Notes on beers in the style
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Great clarity on the golden pour with a nice head. Little lace, not much retention and a thin collar left. Well-carbonated. Nose is quite extraordinary. Earthy manure/farm/grass/fermented hay - a real sweet, pungent aroma, and in a good way! Tastes...
Disappointingly, this came to the states only in the special, World Cup 4-packs with a commemorative glass. This beer has sod-all to do with the World Cup, oh how I hate marketing! Pour offers the anticipated pale golden body with some broken lace...
Various sources describe this a a BSPA and a Tripel, but for me it sits in the former category despite the brewery offering this description; "Filou is a strong blonde, top-fermented beer. Its subtle spicy aromas and nuanced sweet flavour profile...
A beer that I know well from its original iteration in 2012. Golden orange pour with complete clarity. Nose has some significant fusel alcohol. Fruit is the watchword, but not especially entirely recognizable as being pineapple based. Lots of...
Well this is interesting. Firstly I wish this wan't canned. Overlooking that, I get to the beer. A light golden body, with some impressive head. Retention is OK, but lace is above average. The lightness of the color gets repeated in the tastes as...
Bought this fully aware of the age and the likely outcome. I'll always take a change for somewhere around $10. Pours a mid-orange color with a lack of clarity. Carbonation was much better than expected. Nose and tastes offer a bit of a cider-like...
750 mL from a recent Belgianmart purchase. I must have had this beer a hundred times before, but no notes until now. Lovely. Great pour, fantastic head lightly hazed golden body. Lace and retention excellent. Good drying esters up front with a...
Lovely simplicity. That's how I've always characterized this beer, and it represents a real nostalgia beer for me. The pour is an extraordinarily clear, golden body with a lovely head that has above average retention and some lace. It's quite sweet...
Slightly hazed, orange-golden body with a light and wispy head. Lovely sticky lace remains, small collar of foam and film presists. Sweet grains on the nose and the same form the initial tastes. Theres a light touch to this beer that belies the 8%....
Darkish orange, hazy pour with a great, ice-cream, whippy head. Lace and retention are great. Lovely depth on the malty, sweet nose. Thick, rich, full mouthfeel with a tremendous mouth-coating experience thrown in for good measure. Some full...
This is an incredibly well-defined and clean beer. Every sharp and crafted edge comes through, and the alcohol feels extraordinarily bright. Apparently, this is the organic version of Moinette Blond, just like Foret is the organic version of the...
The pour and the appearance are frankly very good. Nice, golden clarity, and the etching on the Victoria glass does a tremendous job of creating a magnificent head with great retention and lace. There's no reason not to give this a perfect...
33cl bottle. 05/03/2025. Tripel on the label, but this is often categorized as a BSPA, but this has all the characteristics of a high ABV Tripel, and I think that's a better descriptor. Lightly hazed, golden body with a decent head considering the...
$19.99 Belmont Party Supply 4/10/24. Bottle date 22-04-15. Dark Golden pour with a decent head considering the age, which was inline with the decent pop that was experienced on opening. Nose is very aromatic with some boozy esters. Sweetish, barrel...
Brewed in 2023 to commemorate the 125th birthday of the Belgian painter René Magritte. You can read all about it (and him) here. $23.99 from Belmont Party Supply in Dayton, OH, USA in April of 2024. Typical Duvel high, white cloudy head sits atop...
An anniversary beer, from an old school player from back in the day, allegedly in a style that I gravitate toward? Those things trump my aversity toward cans so I'm in - for a single at least. Doesn't get off to a great start. For me, the color is...
Bottled 20SEP22, Best Before 20SEP24. "Dry-hopped quad"? For all intents and purposes this is a sweet, hoppy Tripel/BDSA, or at least something that resembles that particular description. Good looking, fluffy white head with a lightly hazed golden...
Batch 6. Bottle # 21421 out of 101325. 390 Barrels. Packaged in a box with an open face and comes with a small, highball type glass (pictured). If you've ever read any of my notes regarding barrel aged Belgians of any descriptions, you know I just...
Corked and caged 375 mL bottle. A lot of visible yeast sediment in the bottle. The orange cap of the cage has U2-06:22 dot-matrixed on it. This seems to be a relatively new beer, maybe from the middle of 2023? A hazed orange pour - as I said there...
To be fair, a Belgian Strong Pale can take on a range of hues, and I would say that this is within parameters, but I’d love a Duvel clone (at least to look at). It’s a honey amber colored. Admittedly I’m not in great light at the BJ's bar, even at...
