Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7.5 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8

Best before: 30/03/22, 375ml bottle; Gruit Ale aged in Bordeaux wine barrels;

APPEARANCE: color reminds at more bright oud bruin or brown ale, caramel brown with red hues, no proper head, just tin ring on the rim of the glass with big airy bubbles, no visible rising carbonation;

AROMA: Very smooth, harmonious & complex aroma from both worlds, gruit ale & red wine; a very pleasant herbal bouquet that doesn't overpower (feels kind of restrained), melting caramel & impressions of the forest honey combined with red wine; sweet red wine, soaked bread crust, distinctive herbal character, notes of old herbs & leaves, sweet bread, hints of wormwood in the back, hints of lemongrass & subtle oxidation (lipstick)

TASTE: very soft & low carbonation (cask feel), quite a wet mouthfeel, medium light body; herbal tea like onset with caramel syrup and a shot of old red wine, moderate sweetness of caramel & honey (acacia or chestnut like vibes), soft red wine, wet wood but not tannic or bitter, also no obvious soapiness from the herbs; hints of dry herbs, leaves & old grass in the aftertaste; subtle tartness from the red wine barrels, subtle hints of citrus juice (lemon/lime or faint lemon oil), low spiciness at the backend, a faint note of dry grounded ginger;

OVERALL: surprisingly not so ”gruit” forward as expected but more harmonious, smooth, easy drinkable & quenching at the same time with clear hints of Bordeaux wine, cask like feel to it; --- Beer merged from original tick of Gruuthuse Reserva - 2014 on 15 Nov 2020 at 19:29 - Score: 8. Original review text: BB 30/03/22, 375ml bottle;Gruit Ale aged in Bordeaux wine barrels; Very smooth, harmonious & complex aroma from both worlds, gruit ale & red wine; a very pleasant herbal bouquet that doesn't overpower, melting caramel & forest honey combined with red wine