Och man wat is dit nou weer, slappe hap, dunne waterige zooi… die val dieu grand cru hiervoor had 100x meer smaak, waar is die Barrel aging gebleven ? Dit is weer typisch Grutte Pier… veel geblaat weinig wol..

Fles 33cl thuis. Redelijk koolzuur, hoppig, citrus, caramel, suikers, rood fruit, moutig, fruitig, redelijk zoet. (30-9-2022).

Kruudig, bitter, koriander, sinaasappelschil, mout, aardig, niet werelds

(Draught at Arendsnest, Amsterdam, 6 May 2022) Reddish brown colour with frothy, beige head. Malty nose with notes of raisins, figs, prunes and crisp-bread. Malty, fruity taste with raisins, figs, prunes, caramel, bread and a mild spicy bitterness in the finish. More than medium body, with a certain sweetness. Tasty and well balanced dubbel. Nice one.

Strong stout in this proudly Frisian microbrewery’s range, again – indirectly – referring to the early 16th-century ‘Grutte Pier’, a military leader leading the Frisians against Holland (successfully) and who has become something of a local folklore legend since then. Gusher, but manageable and in this case probably due to temperature contrasts. Medium thick, pale greyish beige, tiny-bubbled, opening and dissipating head over a very dark chocolate brown beer, in practice as good as black, with hazy deep mocha-brown edges. Aroma of black coffee and coffee filters, beef broth, liquorish, shoe polish, fresh paint, gin, dark chocolate bars, roasted almond, bayleaf, ‘drop’ and salmiak, old dried figs. Dark fruitiness in the onset, dried figs, prunes, dried blackberries, medium carb, full oily body but clearly thinned by alcohol; walnutty, toasted brown-bready, dry middle quickly shifting to full-fledged black coffee-like roasted bitterness filling the second half of the flavour ‘parcours’, adorned with a strong ‘drop’ or liquorish effect that will not be to everyone’s liking perhaps, but for me actually fits in quite well. Notes of beef stock, peppery hops and bayleaf linger, until all is heated by notably hot, gin-like alcohol. A tad too boozy, too solventy and too liquorish-forward for its own good and therefore in need of some finetuning, but generally not a bad stout, in which I could certainly appreciate the uncompromising roasted bitterness.

Welkom in Zeeland!

Solid classic example. Bubblegum and clean without the sharp phenols. Gist utrecht

Bottle. Pours slightly hazy copper brown with airy light beige head. Clear aroma of smoke and malt, with touches of yeast and bread. Bitter, hoppy flavour with notes of smoke, malt and yeast and touches of spice. Estery and smoky aftertaste with malty touches. A decent one.

Bottle, 8%. Very caramelly aroma, not much smoke. Hazy dark brown colour. Small unstable tan head. The flavour is sweet and very caramelly. Spicy malt and malt syrup notes. More spicy than smoked with hints of cough syrup. Low carbonation. Good, though.