De Graal

Microbrewery in Brakel, East Flanders, Belgium 🇧🇪

Established in 2002

Contact
Industrielaan 42a, Brakel, 9660, Belgium
Description
Brewery De Graal (the name is Dutch for 'the grail') is a young Belgian artisanal, yet automated, brewery located in Brakel, in the heart of the beautiful region that is commonly called 'the Flemish Ardennes'. The brewery of graduate brewer Wim Saeyens started in early 2002, and has known a consistent growth ever since. In the summer of 2016 the brewery moved to a new building.
Continuous investments in the latest brewing technologies have made it possible for brewery De Graal to keep up with the increasing demand for high quality beers. The export market to countries such as the US, Japan, Italy and Denmark is particularly on the rise. In addition to the main activity, the brewing of six different beers under its own De Graal brand name, the brewery is also specialized in producing custom-made specialty beers.

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

Donkerbruin bier met schuim. Smaak is warm en krachtig met iets van veel whiskey en een beetje anijs en kandij.

Tried from Bottle on 28 Mar 2020 at 21:14


6

Tried from Bottle at Zeezicht on 06 Mar 2020 at 21:10


8

Tried from Bottle at De Gebrande Winning on 01 Mar 2020 at 16:23


6.8
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7

33cl bottle in 't Brugs Beertje on 30th Jan 2020. Light haze to the golden pour, white crown that stayed on top. Fairly sweet and malty brew with a yeasty/herbal feel to the nose and taste. Not a 'typical Belgian Tripel' but not much to set it apart from many others in the style, still enjoyed it.

Tried from Bottle on 06 Feb 2020 at 09:21


6.6
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 6.5

Tried on 13 Jan 2020 at 06:38


5

Crisp beer.

Tried on 25 Nov 2019 at 17:48


5

Certainly ginger. Fair amount of citrus as well

Tried at Café Pardaf on 25 Nov 2019 at 17:48


6

A saison that holds it own

Tried on 25 Nov 2019 at 17:48


6.4
Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6.5 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5

Tried from Bottle on 10 Nov 2019 at 13:23


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

Tripel hopped with Sorachi Ace, refermented with champagne yeast and ‘aged’ on oak chips – I personally think more attempts should be made at re-inventing the old blondes, dubbels and tripels of Belgium into craft beer with an international appeal, usually it’s the same old worn-out formula brewers here tend to follow without much courage to think of deviations. Anyway, this first beer by what is apparently a new ‘bierfirma’ in Limburg, intended to be paired with Angus beef apparently, shows a very thick and foamy, egg-white, creamy, membrane-lacing head and misty peach blonde robe with pale amberish tinge. Aroma of ripe peach, almond, caramel, banana, touch subtle oak wood indeed, pineapple, bitterroot, sugarbread, dried thyme and lemon zest (the latter two certainly coming from the Sorachi Ace and piercing through subtly, but clearly). Fruity onset, ‘cleanly’ estery with impressions of peach, pineapple and light banana, sweet with softish carb and softish, fluffy mouthfeel; caramelly and bready malt body upon which the fruitiness lingers, leading to a rooty, spicy and dried citrus peel-like hop bitterness adding only the subtlest Sorachi Ace herbalness and zestiness – while the oak chips provide equally faint dryish tannins, however dwarfed by the maltiness, fruitiness and eventual warming, gin-ish alcohol of the beer. No truly recognizable champagne yeast effect were to be found. Remarkably decent from a technical viewpoint, entirely flawless and made with care, but the elements that could have really set this beer apart have sadly been kept much too subtle. Needs a lot more oakiness and Sorachi Ace, guys! Then again, the next one coming up seems to be again an ‘experimental’ beer – again intended to match with a certain food – made with apricot and Hungarian pálinka – hopefully this Heerd project has the guts to take that one a step further into differing from what the average, non-geeky Belgian beer drinker tends to expect.

Tried on 30 Oct 2019 at 14:15