One of those remnants of a bygone era, as there are still quite a lot in Belgium, leading a quiet village life in the hands of old family brewers and in the shadows cast by the larger brands. Even the label is obsolete. This is a ’versnijbier’, a blend of lambic with brown beer, following an old Brabant tradition which was especially popular in the thirties. This one has a off-white, irregular, moussy head, strong and even some gushing, over a brownish, cloudy amber beer with vivid sparkling. Aroma is fruity and yeasty with clear sourish hints, grape juice, pear, peach, dough, brown sugar, lemon peel, walnuts, cloves. Fresh taste, fruity sourish, medium carbo with subtle citrus, more neutral in the middle with a soft nutty and wheaty backbone, yeasty and dryish finish with some tartness again and very light aromatic hoppiness, not bitter. Interesting, I hope things like this will keep holding their own, but it is perhaps more of a museum piece than a commercially living beer.

Appearance: Clear deep golden color with an ok white head. Ok lacing.
Aroma: Deep malty, some spices, some alcohol and fruity.
Palate: Medium to full body. A bit sweet and a moderate bitterness. Average carbonation.
Taste: Sweet caramel malty, mild hoppy, some spices and fruity. Some alcohol.
Overall impression: A bit to sweet and to much alcohol for my likings.
Personal stats: Bottle from Bert’s Bierhuis in Utrecht, Holland

330ml bottle from Vanuxeem. Caramel and green apple aroma. Taste is extremely strong tasting,, almost spirit-like. Taste is a little odd and disjointed. No discernible tripel flavours, but some sweet berry like fruit with a touch of liquorice on the finish. Hm.. Perhaps something went wrong with this batch?

Tasted as Satan Gold and as Ne Kasseistamper (which was originally a related brew but now apparently the same). Thinnish, cream white, not entirely stable head, colour deep ’old gold’, amber-like, hazy with deposit. Aroma of honeyish malts, orange liqueur, peach, white pepper, sweet white wine, coriander, cinnamon, cloves. Sweet onset, fruity, candied orange, supple caramel malt base, some dry spiciness in the middle (my guess is coriander), warming alcohol in the finish with mild herbal hop without true bitterness. One of those beers inspired by the great Duvel, but more a tripel than a true ’edelbier’.

One of those old-fashioned remnants of Belgian brewing history, according to a recipe dating from 1887, when beers were not as ambitious as they are now - hence the ’daily’ and simple character of this one. Nice session beer nonetheless, golden blonde with a creamy head and spicy hoppy finish. I’d prefer this over a standard lager any day.

Bottle @ Adagio, Caen, France. Pours dark yellow with a white head. Aroma of malt, yeast, candy sugar, light spice, little fruit. Flavor is malt, sweet fruit, sugar, little spice, alcohol. Medium body, lively carbonation. 040814

Bottle @ De Zytholoog. Hazy amber colour, white foam. Medium carbonation. Sweet aroma of caramel, brown sugar and honey with malty notes and bread. Strange beer.

dark mahogany colour, moderate sized beige head; aroma of roasted malt, some dried berries, and floral notes; taste of roasted malty and some hoppyness;drinkable ale

Imported from my RateBeer account as Satan Red (by De Block Brouwerij):
Aroma: 6/10, Appearance: 2/5, Taste: 5/10, Palate: 2/5, Overall: 10/20, MyTotalScore: 2.5/5

30/VI/14 - 33cl bottle from Willems (Grobbendonk) @ Bouvier's place, football WC match Belgium-USA - BB: 27/IX/15 (2014-688)

Clear dark orange beer, small creamy off-white head, little stable, adhesive. Aroma: very fruity, sweet and sugary, peaches, some banana, bit oxidized. MF: ok carbon, medium body. Taste: sweet start, caramel, bit malty, pretty oxidized, almonds, little bitter, sourish. Aftertaste: orange peel, lemon rind, bitter, very oxidized, sweet, some caramel. And this beer had still one year before expiration? Madness...