Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
16/III/24 - 37.5cl bottle @ Beer Battle, VIP-school / Het Spectrum (Gent), BB: n/a (2024-169)
Clear deep dark amber to red brown beer, small creamy beige head, unstable, non adhesive. Aroma: alcohol, banana, dried fruits, malty, caramel, soft roast, whisky, maple syrup. MF: ok carbon, medium body. Taste: a little bitter, malty, dried fruits, some caramel, alcohol, candi sugar, ripe banana. Aftertaste: more alcohol, yeasty, sugary, ripe to overripe banana, soft acidity, whisky, more alcohol.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 5.5
Slightly hazy golden yellow beer with a white head. Aroma of dry grainy malt, cereals and straw. Taste of mid sweet grainy malt, cereals and bread.
Appearance - 4 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 5
Unclear golden yellow beer with a white lacing. Aroma of tea, pale malt, vegetables. Taste of vegetables, lemon, pale malt, tea.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8
Kerstbier Festival. Very dark brown beer with a beige head. Aroma of smoked dark malt, chocolate, brownies. Taste of dark caramelized and smoked malt, bacon, cardamon.
Appearance - 4 | Aroma - 3 | Flavor - 3.5 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 3.5
Mild säuerlicher, etwas getreidiger Beginn. Geringfügig herb, wässriger Hintergrund, laff. Kurzer Abgang. 6/5/6/6/6/6
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
4/XI/23 - 33cl bottle from Geers (Oostakker), shared @ home, BB: XII/2022 (2023-890)
Clear dark brown beer, creamy beige head, little stable, non adhesive. Aroma: pretty smoky indeed, floral touch, soapy impression, more smoke. MF: ok carbon, medium body. Taste: pretty bitter, a tad of sweetness, smoky character, a little spicy, some caramel, herbal tones. Aftertaste: more spices, good roast, rather bitter, a little oxidized, spicy still, smoky touch in the finish but not too overwhelming.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
I'm sampling from a 37.5 cl bottle obtained from Belgian Happiness last year. Some mighty cool weather tonight, time to have a quad. The glass is a Straffe Hendrik large tulip, I open the bottle before pouring. I see a shiny, dark mahogany body followed by a long lasting skim of khaki tan foam. The nose is inviting, ripe fruit, some peat and yeast. And the drink is likewise good. I get plenty of the whisky, dates, raisins, malt, earth, grain and a bit of hard candy. There is an unexpected bitterness finishing. My second barrel-aged Prearis Grand Cru in two weeks, just to say. I think I prefer this one, more challenging. A few years back, I would have been put off.
Bottle from Drinks Vanuxeem, Ploegsteert, Belgium. Pours a very dark brown with a reddish hue and a medium sized foamy beige head. Aromas of dry dark fruits, fruit cake and caramel with hints of chocolate and nuts. Taste has caramel, dry dark fruits, brown bread and chocolate, some woody tones, vanilla, nougat and also some warming alcohol. Nice lingering warmth on the finish. Alcohol well hidden for the high abv. Medium body with average carbonation. Very nice winter time beer to sip and savour.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8.5
I have a 37.5 cl bottle that came from a friendly Belgian retailer very early in the year, just now getting it out to try. For this event I am using the Trappistes Rochefort glass, my favorite for quadrupels. The arrival is a cola-colored liquid with a creamy head of sepia foam that departs promptly. The scent is full of ripe, dark fruit, some grain and a bit of booziness. The taste is good, but a distance from the best in the style. Figs, baked bread, a hint of caramel, raisins and straw. The alcohol is apparent, as is a bit of bitterness at the finish.