A whole lot of Belgian Beer
Beer appears dark brown with voluminous beige head. Aroma of dark fruit, molasses, malt with spicy undercurrents. High carbonation leads to a creamy mouth feel. Flavor follows the nose with the addition of subtle sweetness. Very smooth and enjoyable.
4 Stars.
Pours a pale gold with a fine long lasting bright white head. Big, fantastic aroma, malty, honey, citrus, coriander, mild spicyness. Big complex flavor some similar themes to the aroma but even more going on; juicy, orange, dry, light refreshing tartness and something that I just cannot put my finger on so I will just say complex. This is a great beer.
5 Stars.
Saison Dupont, the saison that all other saisons are measured by. What do you say about such an iconic beer?
Pours a bright golden body with ample pillowy white head. Complex nose with strong orange and apple fruit aromas, spicy peppery and a subtle grainy character. High carbonation and refreshingly easy drinking flavors closely follow the aroma, light bitterness finishes dry and spicy. The only problem with this beer is that the bottle I opened was not the larger 75cl variety. One of my all time favorites and a true classic.
5 Stars.
Poured a murky brown (may not have been the best of pours) with a mocha head. Wonderful full aroma of dark fruit, malt and spice. Slightly less complex flavors that follow the aroma with an additional malt sweetness, a touch bitter, a thin body and a long lasting aftertaste. After an aroma I can leave my nose in all day I have to say the flavor is a bit of a letdown.
3 Stars.
Straw color with a bright white head. A surprising amount of noble hop aroma considering the age of the bottle. Not really fare to review a 4.5% extra hoppy ale that’s been in the cellar this long, so I won’t. Cool label though.
Pours gold in the glass with a skiff of white foam. Light aroma of honey, fruit, grain, spiciness. Flavor is subtly juicy, predominantly malty with some bitterness and spiciness. A touch thin or watery.
2 Stars.
Bright amber-brown appearance in the glass with loads of lasting, off-white, head. Caramel, toffee, light fruit and mild peppery spiciness on the nose. High carbonation leads to a smooth mouth feel. First impression is malty sweetness but followup tastes reveal plenty of tannic fruit and a spicy tingle on the tongue, finish is slightly bitter and nicely dry.
3.5 Stars.
Pours a dark amber with hint of ruby, nice creamy tan head. Strong pleasant aroma; caramel, bready, dark fruit, yeasty spiciness. Loads of carbonation, smooth, strong malty backbone, flavors follow the aroma with a nice bitter finish. This beer is an exemplary example of the style.
4.5 Stars.
Appropriately amber in color with a small amount of white head around the rim of the glass. Fruit and malt on the nose with a mellow alcohol presence. Sharp fruit flavors and caramel followed by a long alcoholic finish. Definitely a sipping beer. Shares similarities with a brandy. Bottle states that it is “The strongest Belgian Beer” at 12% it is hefty but strongest?
3 Stars.
Pours golden straw with small amount of long lasting bright white head. A pleasant spicy aroma greats the nose, additional floral notes and nice juicy orange. High carbonation makes the beer feel to dissolve in you mouth, well balanced, fruity and spicy with light sweet grains and light bitterness, finishes dry leaving a nice aftertaste. Overall nice but the body is a bit thin. Not a hint of the 9% ABV.
3.5 Stars
Pours an amber gold with a finger of frothy, long lasting, cream colored head. Aroma of pit fruit, citrus rind, light spicyness and a surprising amount of hot alcohol (it’s a small amount but any amount is unexpected for the style). Well carbonated, smooth mouth feel, fairly sweet, some fruit, some spicyness, some bitterness and grain flavors at the end. Meh. Sweetness overwhelms the rest of the flavors.
2.5 Stars.
Pours a deep black with a small amount of chocolate head. Sweet aroma; strong roast malt presence with subtle coffee and alcohol notes. Full bodied and rich, smooth mouth feel, intense roast flavors with a surprising but pleasant bitter finish.
Bottled 2014. Best before 2039?!
5 Stars.
Pours a deep brown with next to no head. Full aroma; molasses, sweet malt, chocolate and faint chili pepper. Full bodied but not too sweet, very smooth. Flavors follow the nose with the faint chili pepper masking what little alcohol flavor there is (impressive for a stout 9.8%). I do not think I have ever had a beer that pulled of chili pepper so well. I will admit I not a fan of chocolate and chili pepper candies otherwise I think the score would have been even higher.
4 Stars.
Pours a beautiful gold with ample, long lasting, frothy white foam. Aroma is quite spicy with ripe fruit right behind. Complex with fruit followed by bitterness followed by Belgian yeasty spiciness. And quite possibly the greatest bottle cap ever.
4 Stars.
Delirium Tremens the beer and not to be confused with the alcohol withdraw induced delirium of the same name. Pours a nice golden straw color with a small amount of lasting bright white head. Very complex aroma; strong fruit and raisin, caramel and less forward spicy Belgian yeast character. Honey malt sweetness, fruit flavors followed by a bitter after taste with some alcohol character. All-in-all a very different different beer than your typical Belgian strong and I think that is what I like about it.
4 Stars.
Just a quick take. Poured a very murky brown. I had an older bottle last night and that bottle poured clear. Aroma is a strong start; fruit, fig, caramel maltiness. Flavor is a bit of a let down, not as complex as I would expect from a Belgian beer, I get a honey sweetness with a strong malt backbone. Smooth and approachable.
3.25 Stars.
Light straw in color, with a fine bright white head. Aroma is intensely fruity with plenty of Belgian yeasty spiciness. Initial impression is very nice, well carbonated, light body. Very flavorful; sweet citrus fruit, light spiciness, some soft graininess. I could drink a few of these.
4 Stars.
Dark brown with a tinge of red, long lasting tan head. Fruit aroma, subtle yeasty spiciness and malt sweetness, tracking right with the 8. Dark fruit, caramel tones, more bitterness to balance out the stronger flavors and high alcohol (11.3%), finishes lightly sweet. Like all good Trappist beers the results are complex (secret code for hard to describe), balanced, and the alcohol well hidden. The 6, 8 and 10 taste like increasing versions of each other, subtle difference are there, but overall more flavor comes with more malt and as a result more alcohol. Of the three I give a slight edge to the 8. It is rare that you have to give up so little in the way of taste when going with a lower alcohol beer.
4 Stars.
Pour appears a hazy brown but once held to light reveals a dark red, same tan head as the Rochefort 6. Strong fruit aroma, subtle yeasty spiciness and malt sweetness. More body than the 6, flavor follows aroma with fruit spicy and malt, bitterness provides a good balance, finishes nice and dry. Balanced and very drinkable though you better not drink too fast as the 9.2% AVB is nowhere to be found. Much like a the 6, this dubbel is a little outside the lines typical to the style.
4 Stars.
Pours a deep amber with a large tan head. Aroma is predominantly malty with fruit and subtle alcohol tones. Taste is strong of both fruit and malt, finishes slightly sweet and alcoholic. This is the oldest of Rochefort’s three beers and represents about 1% of their total output. Overall I would say this is a bit of a departure from your typical Trappist dubbel and that is not a bad thing at all.
3.5 Stars.
