honey, dried prunes, ground hazelnuts, nougat, brown bread, dry autumn leaves, candi sugar, nutmeg, clove, some 'jenever' and brown soap. Sweet, dark-fruity onset with pronounced candi sugar (as usual in a quad), hints of candied fig, pear jam and light banana, fizzy carb in a tiny-bubbled way; full, soft, fluffy mouthfeel. Caramelly malt core with ongoing candi sugariness (though nothing cloying), brown-bready edges, some very vague hazelnut; clove-like phenols accompany the actual spicing, which warms and colours the finish, with again ginger upfront and cinnamon remaining much more subtle (perhaps too subtle, in fact). Some mildly leafy hops ensue, along with warming, rum-like, very noticeable but not annoyingly astringent alcohol. Decent Belgian style winter warmer, indeed the Achel Extra Bruin with a pinch of extra spicing - but the difference with the original remains altogether subtle and I personally would have loved to find more cinnamon in this one. As solid as its base beer, but less distinct from it than I was expecting. Now let us see what this private owner does to this iconic Limburgian brewery - and its surroundings. I cannot say that I have a lot of confidence in this place's future, not its beers - but expect the Achel brand to be commercially exploited to the bone any time soon.

20/I/23 - 75cl bottle @ Wim’s place, BB: XI/2024 (2023-78) Thanks to Alengrin for sharing the bottle!

Clear deep amber to red brown beer, big creamy to aery beige head, falls down quickly, dissipates completely, non adhesive. Aroma: bread yeast, lots of caramel, hint of vanilla, sourish impression, banana peel, a little soapy, malty, sweet impression. MF: lively carbon, medium body. Taste: a bit sweet up front, yeasty, lots of banana, bitter, spicy touch, very dry, more spicy, dried ginger. Aftertaste: spicy, ripe banana, some bubble gum, caramel, little bitter, ginger powder, dry finish.