I don't understand this beer. Vintage 2020, bottled on 15/11/22 and good for 5 years out. Now branded as Blond Winter Ale matured on Port barrels. Not a great head - to be expected at 10% - but also a weird colored pour that is reddish brown, not...
11.2 oz bottle, 8/10/21. Bigger brother of FIVE and SEVEN, and smaller brother of ELEVEN. I suppose we can argue at what point something described as a Belgian Strong Blonde becomes a Belgian Strong Pale, or if it does at all, or if it matters at...
2013 Vintage, purchased late 2022 and opened in 2023. Bush Ambrée aged in oak for 6 months, and then re-fermented with sugar and yeast in the the bottle. This gets the ABV up to 13%. These used to be in gold foil adorned, Deus type bottles, but...
A beer that is called Noël in Belgium, but named Winter Ale in the USA. However, about 20 years there was also an apparently now retired, completely different Val-Dieu Winter Ale available in the US that can lead to confusion. This beer is...
330 mL bottle, BB 08/2024. Dark, copper colored body with a light, high, white and fluffy head. Good lace; nice retention. Body color doesn't really match the style. Nose offers little TBH. Only very, very simple bread malts are detectable. No...
Odd that I have no notes on this beer until now, I've had it several times previously. This pour (pictured is from a draft offering at JK O'Donnel's Irish Pub, Fort Wayne, IN. (After the fact, I found a 2016 picture of any earlier tasting and notes...
Well, the French oak spirals certainly changed the original beer! First out, the original beer has taken on a much darker hue here. In the mouth this is much rounder, and the oak is surprisingly rich. It really changes the beer from the clean edges...
OK, OK, I'm biased! Certain styles speak to me, and a great Tripel/Belgian Strong Pale is one of those styles. 750 mL capped and foiled, dimple-bottomed brown bottle from Tavour. Label has a strong Bruery vibe about it, which I have absolutely no...
Thank God for Hop River Brewing Co. in Fort Wayne! Now, before you get ahead of yourself and you think that I think that Hop River makes the best beer in the universe, let me dispel that thought immediately. I certainly do not like absolutely...
Hate me if you want, I love this beer. Is this nostalgia? Partly. But it’s also a yeasty treat that hits the spot and never disappoints. There’s plenty of alcohol, plenty of yeast, and a ton of fruit esters that hit the palate. It lingers and it...
Pour is as expected for the designated style, if not necessarily for that of a beer that is a Christmas offering. Clear golden body, and a large bubbly white head to accompany it. Minimal lace (but some), and the head is lighter and more wispy than...
33 cl, flip-top bottle from Finest Belgian Beers. A healthy pop on opening, a good sign. The body is an orange, hazy affair with an above average rocky white head with good lace. Retention slightly above average too. Nose offers a very attractive...
Leffe gets plenty of abuse from plenty of beer snobs, but if those folks are being honest, it’s really hard to knock the appearance of almost any of their offerings. Rituel 9° is no exception, and it looks resplendent in the Leffe glass. A...
Here we go with the much anticipated, already a little vaunted, Chimay Green. Shipped into the USA from Belgian Shop. With transit cost, the six bottles were approx. $10 a piece. An absolute steal at that price. The usual Chimay presentation, but...
2016 Encore 20th Anniversary re-release, sadly not the original. $13.90 from Beer Lime & Sunshine, Pittsburgh, PA. Solid orange/tan pour with large head that recedes. Some lace, decent surface head retention. A little malty oxidation in the...
32 oz growler, Cherie Armand, Villa Rica, GA, USA (used the Hop City growler). If anyone can do a Belgian Pale outside of Belgium, Ommegang can. Disappointing appearance if I am honest, a lemon, hazy body and a head that is not great. Fades badly....
375 mL corked and caged bottle. Smyrna World of Beverage, Smyrna, GA. Bottled Nov 5, 2015. Hazy, lemon honey colored pour. Carbonation is just about perfect leading to a pillow like mouthfeel. Gentlest of funk against a slight woody background....
Described as a ‘Golden Ale’ on the bottle, I am wary of such a bland and non-descript title. I suppose it’s a Belgian inspired beer? We’ll see. 22 oz bootle with a high head initially. Complete clarity. Yeasty tastes - good. Sweet up front, drier...
