One of old Van Den Bossche's newest, a classically styled witbier - though oddly, the ingredients list does not make any mention of spicing. Vichy bottle from the Carrefour of Oostakker. Medium thick, snow white, lightly lacing, breaking but generally well-retaining head, near clear yellow-golden blonde robe turning misty (and effectively more witbier-like) with sediment. Rather weak aroma of halfripe banana, white bread dough, light lemon peel, coriander seed, dry straw, oxidized pear slices, raw turnip, freshly cut grass, hints of white soap, withering field flowers, unripe green melon, minerals. Fruity onset, green apple and hard pear mingled with unripe banana, sharp fizzy carbonation (a bit overcarbonated for this style, in fact - very minerally), slick body with indeed wheat soapiness and wheat slickness at its edges but still firmly white-bready barley-like in its core; the wheat sourishness does, however, persist and accompanies the rest of the flavour 'parcours'. Drier in the end, with obvious added spicing in the form of classic, soapy coriander seed and vague dried lemon peel (or, more likely, the old curaçao); some grassy hop bitterish notes add 'fraîcheur', but the spicing, white-bready maltiness and even wheat sourishness prevail. Ends with that typical 'blanche' soapiness. A bit maltier and less wheat-forward than the classic Hoegaarden standard, perhaps, but clearly spiced (why is this not mentioned anywhere?) in the classic way and in that sense adding literally nothing to this genre. Hoegaarden epigones abounded already in the eighties, so why look back again instead of coming up with something more modern? After all, the witbier market has only declined since then, so one can wonder what the point of this beer is anyway... Still, and out of respect for this tenacious and hard-working old brewery, I will grant it a decent score, not the least because it is a technically very well made beer which still feels genuine and not as industrial as Hoegaarden itself. Decent, in all, but frankly very boring as well - a bit as expected, really.

Bottle (well out of date) from Craft Beer Oasis, Crewe – drank at home.Pours a cloudy golden amber with visible floating sediment and a small white head. A fairly typical Belgian aroma – malts and yeast with a hint of bubblegum. It the mouth it is sweet with vanilla, bananas and raisins. Some hoppy bitterness in the finish. It’s decent enough. Forgot to say - hides its strength well

Good, fine & dense yellowish head over clear, well-carbonated orange golden beer. Vegetable, citruspeel, spicy (pepper), white candi sugar, dry herbs, ever so slightly toasted aroma. Very slightly burning MF, partly due to the lively carbonation. Dry flavour, slightly scorched sugar, again peppery and herbal, but mainly really dry. Obviously well attenuated. Aftertaste isn't empty, but very neutral. Warming up, very lightly human sweat. Every sip short and slight impression of acidity, again due to the CO². Medium bodied. Very dry and good attenuation... what one expects from a triple, but it dearly lacks flavour. Txs to Stef!

Bottle from Drinks Vanuxeem, Ploegsteert, Belgium. Pours a very dark mahogany colour with a medium creamy beige head. Aromas of dry dark fruits, plums and caramel. Taste has more dry dark fruits, more plums and caramel, some brown sugar and a little warming alcohol. Sweet finish. Medium to full body with fairly low carbonation. Decent winter beer if maybe a little too sweet for me ideally.

25/XII/22 - 33cl bottle from Geers (Oostakker), shared @ home, BB: 1/VI/24 17:54:33, L222223 (2022-1768)

Slightly cloudy pale blond beer, small creamy to aery white head, unstable, falls down quickly. Aroma: very malty, grains, hay, cow fodder. MF: ok carbon, medium to light body. Taste: very malty, a bit sweet even, gentle bitterness, a little fruity, cow fodder, metallic touch. Aftertaste: more metallic, banana peel, a little bitter, sweet touch, grains, cow fodder, too sweet.

Roodbruin bier met weinig schuim. Smaak is heel licht fris zuur fruitig met iets van bramen en wat sinaasappel. Is verder wat waterig in de mond helaas.

Bottle from Drinks Vanuxeem, Ploegsteert, Belgium. Pours a very dark mahogany colour with a thinnish creamy off-white head. Aromas of stewed fruits, a little caramel and a slight vinous note. Taste is more stewed fruit and caramel, some dry dark fruits, brown bread and again a very light tart vinous note on the finish. Thinnish body and lightly fizzy palate. Ok but not one of my favourite Dubbels.

Bottle from Drinks Vanuxeem, Ploegsteert, Belgium. Pours a clear light golden colour with a thinnish soapy looking white head. Aromas of yellow fruits with light floral and herbal tones. Taste is quite tart and acidic, more of the notes detected in the aroma with added peppery spice and also a slight woody note. Dry finish. Thinnish body with a spritzy sparkly palate. Decent enough Blonde but nothing special.

Bottle from Drinks Vanuxeem, Ploegsteert, Belgium. Label ‘Peerdevisscher Bruin/Brune 6.5%’. Pours a very dark drown with a reddish hue and a one finger creamy beige head. Aromas of caramel, chocolate, dry dark fruits, liquorice and molasses. Taste is very similar to the aroma with the same notes detected. Thin body and slightly fizzy palate. Goes down very well. Very thin almost watery so could do with more body but other than that it is a pretty decent Dubbel.