13/10/2018 - small tasting glass as "vintage bock" shared with rubin77 and some friends @Bles Bierhappening, Zottegem. Red brown, small head. Dark malts, bit fruits, toffee. Taste is sweet malts, fruits, caramel, bit old ale feel.

13/10/2018 - tasting glass shared with rubin77 and some friends @ Bless Bierhappening, Zottegem. Hazy amber, medium head; Nose is malts, fruits, caramel. Taste is malts, fruits, caramel, bit sweet.

F: big, pale tanned, good retention. C: dark brown, coppery against the light, clear. A: dark malts, caramel, toffee, dried fruits. T: dark malts, caramel, toffee, medium dry on the palate, prunes, good balanced and enjoyable beer, sample from tap as “Vintage Bock” shared with Bierridder_S and his friends @ 25th Bierhappening on Saturday 13/10/2018 in Zottegem.

F: medium, bit tan, average retention. C: amber, hazy. A: sweet malty, grainy, sweet fruity, caramel, bit buttery, hay. T: sweet malty, hay, bit toast, vaguely fruity, decent bitterness, medium body and carbonation, not bad for the style, enjoyed, sample from bottle as “Graaf van Egmond” shared with Bierridder_S and his friends @ 25th Bierhappening on Saturday 13/10/2018 in Zottegem.

Geel bier met weinig schuim. Smaak is zoet en kruidig met iets van banaan. Smaak blijft niet echt lang hangen.

Thuis uit een flesje. Bleek gouden kleur, weinig schuim. Aardig, maar mis de "kracht" zowel in smaak als nasmaak van sommige betere tripels (vergelijk mijn tot op heden favoriet Karmeliet).

33 cl. bottle @ home, bought @ De Bierhut, Uithoorn. Clear light copper with a thin white head. Grainy aroma with some biscuit and caramel malts. Sweetish taste with a grainy finish. Bit metallic as well. Too thin and bland too make a real impression, either good or bad.

Thuis uit een flesje. Mooie donkere rood bruine kleur, goed beige schuim. Smaak goed, niet te zoet en te zwaar, eerder een wat lichte dubbel. Prima.

Typically Dutch interpretation of a Weizen, which in practice often comes down to a hybrid between Bavarian Hefeweizen and Belgian witbier, in this case brewed with oats and linden blossom. Steinie bottle from the Albert Heijn supermarket in Hulst in the southern Netherlands. Thick, frothy, eggshell-white, moussy, regular head, quite stable overall and leaving behind an intricate pattern of complex cobweb-like lacing, over a misty, almost vaguely greenish-tinged, sunny yellow blonde beer. Aroma of 'wheaty' soap, lime-scented hand soap (could be the linden blossom already), fresh camomile, candied lemon, white bread dough, lemongrass, honey, Conférence pear, pineapple, freshly baked cookies, lemoncake, margarine, papier maché, minerals, soggy breakfast cereals, spring blossoms (probably just that linden again), candy apple, soggy white bread, hints of guava, chalk and moist clay. Fruity, spritzy onset, some clear but subtle banana ester, notes of pineapple, pear and light guava, sourish edge accentuated by the wheat, fizzy carb, supple mouthfeel, soapy wheatiness running through the whole - but made more slick by the oats. Pleasant 'fresh white bread'-like, even lightly doughy malt middle, remaining wheaty-soapy but also fluffy, with estery notes of green banana, pear and pineapple remaining, becoming a bit more soapy even when a coriander seed touch comes in, but staying elegant and gracious, with delicate lemongrass-, mandarin peel- and lime zest-like accents retronasally as well as a bready yeasty effect and a grassy, yet subtle, floral hop bitterish note and quite a lot of minerally flavours. The linden blossom manifests itself as a delicate flowery-grassy-fruity aspect retronasally, lingering a bit after swallowing, matching well with the breadiness, soapiness and refreshing citrusiness. Much better than expected, the kind of wheat ale only the Dutch can do, with their combined Belgian and German influences; indeed this is neither a true Hefeweizen nor a true witbier, but something in between, embodying the approach many of the more classically oriented (late 20th century) Dutch artisanal brewers have chosen. In that particular class, this is among the better examples for sure - and for hardly any money. Refreshing, quenching and relatively (i.e. seen in context) delicate Dutch wheat beer, very likeable for what it is, if a tad too much on the soapy side even for this hybrid 'style'.