Additional notes 07/15/22 33 cl bottle. It's a beautiful beer to behold. A massive white head that forms fantastically and perfectly, leaving behind rich lace that sits splendidly atop a classically golden body. Nose offers clean bread notes and a...
750 mL corked & caged affair. Best before 02-04-2015. Delighted and surprised to find this on the shelves as I went to pick up my annual fill of Trader Joe's Vintage Ale. The vintage ale and Unibroue are two of my favorite selections at this...
Latest Dank Tank. On opening, there is an immediate whiff of hops. In a nutshell this is NOT a BSPA. It has way too much soapy bitterness for that moniker. Appearance is deep golden but lacks any head or retention. Viscosity is not quite there for...
32 oz growler, Growlers, Hilton Head Island, SC. Opened 8 days after purchase. unusually long for me to sit on a growler, but the pop on opening is absolutely fine, and the carbonation seems 100% in order. Orange pour. Looks quite viscous, and the...
Additional notes 08/08/2021 Aged bottle. Carbonation almost completely gone, and for this beer, that’s not good. Look, I’m not about to ding a beer for being this way after all of these years, but it’s a pretty important reminder to drink beer...
OK, what are the differences between this and Duvel? The question really seems as though it should be at the forefront of any discussion of Rustica, since it is being declared as Ommegang's, "American Farmhouse interpretation of Duvel'. Let's just...
Thanks go out to @lnashsig for the chance to try this. Opened in 2008, Freetail Brewing Co. states, 'Free your mind and your tail will follow', which is alarmingly similar to the much more recent tagline by Burnt Hickory Brewing of, 'Free your mind...
There's a paper strip over the cork and cage warning that the 'Contents are under high pressure'. Of course, I hardly gave this a thought as this is always the case, but then the cork almost took my head off! I wonder if this label was added as an...
Into the Terrapin snifter it goes. Modest head and modest lace on opening and pouring and virtually neither remain after 2 minutes of sitting (all to be expected given the ABV). Bright, profoundly orange/golden body with some delicate carbonation....
Very heavy, thick 500 mL bottle with a large dimpled bottom. Must add significantly to the cost. Corked & Caged. Brewed with Agave Nectar and aged in bourbon barrels. In the region of $12-14. Opens with a hearty pop. The pour is a golden, well...
Paid about $12 for the 750 mL bottle from Macs in Midtown Atlanta, GA, USA. Yellow, dot-matrixed date on the bottle shoulder that declares 'Bottled in 2011, 103 1'. Pour delivers a golden macro colored body and a slightly above average (although...
Updated Notes 12/23/24 Thirteen years on from the original notes below, and I probably haven't drunk this beer in the meantime. Love the baby blue color scheme as I also noted in 2011. Pour is now a beautifully clear, orange golden body with an...
SKA is perhaps the American brewery I would most like to see available in Georgia. Over the years I've enjoyed many of their products, and True Blonde Dubbel is a beer that I have tasted on several prior occasions to this, so it's about time for a...
Characterized on the label as 'A Belgian Style Golden Ale', and by other sources as a 'Belgian IPA', this beer is now part of the Smuttynose BIG BEER series, but has been a around for a few years previously known as 'The Gnome'. To be fair,...
Crystal clear, deep golden body with a very modest head. Zero retention, zero lace. Appearance reminds me of something like a lighter Utopias, or a scotch. Nose seems very sugary and sweet and of course this gets transferred to the taste. A little...
Additional notes 03/17/23 (pictured) Almost 12 years ago since I last made notes on this. Note the new spelling. This is such a hard, hard beer to review in 2023 given what has happen to it in the 12 years since my initial notes. It’s not really...
Additional notes 06/21/25 (pictured) A beer that used to be readily available in the USA but no longer. This is definitely an old bottle since I know this hasn't been in the US for a long, long time, and I believe the label has since changed. These...
Same beer as this but this time from the 12 oz can. Purchased at The Beer Dispensary in Apex, NC, USA. Very much the same feel as before with the sweetness coming through as the main asset. This beer is sweet enough to be firmly in the Tripel...
Updated review 03/11 Curious to see what this has done in a few months. Definitely more Belgian yeast character for me, and the grape elements seem to have dropped off quite a lot. This is not good news for me, since I really embraced them in the...
22 oz bottle from Smyrna Beverage Center, Smyrna, GA, USA. $4.69. Pour is a beautiful, tangerine orange body with tremendous clarity, good carbonation and a light and wispy head that offers some great lace. The nose offers a LOT of west coast,...
