Belgian 'strong blonde' (a term usually reserved for what OBP, Belgium's first and now long forgotten beer consumers' organisation, would call 'edelbier') from an unlikely source: Brasserie de Blaugies, still quietly operating in the Borinage region - and doing it well, as most of their beers have been held in high esteem by beer lovers for decades, especially when it comes to that elusive 'saison' category. Slow but steady gusher, with foam overflowing for quite a while after opening - so be ware, and keep a glass nearby. Rocky, off-white, plaster-like lacing, stable head on a misty golden blonde robe with khaki-ish tinge. Aroma initially dominated by sharp carbon dioxide but when this fades, opening up into dried dandelion, herbes de Provençe, straw, dry earth, raw turnip, white pepper, unripe peach, sow thistle, dusty attic, coriander seed, green pear and hay. Sharply stinging carbonation in the mouth, giving way to impressions of green pear, dried apple slices and unripe peach but remaining subdued in sweetness, with a slight sourish note - primarily caused by the overcarbonation, though. Fluffy yet smooth, very pleasant mouthfeel, cereally, old dry white bread- and bread crumb-like middle, with an earthy, persistent, leafy and floral hop bitterness coming in soon and flowing out for a long time, carrying non-sweet fruitiness, a pinch of the old coriander and nutmeg-like phenols onwards to a quenching, yeasty, mildly spicy, slightly earthy finish, in which the alcohol remains very well hidden (though warming a bit). The fruitiness, however restrained, is there from the first sip to the very end and so plays a more important, structurally vital role than it would seem at first sight. Walloon triple done the Blaugies way: this is as old-fashioned, honest and artisanal as it gets, with an almost farmhouse-like charm to it, and a profile of perfectly aligned fruitiness, yeastiness and hoppiness distantly reminiscent of Dupont, Vapeur or even Rulles or Fantôme. Blaugies truly deserves its honorable position among Belgian 'standard' saison brewers, even if Moneuse or Darbyste have a more distinct character to offer; it should be praised, however, that they managed to create a tripel with the drinkability of a 5% ABV saison.

Bottle from BiervanEijk, Frederiksoord. Aroma is spicy Belgian yeast with bready malt, stewed apple, ripe fruit esters. Medium sweet and light bitter, hint of alcohol. Medium body. Good spicy/estery Belgian fare.

On tap at a ridiculously packed Sovereign. Clear, pale honey gold, light froth. Strong floral & paradise nose. Taste is delicate floral sweetness, mellow honey, long coriander, white grape, touch of creme & white pepper. Weak backbone. Frothy & soft mouth feel. Just okay.

Bottle shared at new years eve. Murky. Rather sweet, oily. Maybe I should have tried this one first and not the sour one.

Bottle at ZBF. This Saison has the flavor and taste of a barn at start, but will loose the smell of the barn and becomes sweet bitter of taste at the end. Re-rate 20008 Bottle at ZBF, Sint-Niklaas, Belgium: No barn smell this time, but still sweet bitter and now an higher rate.

0.75 l bottle from 'Beyond Beer', best before end of 2026. Almost clear, golden with a large, frothy, almost stable, white head. Sweetish, quite yeasty-spicy, gently grassy and a bit fruity-floral aroma of hay, lemon peel, clove, banana, some grains and a touch of peach. Just slightly sweet, gently bitter, quite dry, rather yeasty-spicy, fruity-floral and slightly grassy taste of grains, hay, clove, nettles, lemon peel, dill, some banana and light peach, followed by a medium long, gently bitter, rather dry finish. Medium body, minimally astringent and fairly effervescent mouthfeel, lively carbonation. Nicely dry and therefore refreshing ale, trademark De Blaugies yeast profile, quity rusty and lively.I quite enjoyed it, much more so than most of their beers.

La Moneuse - Special winter ale, Flasche aus Tausch mit Jef - ganz herzlichen Dank für diese rare Spezialität! - Rotgold, leicht trüb; üppiger lockerer Schaum. - In der Nase kesse säuerliche und leicht bittere Frucht, unreife Aprikose, Mandarine, Feige, ländliche Züge von Leder und Erde über solider karamelliger Malzsüße. - Antrunk intensiv karamellig-malzsüß mit satter, herbsüßer Orangenmarmelade, Orangeat und etwas Nougat, raffiniert konterkariert mit zart säuerlichen Zügen und Anklängen an Bauernhof. Milder rezent, vollmundig; der beträchtliche Ethanolgehalt ist nicht restlos kaschiert, was den Reiz aber nur erhöht. Im Abgang ... aber wozu weiter nach Worten suchen: ein außerordentliches Bier, das nur schwer vereinbare Aromen kräftig zusammenzwingt und bei aller Exzentrizität perfekt komponiert wirkt. Große Klasse! (14.12.2024.)

Draught at Monk's: pours orange copper with white head. Aroma is spice and yeast. Taste is lightly bitter, sort of fruity. Solid.