I think this is a Belgium Sour Ale. The aroma is slightly sour and a little sweet - a good aroma for the type. The color is a deep red and it has a small fast disappearing head. The flavor is sweet, slightly sour and prickling. The flavor is also rich on fruit, sharp from the wild fermentation and a little metallic. A little thin for the type - is that because of the low ABV. It is the worste Belgian Red Ale I've tried - but still a good beer.

The aroma dominated by yeast with notes of oranges and coriander. The color is an unclear orange and it has a beutiful but disappearing head. The flavor is sweet with alcohol prickling the tongue and notes of oranges, coriander, and cinnamon. The sweetness lingers on the lips. A fine triple.

Vertical test (Note: brewery Van Honsebrouck has always regarded "Brigand" as a beer for ageing) between "Brigand", newly bought (A), sell-by date: 10-2005 and B) sell-by date 03-1996. Points for A) as above, for B) in [brackets] in text. Colour: A) yellow to caramel-fudge colour; very thick, dense head, stable B) caramel-orange, thick head fastly reduced to +/- 1 cm [4] Nose: A) caramel and herbal-hoppy. Toothpaste-minty smell; B)hazelnuts, portwine, higher alchohols first, then going over to walnuts/walnut oil [8] Taste: A) caramel, caramel-malts, fiery bitter taste on top of a very malty base. Retronasal a baked apple flavour B) Again an aggressive bitterish taste. With the outspoken walnut flavour, it combines to walnuts with the little yellow bitter peels still on, soaked in brandy. Yet, the overall sensation is sweeter [7] Mouthfeel & aftertaste: A) reasonnably full-bodied. Alcohol burn. No new aftertaste B) alcohol-esterisation diminishes typically the full mouthfeel. But I think they're pretty much the same. Extra sweetness is even more obvious in the aftertaste [4] Overall: the old Brigand IS better. But only in the way a strong, heavy beer will age well if stored in a good way. There is no outside surplus [15]Nothing from this beer is really outstanding - everything's just OK. Important: BOTH beers mention 9.0 %ABV, not 8.5 %

The colour is nice read. The head is pink. Smells like cherry. Perhaps the most impressive fruit-flavour I ever tasted. Sweet flavours are mixed with sour flavours. Very good when you're really thursty.

A brown or dark red beer with an OK but fast disappearing head. The aroma is sweet and slightly fruity. The flavor is fanstastic; very sweet, fruity, and complex. It ends on an earthy note - but with a good sweetness and notes of oranges. It has no bitterness at all. A really good beer with a good palate, but a little too sweet, and not bitter enough for my liking.

A somewhat unique little tripel - citrus and peaches in the flavor - aroma is dominated by alcohol - alcohol is way too present in the flavor, too - out of balance - disappointing but not a terrible experience.

Thick white head, champagne-like bubbling. Quite stable. Beer colour of old gold, very clear. Nose gives an alcoholic-tinted sweetness, grain. Later something sulphury, like burnt rubber. Taste is a bit oppressive sweetness, candisugar. Faint flavour of green sultana's (sulphur?). After a while, it becomes completely almond-flavour, even with a whiff of bitter almonds. Quite some alchol-burn, throat-warming effect. Very dry at the same time. Alcohol masks the body completely. Sweetness becomes nearly cloying, given time. Not too outspoken, seen the dryness. Was the blond version really necessary? Commercially, yes, no doubt. For the taste palette, however...

Bottled. Muddy pale orange with smallish head. Vinuos aroma of fruit and toffee. Malty with balanced sweetness and a strong almond flavour. The mouthfeel is surprisingly light, and the massive ABV is suprisingly well hidden, especially considering the modest sweetness. Some hoppiness renders a dryish finish with just a hint of bitterness.

A red beer with a good head. The aroma is the sour and sharp aroma that suits a kriek. The flavor is soft and on the other hand sharp like a kriek should be and ofcourse with notes of cherry. A really good kriek.