Small pour at Ormsby's. Surprised to see this brew on a recent afternoon visit. Presented in a small snifter. Beer does DEFINITELY not have the color of a Belgian Pale, and on the menu it was advertised a "Strong Golden Ale" which again, it most...
750 mL, corked and "banded". An interesting collaboration, and on top of that an unlikely one. Green Flash are not exactly a subtle brewer (their existence in San Diego is unlikely to produce much of that), so I was concerned about their influence...
11.2 oz bottle, $6.99 from CBX, Charleston, SC, USA. Lot B 9 09. Deweer's ABB describes the name being derived from the brewer exclaiming, Tsjeese wat een lekker biertje, or "Gee, what a nice little beer"! I'm not about to disagree. Pour offers up...
750mL bottle, capped & corked from Green's on Ponce, Atlanta, GA. Cork comes out pretty easily with on a dull pop. Champagne style with large dimpled bottom. Green. Pour is a golden orange with a fine, light froth for the head. Some good haze...
Golden pour with some delightful looking, full, frothy head that leaves some great lace. Good clarity on the pour. Attractive looking beer. Smells and tastes replicate a light yeast note with a touch of sweetness. The beer is pretty well balanced...
750mL corked & caged bottle from Hop City, Atlanta, GA, USA. Opens with an alarming, large pop with lots of gun smoke. The pour into the Duvel tulip yields a darker than expected, orange colored body with a pretty good head and some really nice...
Green's, Ponce de Leon, Atlanta, GA, USA. 750 mL, plastic (don't like that) corked, caged and foiled. VERY difficult to get the cork out - annoying. Getting the cork out produces a weak pop - disappointing. Disappointingly dark pour, with an amber...
$9.99 for the 750 mL bottle from Arbor Place Beverage, Douglasville, GA, USA. Pour is is slightly darker than expected color with some nice looking head and lace. The beer lacks much clarity and is a darkish, honey-orange hue. (The final pour from...
I've been eyeing this for months and finally pulled the trigger on the $13.99 corked and caged bottle from Green's on Buford, Atlanta, GA, USA. Pours offers a cloudy, slightly watery looking light orange body and a decent rocky head. Some lacing...
12 oz bottle as a single. Pour is very dark for a Belgian Pale of any description. Has a copper hue with (obviously) limited lace, head and retention. Film forms on the surface white a white collar. Nose has some serious sherry and liquor notes...
64 oz growler sourced at Charleston Beer Exchange, Charleston, SC, USA. Pour is a very pale, slightly hazed macro lager, yellowish color. Looks like a slightly watered down Duvel and lacks the large, fluffy head and retention and lace that one...
750 mL (synthetic) corked & caged, dimple-bottomed, brown bottle. Silver foil adorns the top. It came from Hop City, Atlanta, GA, USA a few weeks ago. Pour is a mid-orange body (slight haze) with a high, frothy, cream soda/float like head. Lace...
22 oz bottle, $9.75 via mail from Bruisin' Ales. Thanks J & J. Pour gives a large, rocky head with is persistent and leaves tremendous lace. The body is a touch darker than I would like for the style, exuding a hazy, cloudy orange rather than...
750 mL corked & caged bottle. Not much pop on opening. Poured into the Duvel tulip (seemed like the most natural glass) it forms a lovely, whipped ice-cream head with nice lace on top of a golden body - very Duvel like! Nose is classical -...
Additional notes 06/23/21, pictured 05/27/23 Very little to add even over twelve years on from the original review. It's one of those beers that in terms of its appearance, and the overall experience, virtually nothing has changed. That's on the...
22 oz bomber, thanks to BA sprinkle for giving me the opportunity to get up to speed with this MONSTER! I may be mistaken, but I thought this beer used to be classified on BA as a tripel AND I have never paid any attention to the ABV - now I'm...
750 mL (plastic) corked and caged with silver foil. Green's on Buford, Atlanta, GA, USA. Not much of a pop on opening. Pour is a light, cloudy orange body and a smallish head. Head fades quickly to a thin foam and a light collar of foam. Mild brett...
12oz bottle, thanks go out to stopbarking for the chance to try this one. Straight into the Ommegang chalice with a deliberately aggressive pour on my part. Clarity is good, but it is a very pale, macro lemony color. Head is gone quite quickly and...
