Op tap bij Lokaal Haarlem. Iets mistig goudgeel bier, witte kraag. Droog, hint van gist, onrijp fruit, hint van tijm, citrusschil, licht romig, bitter. Niet te zoet of met een overdaad aan esters. Degelijke klassieke tripel.

20 June 2021. At Lokaal, Haarlem. Shared with the lovely Anke! Bottle. Hazy orange, small, frothy, white head. Aroma of orange, mango, green banana, turnip, ginger, white pepper, herbal mix. Taste has sweet orange, apricot & turnip with spicy accents; bitter orange peel in the middle along biscuity maltiness. Floral hoppy, bit peppery finish, ripe fruit, estery, warming dash of gin-like alcohol. Medium body, oily texture, average carbonation. Decent classic Tripel with a twist.

20 June 2021. At Lokaal, Haarlem. Shared with the lovely Anke! Bottle. Hazy black, small, foamy, tan head. Aroma of ginger, black pepper, juniper berries, prune, tobacco leaves, beef jerky. Taste has sweetish prune & fig, bit sour berry & juniper, toasty maltiness adorned with spicy notes. Herbal hoppy finish, quite a lot of ginger, subtler dried fruit, toast & some smoked meat. Softly warming gin-like alcohol. Medium body, creamy texture, soft carbonation. Could have been the black version of Shringa Vera. Good but needs a 'darker' character.

20 June 2021. At Lokaal, Haarlem. Shared with the lovely Anke! Tap. Clear orange, stable, frothy, white head. Aroma of orange juice, pineapple slice, apricot, honeydew, lime. Taste has sweetish pineapple, melon & mandarin, a tad sour, bit doughy. Bitterish floral hoppy finish with citrus peel and perfume. Medium body, oily texture, soft carbonation. Easy-going, nothing special, but not that bad.

20 June 2021. At Lokaal, Haarlem. Shared with the lovely Anke! Tap. Clear yellow, small, frothy, white head. Aroma of ginger, pepper, tangelo, grapefruit, lemon. Taste has sweetish tangelo, sour citrus zest, bitter grapefruit and herbal ginger. Earthy hoppy finish, spicy, peppery, bread & citrus. Medium body, oily texture, average carbonation. Just sessionable, agreeable for once.

Spiced 'dark saison' (which is apparently still a thing to some craft brewers) from the Netherlands. Mousy to creamy, pale yellowish beige, bit irregular ring of foam with thin veil in the middle; 'dirty' chocolate brown robe with misty ruddy edges. Aroma strongly dominated by spice, star aniseed indeed, ras-el-hanout, red curry paste, gravy, soggy brown bread, black peppercorns, fresh bay leaf, Christmas pudding, gingerbread, 'pepernoot', tea. Sweetish, fruity onset with dried beef stock cube-like umami effect and notes of fig and red apple, lively carbonated with a smooth mouthfeel; walnutty and toasty-brown-bready malt base with bitter finish, completely drenched in the star aniseed and Szichuan pepper spicing, with additional effects of clove, bay leaf and nutmeg; this spiciness adds further bitterness to an already hoppy and toasty bitter tail. Lots of earthy, 'dirty', bready yeastiness too. A bit of a mess, as is so often the case when spices are used all too generously. Not my cup of tea.

Op tap bij lokaal. Chocolade, gember, iets geroosterd, cacao. Flinke bak gember in de smaak ook, maar prima binnen de perken gehouden. Medium body. Prima.

Moutig, chocolade, droog, licht kruidig, anijszaad. Haal er geen szechuan uit. Voor een NHB een goed bier.

Bottle. Almost black. Maltaroma with caramel, whisky, dried fruit and hints of smoke. Full bodied, alcoholic. Malty sweet caramelly flavor with dried fruit, smoke, roast. Red fruit, complex. Roasty finish. Nice but somewhat lacking in balance.