On draught Feb 2005 @ Moan and Dove. Dark grey-brown color, with some slight hints of reddish coloring along the edges. Off-white head recedes to small clumps on the edges. Aroma of raisins, tobacco, nuts, very dry yeast and a bit of banana and alcohol. Flavor is dry, very dry relative to what I was expecting. A definite ashiness throughout really seems to dull the flavors. Strong yeast presence, with some alcohol, lightly sugary raisin/fruit notes. Not much incidence of residual sugar, candied or otherwise. I guess it’s a good thing that this isn’t a syrupy sweet, alcoholic mess, but it’s still missing something. Very attenuated, medium body, peppery carbonation. Can’t seem to get in to St Bernardus beers.

Ten years ago I picked up a gift pack containg four different of the Bernardus beers. At the time, I thought the 12 okay but the 8 the star of the show. Nobody agreed with me. It looks like people still don’t, but my preference is towards the middle versions of these similar lineups (Bernardus, Westvleteren, Rochefort). This is a dark murky brown with a thick foam. The aroma is unbalanced - all yeast (dust mainly, but some funk too), with hints of figs, plums and toffee. The flavour is better with chewy malt depths, more dates, a little bit of chocolate and a sturdy alcohol backbone. Actually, that alcohol is a little too sturdy. Fruitcake notes appear as well. The finish is quite alcoholic and sweet, with not nearly enough nuances to justify a rave. It’s rich, but not all that complex. Now, where can I buy that Prior?

BB 2004 (2002 vintage?). Medium brown colored body with a red glow to it and some deep orange tints. Perched atop is a massive beige head that sticks around persistently. The first notes I get are of a strong yeast, producing earthy, dusty notes, soil, metal, and damp leaves. Some notes of raisins and cinnamon creep in, with a bit of caramel when the beer is swirled vigorously. At first sip, it is not what I expected, begins loose and watery, with a brown sugar and plum-like flavor, some very light banana and clove notes and a touch of chocolate. As the palate gets used to the medium-light body, a good belgian yeast washes over the palate and I can’t say it disappoints. Caramel, light walnuts and nutty, dry yeast seem to be the big flavors. On the finish, there is more mashed walnut and brown sugar like flavor, with a chewy yeast sensation (I poured the sediment in to the last couple sips). Some alcohol is evident, but with this light of a body and 6.7 percent alcohol, I’m not completely surprised. At the end of the glass, as I stick my nose in, there is a sharp, raw ethanol scent that is unsettling, but I’ve finished the beer, so I don’t mind terribly. Lightly sweet notes of yeast, aluminum and dark candi sugar linger on. Depending on how much I swirl the beer, I get different levels of carbonation. It seems that without letting it breath and swirling off the carbonation, it is too much, but after it evens out, there is a much smoother if somewhat more obviously light body.

Bottled 33cl (BB 12/2006)
Hazy dark nutbrown, good brown head. Strong sticky aroma of licorice, anise, yeast and hops. Earthy tones too. Soft malty palate. Warming flavor with licorice, raisins and plums. Oily aftertaste which brings some hops. Mouthfeel itself is quite thin, but otherwise enjoyable brew.

Bottle. Mahogony color with a nice off-white head. Rich malty aroma with some spicey yeast. Some banana/clove flavors from the yeast, but otherwise toffee and some date stone fruit. Nice depth. Finishes dry and makes you want to keep drinking...

Marzipan and nut nose. Dark brown. Vineous almost grappa-like notes, some sugar, ok complexity. Medium body. Very nice.