Additional notes 01/19/25 (Pictured) 2023 vintage. I've had this a few times since those original 2008 notes, but not that often. Since the 'import purge' you just can't find it here any longer. Direct purchase from Belgium. Yeast and some boldish...
Additional notes 05/20/23 (Pictured) Same rocky head, but this time no gusher. Cap says MAR2024 - this is a Best Before date. ABV is now quoted on the label as 9% rather than the original reported 10 %. Still plenty of syrupy goodness, white pepper...
Additional notes 04/21/24 (pictured) Found an ancient bottle of this last week and decided to take a chance. $8.50 a bottle, what's to lose? $8.50 I suppose! Light pop on opening with a tiny bit of gun smoke. At least it's not 100% flat. Lighted...
Pictured 07/08/23 Original notes 09/28/08 Here we go with a "new" (2008) version of the Keizer. The older, dark version is one of my favorite brews of all time so the expectations are very high - we'll see. 750 mL corked and caged bottle from...
$7.99 for Mac's Midtown, Atlanta, GA, USA. Corked & Caged 750 mL. Pour is a bright orange in the Terrpain 22oz snifter. Large initial head with some nice retention across the body and a little lace. Carbonation is high. Not sure if this should...
New, updated 330 mL stubbie bottle. Purchased as a single from Total Wine, Kennesaw, GA, USA. Alarming pale color on the pour and an equally alarming, large head that is VERY, VERY wispy and lacks any kind of density. Honey colored body eventually...
750 mL corked and "braced" (as opposed to caged). No: 144302 on the cork. Best Before 03/10/07 which almost certainly means Oct 3 2007. Past that date, but I have no qualms about the ability of this beer to withstand that. Healthy pop on the...
Pictured 09/28/11 Original notes 05/30/08 $12.99 from Jax, Sandy Springs, Atlanta, GA, USA for the 750 mL corked & caged affair. Poured into the tall, stemmed, Abbaye des Rocs chalice to reveal a honey colored body with a small head that fades...
Pictured below 07/10/15, Tria Taproom, Philadelphia, PA Original notes 05/17/08 Not retired unless this is a new recipe and therefore a different brew. I passed on this when I was in Greensboro, NC in November as it was quite pricey. Now it has...
11.2oz bottle labeled as 7% ABV rather than the 8.5% listed in the beeradvocate database. Orange/Red pour with very little sustainable head or lace. Hazy appearance. Slightly acidic, apple based taste. Quite a high carbonation and not really in...
On-tap at The Brick Store, Decatur, GA, USA. WOW - classy! Mid-orange pour with a super high, dense, bone-white head. Nose has a mild grapefruit which is reflected in the taste. It is isn't until the ending that you get the...
Enjoyed this one on tap at Deep Ellum, Boston, MA, USA. Surprisingly I had never seen this beer or this brewer with beers on tap in the USA, so I was delighted and excited to try it. It was served in the brewery's own glassware - an impressive,...
Updated notes 01/18/23 (pictured) - original scores unchanged. The 2022/23 version is advertised as 10% on the bottle, the original being 11. The appearance is exactly as notes below. Great golden clarity with a fizzy head that fades to nothing...
$11.99, Cheers, Carrollton, GA, USA. 750 mL bottle, capped. Poured into the Urthel goblet. Big frothy head sits atop the burned orange colored body. Carbonation is a little too lively for my liking - seems kind of fizzy. Musty yeast in the nose....
2007 Vintage, Updated Review 02/09. 750 mL bottle that offers a very similar (almost identical) experience as detailed below. I don't dislike this beer, but I must admit I don't quite understand it. Original Review 02/08 12 oz single, thanks to...
$8.99 at Brawley's, Charlotte, NA, USA. Corked & Caged 750 mL. Since this said "Flanders Ale" on the bottle, I was wondering if this was going to be a Flemish Sour/Red style - Mike put me right. Poured into the Duvel tulip (seemed appropriate), the...
Had a chance to try this for the first time back in July (just after its release) at a Brick Store, BA get together but I didn't take notes. Thanks go out to BA Bleedingshrimp for the trade, and for the opportunity to get a crack at this one again....
On tap at the Brick Store, Decatur, GA, USA. Small serving in a goblet. Hazed, orange pour with a huge head and plenty of great lace. Very good carbonation. Looks super. Belgian base (yeast and sugar) but a significant level of herbal notes. Grassy...
