Bottle at the chriso May 2014 tasting - London. Thanks to Matteo! Pours clear, red-pink with a foamy head. The nose has bright cherry and jammy berries. Light to medium sweet with mellow tartness, slight funk, more vibrant cherry character. Light to medium bodied with average carbonation. Crisp on the finish with moderate sweetness, juicy cherry, light apple, good and fresh tart kick. Very nice. Drinks well for the strength. Lovely.

Wood-aged beer like their Cuvée Mam’Zelle, but sour. Stable, off-white, loose head, colour a deep peach blonde, hazy. Strong estery aroma, sweet and sour like an oud bruin, overripe peach, pineapple, passion fruit, lemon peel, dry sherry, sweet tobacco, tannins, yoghurt, white wine. Acidic taste, lemony at first, lots of esters (pineapple, red berries, apple peel) on a soft bready malt base, some lactic acidity as well, ensuring a sour dry finish, woody almost like a sweetened geuze. Lacks some of the ’wildness’ and ’funkiness’ of a real lambic, more clean, with the sourness artificially added; not unlike a good oud bruin though, except from the colour. Reminds me a bit of Petrus Aged Pale. Very enjoyable, if you’re into sour beers.

Leite’s first, with a label designed by an artist. Creamy, firm, off-white head, peach blonde colour with orange hue, not really amber contrary to what the label says. Soft fruity aroma, apricot, pear, some orange, grains, slight sourish touch, caramel; fruity taste, soft and mellow maltiness, spicy notes, bit yeasty, mild herbal hops in the finish with light bitterness.

Leite’s third beer, a tripel with thick, cream white, sticky, moussy head and orange blonde, hazy robe. Aroma of orange peel, iron, parsley, coriander, honey, ginger, minerals, pineapple, banana, lemon juice, lime stone. Sweet fruits in the onset with citrus freshness and strong, tingling carbonation, lightly but still punchy spice accents, honeyish malts, long hop bitter finish. Indeed a more than average tripel.

’Edelbier’ matured on médoc barrels. Off-white, delicately structured, fairly stable head, colour of ’old gold’, clear. Complex and rather powerful aroma of white wine, oak, grapefruit, cognac, bourbon, green hops, freshly grated ginger, mint, star aniseed, tea, pineapple, a touch of eau de cologne and champagne. Vivid fruitiness in the taste with citrus peel and quite strong, almost champagne-like carbonation, caramelly and bit honeyish malts covered under a complex of fruitiness and spiciness (aniseed again, ginger), finishing leafy and peppery hop bitterness as well as rather strong, whisky-like alcohol, a combination enough to completely dry mouth and throat, to the point where it becomes even a bit astringent. Had the finish been more benign, this would have been a truly great ale.

De Leite’s second, with yellowish white foam and deep mahogany colour, misty. Aroma of caramel, bayleaf, hazelnuts, figues, liquorice; taste soft dried fruitiness (dates, raisins), nutty maltiness with some caramel, rather flat carbonation, thinnish mouthfeel, mildly bitterish finish with a hint of coffee-liked roastedness. Not too impressive but a decent dubbel nonetheless.

Pours blonde , good , perfectly pourable white head . Impressive . Smell is brett , wood , grainy . Taste is bitter , grainy , brett . Balanced , intense enough . Good medium mouthfeel . Very nice , easy beer , with a lot of character .

Golden colour. Aroma is quite peppery and has light fruity sweetness. Quite a mild flavour. Typical yeastiness and a spicy bitterness.