About
Brouwerij Sterkens has a particularly rich and very tasteful history. In 1651, the Sterkens family began to brew their own beer out of interest. In that time, they were local farmers with small amount of money to brew some quantities. As they were brewing, they wrote down every single detail of the recipes they made and the way they produced the beer. These notes were given from father to son, for generations on. When the family noticed that brewing beer gradually got more priority than working on the farm, they chose to professionalize the brewery and to fill out more quality beers. The delicious and spicy St. Sebastiaan and St. Paul beers were well appreciated in Belgium, what led to the fact that Brouwerij Sterkens was one of the first breweries who went abroad for exportation.

The current 14th generation of Brouwerij Sterkens have ensured that the beers of Sterkens are appreciated in more than 30 countries on all 5 continents. The Sterkens family is looking to the near future with a lot of enthousiasm and confidence, without forgetting the past. After all, Brouwerij Sterkens is still bottling their beers in distinctive and exceptional packaging.

Sterkens did stop with brewing and became a client brewer in 2008.
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larsga (7658) reviewed
Julemandens Trøst from Brouwerij Sterkens
19 years ago
6.5/10 — Appearance 8 Aroma 6 Flavor 6 Texture 6 Overall 7
Big coarse light brown head shrinks rapidly. Dark red body with some carbonation. Sweet licorice aroma with notes of wood and cardamom. Unusual aroma. Sweet, sharpish taste of wood, licorice, and cardamom. Relatively thin-bodied, but lots of taste. Some alcohol heat. This is quite good, but nothing spectacular. (0.33l bottle.)
Tried from Bottle on 18 Nov 2006 at 15:15
yngwie (25067) reviewed
Julemandens Trøst from Brouwerij Sterkens
19 years ago
8/10 — Appearance 8 Aroma 8 Flavor 8 Texture 8 Overall 8
Bottled. Pours clear, sparkling, brown with a deep reddish hue and a creamy, beige, lasting head leaving nice lacings. Sweet and lightly spiced aroma with dried fruits and vinous notes. The flavor has a good deal of sweetness, along with spices, prunes, dried apricot, wine-notes and alcohol. Warming, full-bodied and a bit oily mouthfeel. The finish is quite spiced, with the alcohol coming stronger towards the very end. Will buy more of this one for sure. (061113)
Tried from Bottle on 13 Nov 2006 at 14:22
Sigmund (15026) reviewed
Julemandens Trøst from Brouwerij Sterkens
19 years ago
8.1/10 — Appearance 10 Aroma 8 Flavor 8 Texture 8 Overall 7.5
330 ml bottle (BB 13/09/09). Now also available in Norway (Vinmonopolet). Copper coloured, huge light tan creamy and lingering head. Moderate but pleasant aroma of dark fruits, spices and oak, hints of claret. Flavour has plenty of malts, caramel, Christmas spices, Christmas fruitcake and oak, hints of sherry. Not too sweet. Nice mouthfeel, pleasant to drink. Definitely a treat for "Julemanden" (Father Christmas / Santa Claus).
Tried from Bottle on 09 Nov 2006 at 14:00
JK (8152) reviewed
St. Sebastiaan Golden from Brouwerij Sterkens
20 years ago
5.4/10 — Appearance 6 Aroma 5 Flavor 6 Texture 2 Overall 6.5
Like the dark, this beer doesn’t age. It is flat, but the flavor and aroma is ok. Once again I wonder why a Belgian brewer is following the German purity law. Some fruit in the aroma and flavor. Belgian yeast flavor as well, and I bet this had decent palate at one time. Hazy gold but no visible sediment.
Tried on 14 Oct 2006 at 22:39
Sloefmans (15815) reviewed
Smokkelaar from Brouwerij Sterkens
20 years ago
7.3/10 — Appearance 6 Aroma 7 Flavor 8 Texture 6 Overall 8
[Tasted under the name of Basiliek van Scherpenheuvel] Dirty-hazy amber, small white ring. Very oxydized nose, plums, portwine or Madeira, higher alcohols. Expiration date is in ’07, but it is long gone for fresh beer lovers. Sweet, with a very vinous, portwine-like sourish flavouring. Actually it presents itself like a real portwine, made from other fruit than grapes, say plums and fresh dates, if you can imagine that. I like this very much, but I could imagine it’s not to everybody’s liking. Thinned body, but quite slick, even oily MF. For the lovers of old beer - you couldn’t have placed it better, Bart - thanks, buddy!
Tried from Can on 24 Sep 2006 at 12:58
JK (8152) reviewed
St. Sebastiaan Dark from Brouwerij Sterkens
20 years ago
5.5/10 — Appearance 6 Aroma 6 Flavor 5 Texture 4 Overall 6
Thanks to Joebrew for donating this beer to Footbalm’s September 2006 tasting. Sadly this beer disappointed. Sweet malt and light fruit aroma. Flavor was sweet but lacked depth, and like the palate was too thin. The beer was also lacking carbonation. It was probably very nice at one time. But what hell is a Belgian brewery doing, if they are adhering to the Reihengesboht?
Tried on 23 Sep 2006 at 23:12
bb (19143) reviewed
Hoogstraten Poorter from Brouwerij Sterkens
20 years ago
6.2/10 — Appearance 6 Aroma 6 Flavor 6 Texture 6 Overall 7
Bottle. Dark mahogony beer with a huge lt cocoa colored head. Creamy, yeasty, spicey aroma with some licorice. Darker malt flavor with yeasty, spicy flavor. Some background toffee/caramel/chocolate. LIghter bodied. Easy to drink. Not bad, just needs a bit more oomph.
Tried from Bottle on 31 Aug 2006 at 18:51
RuneBlix (27009) reviewed
St. Paul Triple from Brouwerij Sterkens
20 years ago
5.6/10 — Appearance 8 Aroma 5 Flavor 5 Texture 6 Overall 5.5
Attractive 330ml green bottle bought at De Bier Tempel in Bruxelles february 05. Vinous fruitiness aroma. Golden colour. Missing head. Sweet and mild fruity flavour with some yeasty notes. Refreshing, but a bit too sweet.
Tried from Bottle on 05 Aug 2006 at 14:33
bb (19143) reviewed
St. Sebastiaan Grand Reserve from Brouwerij Sterkens
20 years ago
6.9/10 — Appearance 6 Aroma 7 Flavor 7 Texture 6 Overall 7.5
Bottle. Amber golden beer with a white head. Spicy, yeasty, sweet malt aroma with a bit of lemon. Yeasty, spicy flavor with some caramel malt backing. Nice balance. Easy drinking.
Tried from Bottle on 29 Jul 2006 at 15:56
bb (19143) reviewed
St. Sebastiaan Dark from Brouwerij Sterkens
20 years ago
6.9/10 — Appearance 6 Aroma 7 Flavor 7 Texture 6 Overall 7.5
Bottle. Dark ruby/mahogony color with a thin tan head. Fruity, toasted malt, and yeast aroma. Fruity, dark malt flavor with a bit of spicy yeast and some esters. Smooth. Lingering malt and yeast. Not bad, but lacks some complexity.
Tried from Bottle on 29 Jul 2006 at 15:54