Purchased on a recent trip to Greensboro, NC, USA. 750 mL Corked & Caged. Subsequently at Mac's Midtown, Atlanta, GA, USA on sale for $3.99. Typical Unibroue presentation. Poured into the Duvel tulip this beer has a dark orange body (peach/tea...
Thanks go out to Brewfan for this in a recent trade. I've been waiting on this one for a while. Corked & Caged 750 mL bottle. Part of the "750 series". Not much pop on release of the cork - has me a little worried. Pour is a real, golden/orange...
Dave pulled this one out of the back at The Brick Store for a quick, Friday afternoon sampling. A couple of 12oz bottles. We did it blind, so I had a guess at what I thought it was. I said a 9.00%, Imperial Pils type. That was the closest that I...
Pictured is a Best Before 18.01.09 bottle that was purchased in early 2024 and opened on 06/29/24, and as expected was undrinkable. Notes added 09/12/21 Drinks the same as ever, like classy, super-high ABV Tripel, with even more added depth. A beer...
Additional notes 01/08 In the bottle, $5.99 Toco Giant, Atlanta, GA, USA. This experience pretty much reflects the original, draft review. A little more white pepper in the finish. Original notes 08/07 On-tap at the Brick Store, Decatur, GA, USA. A...
Six pack, $9.99 from Arbor Place Beverage, Douglasville, GA, USA. Deep orange color in the body and an impressive and encouraging head sitting in the Duvel tulip. A very simple Belgian Pale - no frills, not much to report but solid. Alcohol is...
Pictured at Eulogy Tavern, Philadelphia, 07/09/15 Updated notes 07/08 This bottle was either $7.99 or $8.99 from Highland Beverage, Hiram, GA, USA. Sweetness is very prominent on this tasting, with a warming glow from the alcohol. Still love it!...
Michael's, Marietta, GA, USA. Stubby, 11.2oz bottle, I think I paid either $3.99 or $4.99. Poured fairly vivid orange color with some unpleasant looking floating sludge. Even with the sediment in the glass there was still a LOT of yeast in the...
Pictured 04/18/14 Good pop on opening which is always a relief on a beer of this age. Orangey brown, Dubbel like body. Not especially attractive. Almost a reddish hue. Head dies quickly to leave a tiny white collar and a ver thin, wispy film. Nose...
Odd shaped 750 mL bottle. More marketing claptrap. $6.99, Jax, Sandy Springs, Atlanta, GA, USA. Tea colored pour with a nice head, but this fades very quickly to not much. No lace of any description. Good clarity. I would describe this a...
750 mL corked & caged. Green's, Ponce, Atlanta, GA, USA. $6.95 from memory. 06/06/09 on the label. Given that this is the Ambree (compared to the Blonde) I was expecting a deeper copper colored hue than I got. It was surprisingly light in color....
Shared this one with Dave at the Brick Store, one that he brought back from his recent Belgian trip - thanks, man. 11.2 oz plain brown bottle with an attractive label. Pours typically golden with a fluffy, billowing head - looks good. Smells...
I've been wanting to try this for some time, so I was delighted to find it at Green's on Ponce it Atlanta, GA, USA. $6.99 (I think). Corked and caged 750 mL bottle. The pour is interesting in as much as the color is very much that of a Belgian Dark...
Additional Notes 1/24/22 (pictured) This is such an extraordinarily great beer. It really has nothing to do with Christmas in terms of taste, and were it year round it would be a constant for me. There are some very good beers in the USA under the...
750 mL corked and banded, shared with clvand0 and BEERchictect at Pazzo's in Lexington, KY. Typically Belgian, but with one or two odd twists. Firstly the body was very clear - almost like a macro lager. It did come with a great, rocky and pillowed...
Notes added 06/26/2022 (pictured) Still bitterish (see notes below) but I have an infinitely deeper appreciation of this beer a couple of decades forward. Pretty golden body with a competition of sweet and bitter that add up to a very distinct...
Notes added 09/12/21 (pictured) It’s SO hard to pin this beer down for me. An alcohol bomb, but so full of flavor; the color of a mid-point pale and dark; the unexpected pour when looking at the label (for some reason I associate the artwork with a...
Corked and caged 750 mL brown bottle with screen-printed label. Bullock's, Marietta, GA, USA. Opens with a gentle "pop" and some champagne like vapors. Poured into the Gouden Carolus flute. Orange butterscotch pour with a large white, dense head...
