One of De Meester’s original brews, a strong Belgian ’ambrée’ with heavily cobweb-lacing, beaten egg-white, thickly moussy, frothy, irregularly and heavily lacing and very stable head captured after slow gushing; lightly hazy orange blonde robe turning darker orange and misty with sediment. Aroma of dried peach, honey, mushy banana, apple peel, powder sugar, pineapple, canned apricot, sweet clover, old cake, brown rum, damp earth, cooked carrot, coriander, old cloves and dito star aniseed, raw cauliflower but nothing DMS-like. Fruity, quite crisp onset, lots of sweet red apple, redcurrant, raw pineapple and yellow plum with a dash of banana, spritzy carbonation with minerally effects, smooth and soft mouthfeel. Caramelly and lightly nutty, also somewhat bready malt middle upon which the fruity esters persist along with clove-like phenols growing stronger in the end as well as slightly sticky residual white candi sugar, nutty malt sweetness continuing with a light toasted edge and some earthy, mildly spicy hops providing gentle bitterness blending with the earthy yeastiness and the phenols, an unmistakable cliché coriander bittersweet and spicy soapiness and an afterglow of warming, if not heating, brandy-like alcohol which manages to avoid astringency. Relatively pleasant beer, in all, very Belgian in all respects and perhaps too classic for this day and age, but delivering what it claims to be: a strong, warming, amber-hued Belgian with coriander and the usual overload of fruity esters and spicy phenols. Decent, in all, but like the other Meester beers, not really adding anything significant to the Belgian beer map.

Dark brown colour, no head. Fairly sweet with caramel notes and yeast dominating.

Dull golden colour. Aroma features yeast and aniseed. Flavour is very sweet and also quite herbal.

Brown with thick head. Aroma has dark, roasted malts and some caramel. Flavour has hints of banana, yeast and aniseed.

Dark black body. Creamy lightly brown head. Nose of chocolate, molasses, ... Moderately bitter, bit spicy flavour. Very interesting and well balanced.

From tap. Pours hazy orange with a small white head. Aroma is phenolic, toasted malty. Sweet, fruity and toasted malty. Bitter and dry phenolic. Slight herbal finish.

From tap. Pours hazy brown with a small tan head. Aroma is verripe fruity, spiced and toasted malt. Toasted malt, overripe fruity. Phenolic. Quite fruity. Dense malty finish.