Den Herberg started off in 2008 producing solid, but only locally important top-fermented beers before about a decade later, they ventured into lambic and became the trusted lambic producer many more beer lovers know them for today; back in the exclusively top-fermenting days, I recall having their dubbel at average strength (still produced today as well), but apparently this strong version has joined in meanwhile. From tap at the café out of which the brewery grew, during this year's Toer de Geuze event. Moussey, medium thick, pale yellowish beige, slowly receding head over a misty caramel brown robe with ruddy hue. Aroma of dry caramel, toasted bread, even coffee (grounds), dry cookies, dried apple slices, clove, nutmeg, autumn leaves, brandy, halfripe apricot, pear, brown bread, coriander seed. Dried-fruity onset, hints of dried fig, apple peel, slight pear and dried peach, not overly sweet but sweet enough for the style, lively carbonated with smooth mouthfeel - feeling a tad thinner and more 'supple' than the ABV would suggest. Dry-caramelly, brown-bready malt core with a growing toasted-bitter accent, turning ever so slightly coffeeish in the end, where it meets a leafy hop bitter undertone and warming, (cheap) brandy-like alcohol which nonetheless remains remarkably well hidden at this strength, along with nutmeg- and clove-like phenolic touches and coriander. Drier and more toasted bitter than average for a quad or generic Belgian strong dark, a bit reminiscent of Scotch in that sense - which in Belgium means old school, as Scotch has long surpassed its heydays in this country. Smooth, dangerously drinkable and very solid indeed.

Draft 2 year old at 't Brugs Beertje Brugge. Hazy dirty orange fold colour bubbles on the surface. Sour aroma sour lemon. But with some complexity on the aroma still in the mouth. Its an unblended lambic. Its still. Some woody flavour. Woody lemon. Interesting. Soem character. Some lime flavour. Its Interesting as all still lambics are. Some hop sting on the finish from aged hops. In fact its quite a good finish. Interesting rather than blow your socks off.

Pours clear, slighlty darker blonde / amber. medium large, fairly stable white head. Scent is very full, funky, oaky, and specifically mineral - almost to a Cantillon level. very raw grainy base. Lovely! Taste is full, sharp, very mineral, tad smokey almost, tough funk, brett, bit rubbery though. oaky, outspoken minerality. This has some aspects of the amazing geus genereus! I do really like this, even woith the 'rubbery' aspect I'd think of as a negative. Quite harsh acidity in the back but it doesn't linger, it has some oxidative notes and ends quite full, outspoken on minerality and funk rather than acidity.