Pale orange pour with a little chill haze and some very lively carbonation. Well, this is what it is - not much more, not much less. A massive sweet, malt bomb, very high alcohol. Nothing much more than alcohol in the nose, but, if like me you are...
Bottled 11/14/05 Poured into the St. Bernardus chalice from the capped 750 mL bottle, it is absolutely crystal clear with an orange/golden hue. For those with British connections the body is a Lucozade color. Fine bubbles of carbonation form on the...
Golden, honey orange pour with excellent fine carbonation that leads to a thin filmed head and some lacing. Poured into the Val-Dieu chalice, this looks very good. Sweet tastes, sugary but finishes short and dry with a little bit of bitterness....
Batch 003, 750 mL corked & caged. Deep golden yellow poured into the Trois Pistoles chalice. Small, but beautifully formed, dense white pillowy head, but the retention and the lacing are both below average. Lots of banana, cloves and spice, but...
Additional notes 12/17/22 (pictured): This beer has gone by a number of different names over the years as evidenced above. This particular bottle is dated BB 31/08/2023. Alcohol is the major player, but this feels a little lighter than it has in...
What an unusual beer. Poured into the Duvel tulip, there is an orange/golden body (looks a lot like lucozade) with a big frothy/rocky head but very little lacing to speak of. We get some spotty thin head left on the surface of the beer, and the...
Pictured 01/03/25 Updated notes 04/15/2022 Pictured below, the same presentation as the original notes. Close to 100% sure that Special Winter Ale is the same as “Spéciale Noël“. The high carbonation of this beer remains a feature, even seventeen...
330 mL bottle poured into the Duvel tulip. Good white head, with nice lacing and retention. Pale amber color. Typically Belgian, yeasty nose and some sweetness and pepper spice in the initial taste. Some sharp bitterness in the finish, quite...
Beautiful, golden clarity with a good head, but it disappears quickly to leave little or no lacing. More retention would be nice. Initial tastes are like a strong Euro lager, but the Belgian yeasts kick in to give an authentic Belgian feel to the...
Nice presentation with the very attractive yellow label. Poured into the Duvel tulip (which happens to be very appropriate) with a cloudy orange color, a fantastic head and the yeast sediment finishes the pour by dropping on to the white head with...
Updated notes 03/31/22, this is the beer pictured. Very different pour when compared to the original notes, with this being clouded orange and not ‘crystal clear’ as noted below (albeit, 17 years ago!) Most of the other notes remain the same, with...
Additional note 01/22/25 (Pictured) 12 oz bottle, directly from BE. This drinks more aggressively that the notes belwo would suggest, and there may be a reason for that. It's now clocking in at 8.8%, a 10% rise in ABV since those notes. White...
Additional notes (pictured 05/02/23) Head and retention are usually much better than my original notes suggest. I still enjoy this beer close to two decades on, and over the years it has grown on me. Original notes 02/23/05 Very unusual, and an...
Very spicy and bitter with pepper being the most overwhelming sensation for me. There's plenty of other spices in there too, with coriander especially prevelant. Some lemon in the nose as well. Dark orange pour with a large, ivory colored head that...
Pale orange and some chill haze adds to the cloudiness of the pour. A thin but persistent head is present with some mild, fluffy lacing. Aroma displays Belgian yeast character. I didn't notice much of the spice that is advertised, but there is a...
A lot of sweetness is the abiding memory imparted by this brew. Pours a lovely, attractive golden color with a decent head, but one that disappears very quickly. The slickness in the mouthfeel is not unpleasant but really is true to form for beer...
Pictured 11/28/23 Notes added 08/20/21 I’ve been drinking Kwak for many years, and long before the original notes that are below from 2004. I’ve always enjoyed it more than those notes might suggest! I think the notes reflect a little naivety in...
Butterscotch pour with little or no head. Distinct aroma and taste of citrus spice, with cloves large up front. The alcohol acidity was a little too much for me. Bit of a bite on the way down that I didn't care for very much. The cloudiness was...
$13.90 for 330 mL, 4 pack, Arbor Beverage, Douglasville, GA. (Yes, I was ripped-off, but this is the first time in four years I have been able to buy this in the US, so give me a break). I drank Duvel for years in the UK before coming to the States...
July 2006: Now a two year old beer and things have changed dramatically. Much more mild now in all respects. Two distinct changes. Now there is a real British shandy taste upfront, and that in turn increases the drinakability immensely. July 2004:...