One of the first three beers created in the new, state-of-the-art microbrewery installed in the Grimbergen abbey, of course with the financial aid of owner Carlsberg, who kind of uses it to conduct small-scale experiments. Many thanks to tderoeck! Thick and foamy, beaten egg-white, membrane-lacing, stable head on an initially clear warm ‘metallic’ golden beer with tiny dots of yeast everywhere, turning equally misty and deeper peachy with sediment. Aroma of ripe peach, fresh orange zest, banana, old dry crackers, green melon, honey, dust, straw, field flowers, tulips, raw kale, dry grapefruit peel. Fruity onset, peach, apple peel and a faint dash of banana, not too sweet but quite sharply carbonated (bit stingy even); supple, bit soapy mouthfeel, dryish with bready malts under confident, rooty hop bitterness, floral and vaguely citrusy (orange peel), but not quite recognizable as Galaxy, which in my experience can add lots of lovely sweet fruitiness aromatically. Granted, this beer was a bit past its prime already and I am sure the Galaxy did shine brighter when it was younger, but for me, rather than the aromatic and clean APA I was hoping for, this is another of those postmodern Belgian blondes embellished with an all too modest amount of New World hops. Largely fails to deliver the promised Galaxy aroma apart from those citrusy notes here and there and needs some general cleaning up and finetuning, but still a pleasant enough beer, incomparably more tasty than those awfully industrial ‘classic’ Grimbergen beers – and better than feared.

Small if dense white head over finely carbonated golden beer. Sharp-ish yeast nose, with faint lactose-reminiscent aroma. Pale sweet malts, but dominated by the spicy, fresh yeastesters. Again quite yeasty-estery, with a nice pinch of shortlived acidity, and floral, fruitestery notes. Bit of banana, generally sweet with only a suggestion of bitterness at each sip. Spritzy, but a tad sticky at the same time. It is not dry, not at all what the moniker "Brut" would warrant. Which doesn't prevent me from rather liking it - it beats the Ignis hands down - it's just not what it claims to be. Typical Grimbergen, in a way.

Very dense but small cream-coloured head over cloudy amber beer. Sweet, sugary, almost vanilla-intoned nose. Dark candi sugar, liquorice, bit of wood, yeastesters, heather. Sweet, again very estery, meaty esters, bubble gum, vague orangepeel, ripe banana, dark green leaves. And certainly again dark candi sugar. As to Rauchmalz?? Medium bodied at least, yet feeling thin for a 10% "quadrupel" (whatever that is). Good carbonation, bit viscous. Much more commercial profile than the first tested "Astrum". This one fits perfectly in the Alsation Grimbergen range.

Short lived whitish head, leaving some lace over veiled orangey golden beer. Spicy malts' nose, root- and other spices, peppery, hint @ ginger. Quite bitter initially over sweeter malty underbuild. Spicy flavours again in force, also weeds & herbs. Hay, again pepper, bambooshoot. Finish is really bitter, almost astringent, but then the aftertaste gives away (added?) sugar. Feels spritzily carbonated, slick, medium bodied. Not your usual Alsatian Grimbergen, neither the classical craft ale. There is frank complexity, which makes it daring seen its intended public: casual visitors @ the abbey and supermarket shoppers.

Ardet nec consumitur: like the phoenix rising up from its ashes, the Grimbergen brand has reinvented itself earlier this year in quite a surprising way, namely by setting up a microbrewery within the walls of the abbey it is still associated with, following the Parkabdij's example. Do not be fooled by the romanticism this seems to convey, though: since this hypercommercial brand is partially owned by Alken-Maes and partially owned by Carlsberg in 2008, these two giant macrobreweries are the ones that are really behind the whole plan, allowing for an expensive high-tech installation and the right marketing to produce and commercialise these 'new generation' and small-scale Grimbergen beers. The fact that once again, completely in the vein of 20th-century style Belgian beer marketing, 'historical' recipes are claimed to lie at the basis of these beers (as indeed the Grimbergen abbey, like so many others, brewed its own beer centuries ago), is all the more reason to be suspicious. Anyway, thanks to tderoeck for this bottle! Thick and frothy, irregularly cobweb-lacing, very stable, moussy, eggshell-white head on a crystal clear, warm amberish-tinged orange blonde beer with sparse sparkling and - in the end - some tiny 'snow flakes' of protein whirling around. Aroma of caramel candy, honey, ripe banana, gingerbread, dried orange peel or even vague marmalade, raw red cabbage, cloves, moist white pepper, cheap brandy, something sulfuric (freshly struck matches) possibly due to autolysis, bottled pear juice, something very vaguely smoky and 'dark green' (the beech wood element), subtle background hints of herb cheese, liquorice, wet brown paper and sweaty feet. Sweet onset, sharply carbonated, clear banana ester mingled with notes of red apple and pear, residual sugariness laying a honeyish sweetness over a smooth caramelly malt body which otherwise feels a tad 'empty'; bubblegummy edges, even a bit resinous, with growing protein presence in the finish (almost cooked meat-like) alongside strong clove-like phenols. The Rauchmalz, said to be used here, remains all but absent; instead, some onsetting oxidation is present (in the unflattering, 'old chicken soup' kind of way), hops provide only a light dash of floral bitterness, liquorice- and curaçao-like spicing comes in and gin-like alcohol has an astringent effect on the root of the tongue. Something metallic lingers as well. Pale quadrupel likely inspired by La Trappe's leading example but due to lacking in dark malts even compared with that one, feeling more like a sweet and boozy tripel - which is essentially what this is. I can imagine the regular Grimbergen drinker being charmed by this one, which brings back memories of the old Optimo Bruno, but I find it downright opportunistic of Heineken-owned Alken-Maes and giant Carlsberg to try and get in on the action that is the big salami called 'craft beer' these days. This beer still feels somewhat industrial, though admittedly far less so than the big market Grimbergens, lacking all finesse and sophistication - as if it indeed comes from a macrobrewery shrunk to the size of a microbrewery, if you see what I mean. Unnecessary, boozy, sugar-inflated, rather crude tripel for the masses still stuck in 20th-century clichés - a bit as feared, to be honest.

33cl bottle from Carrefour market @ in Tervuren near Brussels. F: big, white, almost good retention. C: straw pale gold, light hazy. A: malty, grapes, orange, spicy, citrus. T: full malty base, light grapes, bit citrus, bready touch, light slicky mouthfeel, medium carbonation, bit more on the sweet side yet not bad, enjoyed.

33cl bottle from Carrefour market @ in Tervuren near Brussels. F: medium, white, average retention. C: gold, light hazy. A: malty, light citrus, bit herbal, orange. T: medium malty base, bit citrus, bready touch, orange, herbal touch, medium carbonation, nothing really special here, partially enjoyed.

33cl bottle from Carrefour market @ in Tervuren near Brussels. F: huge, tan, long lasting. C: coppery, hazy. A: malty, bit banana, spicy, bit berries, vinous touch, smoky touch, dried fruits. T: full malty base, mellow fruity, dried fruits, bit toffee, spicy, smoky touch, medium carbonation, better than regular Grimbergen so enjoyed for sure.

Clear pale yellow colour with thin head. Starts out with a soft melon sweetness but never gets sticky or cloying. Certainly has a vinous note in the aftertaste as promised.

Pale golden colour with thin head. Aroma and flavour are very yeasty. Quite dry. A bit watery. Balance not good. Not an easy drink.