The autumn one in a series of seasonal beers in the Pius X range, developed by a hobby brewer in the Muide quarter of Ghent (an old dock workers and labourers neighbourhood) operating in the kettles of his friend Wim Saeyens at De Graal; at a party in the local cultural centre celebrating the twenty years of existence of this very local brand. Medium thick, pale off-white, stable, moussy head on a clear copper red beer with amber-brown glow. Aroma of hard caramel, iron shavings (head stabilizer from a mile out), coriander seed, dried fig, stewed apple, wet autumn leaves, pear, damp earth, moist brown sugar. Sweet onset but not too cloying, estery notes of pear, fig and red apple, fizzily carbonated; slick but relatively ‘full’ mouthfeel, caramelly and brown-bready malts with some residual sugars as well as a very slight toasty edge, but also that added iron returning. Rather earthy finish with notes of damp tree leaves, tea and nutmeg as well as clear coriander spiciness; light earthy hop bitterness, residual sugars and lingering yeast effects dominate the finish. Decent enough for the local purposes it serves – so local, in fact, that I was actually surprised to find out that not only does this brand still exist after all those years, it is even thriving. Too bad the winter version was out of stock – but more interestingly perhaps, the brewer told me that he is working on a bourbon barrel aged version to up the ante, so I will be on the lookout for that one…

Light hazy blond colour, white foam. Nose of banana, yeast, some herbal notes. Light sweet, rather lively carbonation.

More recent addition to the already existing blonde Sinay 1217, launched six years ago for the 800th birthday of the village of Sinaai near Sint-Niklaas in East-Flanders; the idea comes from a local in Sinaai but was and is still executed by De Graal in Brakel. Steinie bottle from Van Callenberge. Thick and foamy, frothy, off-white, large-bubbled but firm and stable head on a misty caramel brown beer with ruddy glow. Aroma of ripe banana, ripe pear, dried apple peel, dark candi sugar, ground hazelnuts, caramel, chewing gum, cheap brandy, burnt sugar, coriander seed, some toffee, cookies, candied cherries. Sweet onset, clear candi sugar with fruity notes of ripe pear, peach, banana and blueberry, medium carbonated with quite full, rounded, slick body; candi sugar sweetly fills in the gaps and adds a smooth, somewhat bubblegummy and slightly resinous effect to essentially caramelly and somewhat hazelnutty malts, showing a very light toasty-bitterish, even dark-chocolatey edge faraway in the finish. Leafy, tea-ish hops and warming, ‘jenever’-like alcohol accentuate this bitter part, the latter becoming a tad (too) boozy perhaps; generally though, this beer conveys the old school trappist-fuelled quadruple tradition quite well, with certain similarities to Chimay Bleue and others. Solid enough for the style, sweet with an interesting bitter element; not the most enduring quad I had, but certainly good enough to serve its very localized purpose.

33cl bottle from De Achelse Kluis shop. F: huge, white, good retention. C: gold, hazy. A: banana, red apples, honey, spicy, bit caramel, bready touch. T: full malty base, red apples, banana, honey, herbal, dry on the palate, peach, floral, medium to high carbonation, ok for this strange combo gluten free beer and also sugar free.

33cl bottle from De Achelse Kluis shop. F: medium, white, good retention. C: gold, light hazy. A: malty, ginger, banana, apples. T: medium to full malty base, banana, red apples, bready, bit caramel, decent bitterness, bit more on the sweet side yet not bad, enjoyed.

33cl bottle from De Achelse Kluis shop. F: big, white, good retention. C: deep gold, light hazy. A: rich malty, banana, pears, red apples, bit honey. T: full malty base, banana, apples, bit herbal, bit harsh bitterness, medium carbonation, not bad and probably my first gluten free beer for this style.

33cl bottle from De Achelse Kluis shop. F: big, white, good retention. C: gold, hazy. A: malty, floral, bit vanilla, bready. T: medium malty base, bready, bit caramel, herbal, long lasting bitterness, medium to high carbonation, not bad, enjoyed by my GF wife.

33cl bottle from De Achelse Kluis shop. F: big, tanned, long lasting. C: dark brown, hazy. A: malty, caramel, dark fruits, brown sugar, dark cherries, molasses, chocolate. T: medium malty base, dark fruits, brown sugar, caramel, spicy, raisins, roasted tones, cocoa touch, medium carbonation, good balanced for the style, very good for GF beer, enjoyed by my GF wife very well.

33cl bottle from De Achelse Kluis shop. F: big, white, long lasting. C: deep gold, light hazy. A: malty, banana, pears, spicy, honey, orange peels. T: medium malty base, banana, pears, spicy, bit harsh bitterness, honey touch, bit herbal, metallic touch, interesting idea here yet nothing really tasty at least I can share it with my GF wife.

Dark brown, beige foam. Sweet, fruity, notes of caramel, a bit spicy. Rather unbalanced.