Kasteel Tripel

Let's continue the Van Honsebrouk tasting, this time with the pale sister beer to my recent post - the mighty Kasteel Triple, and like its darker incarnation weighs in with a hefty 11% ABV.

The Triple pours a hazy, bright straw gold and is crowned with a huge, fluffy, soft white head that looks like whipped egg whites that within minutes has gently settled to a lasting finger width covering.
Streams of bubbles rise from the bottom of the glass giving the beer a nice lively appearance.

Initial aroma is honey sweet, then you get citrus along with an apricot / peach like fruitiness. Also present are the trademark triple duo of banana and clove before a bready / yeasty finish and the hint of alcohol burn - lovely stuff.

Taste is initially honey sweet malts with touches of light caramel, then you get peppery clove spicing along with the musty orange notes of coriander.
There's also rich doughy / bready notes that lead to a floral, slightly bitter and dry finish.

Without doubt another great beer from Van Honsebrouk.

Kasteel Donker

Kasteel takes its name after the Flemish word for castle, indeed the castle in question is depicted on the label - a U shaped building situated at Ingelmunster that dates back to 1736.
After many changes of hands it finally fell under control of current owners; the Van Honsebrouck family in 1986 who bought it from then owners the Montblancs family.

Kasteel Donker pours very dark brown (bordering on black) and is topped with a huge, rich, creamy tan coloured head that comprises of thousands of tiny, compact bubbles.
Wonderful aroma of demerara sugar, caramel, rich dark fruits (prunes and raisins) intense malt loaf bready-ness coupled with a delicate liquorice and clove spicing before finishing with a nice alcohol warmth (this formidable beer is 11% ABV after all)

That aromatic intro carries through into the taste with sweet dark ripe fruits, rich caramel malts, brown sugar, chocolate covered cherries and hints of red wine tannins that lend a port like depth.

This is for sure one of Belgiums sweetest beers but it is so perfectly balanced between the intense burnt sugar, deft use of spices and vinous qualities - also a beer that could be described as being heavy......think of this as the perfect dessert beer, Winter warmer or welcome nightcap.
   

Petrus Aged Pale

Now if there is one style of beer that doesn't feature regularly in my reviews then it is the sours - this should come as no surprise because as you can see the vast majority of my entries are the darker, sweeter varieties such as Quads and Tripels.
This isn't due to the fact that I dislike sours (the Lambic styles) it's just that my taste buds lie elsewhere, with this style one or two are enough for me.

So what we have here is in fact an Oud Bruin, a beer from Bavikhore brewery Bavik (hence the name) a brewery famous for that traditional Flemish Brown style and one that has been around since 1894, a brewery that is still family owned.
The beer in question is Petrus Aged Pale and as its name suggests it's a paler version of another of Baviks beers their Oud Bruin - the aged, well it spends over 20 months maturing in oak barrels.

Now just uncapping the beer and amazing tart, crisp, sour notes escape from the neck...my we're in for something a bit different.

This Aged Pale pours a lovely bright copper with the slightest haze and is topped with a fluffy white head that all too quickly settles down to a thin lasting ring, thin streams of bubbles rise from the bottom of the glass giving the beer a well carbonated appearance.

Aroma is instantly tart and incredibly fruity with lemon zest and crisp green apples, then you get a dry, acidic sourness that reminds me of cider vinegar.
There's a biscuit matiness coming through along with hints of caramel sweetness and touches of oak on the finish - a nod towards the barrel ageing.

Taste - well what do you expect, sour tart grapes, lemons, grassy hops, white wine, crab apple and a dry, bitter, woody finish.

A sour beer no doubt and whilst not my chosen style it's still an intriguing, well made Oud Bruin and one I look forward to sampling again.

       

De Graal Gember

So here we are at the start of my next century of beer reviews, so lets kick things off with an absolute cracker and a beer from a brewery I've rated before.

De Graal Tripel

The clue for this particular beers flavour lies in its name "Gember" (Dutch for ginger) and it's the dried root that is used to infuse this particular ginger bomb.

A hazy deep amber beer that is topped with a foamy white head that all to quickly collapses leaving behind large craggy mounds.

A most wonderful aroma fills the glass that is crammed full of those spicy / prickly ginger qualities but also coupled with lemon and orange citrus notes (it's almost as aromatic as a herbal tea)
Then you get a deep honey sweetness before a rich malty backbone comes through, finished off with a subtle touch of hops.

The flavour comes as no surprise as once again ginger features heavily on the taste, this time in the form of the sweet preserved variety, again the citrus notes of lemon come through along with a caramel sweetness before finishing with a malty / bitter hop bite.

Without doubt another great beer from brewmaster Wim Saeyens and without doubt a beer I'll be sampling again.

Fantome Pissenlit

Well here I am, at my 100th review and what a great time I've had reaching this mile-stone, sampling some truly outstanding beers along the way.
My only regret is that I didn't start my blog sooner, there are so many more fine Belgian beers I've sampled over the years (sadly the majority I never photographed) but these will be revisited and reviewed here.

Needless to say that many of the highlights contained in my blog revolve around trips to our beloved city of Bruges - the beers I have sampled and shared with friends here rank amongst the most special.

So my 100th post rightfully deserves a special beer and the bottle I have chosen has been sat at the back of my cupboard for the past year (awaiting that special moment) also this is sadly my very last bottle from Soy brewery Fantome.

Pissenlit was the very beer that first sparked my interest in Dany's brewery, and this way before our first trip to Bruges (guess which beer was at the top of my shopping list back in 2008...alas I drew a blank)
Last June however I struck gold - gold indeed because Pissenlit is brewed with bright yellow dandelion petals. Each year Dany and friends scour the fields surrounding the brewery in search of the the yellow 'gold'.
The flowers are then dried in the sun then soaked in water. the resulting infusion is the basis for Pissenlit.
Eaten raw dandelion is known to have a diuretic effect, hence the name of the beer - French for "wet the bed"

Here we go...Pissenlit pours a clear bright copper and is crowned with a large bright white head that really lasts as you savour this spectacular beer.

Absolutely fantastic aroma that is herbal and grassy coupled with a flowery bitterness, then you get a dry hay mustiness.
Tart crisp orchard fruits (green apple and pear) all perfectly balanced with a honey sweetness...simply sublime.

Taste is another winner, initially tart with unripe citrus notes, then musty yeast combined with a peppery spicing.
Then again you get that honey sweetness before sharp grapefruit cuts through giving a dry mouth-feel. Is dandelion there, well there's definitely a glass full of herbal / floral characteristics so I suppose yes.

A unique and amazing beer and one that I simply must try again - my next hunt though will include that elusive Fantome glass.....lets hope I strike gold again.

     

Winter 13

Well seeing we've been having some nice warm sunny weather here in the UK (makes a change) so why not open a Winter beer...well why not, after all this is not the usual dark, heavy, spiced brew - no this particular beer is more a farmhouse saison.

Produced by Leuven brewery Hof ten Dormaal, it is a family run farm that also doubles as a brewery - the farm producing everything that is required by the brewery (right down to the chicory used in their Wit Goud beer) this is very much a self sufficient business.

The beer pours a deep murky amber and is topped with a white, bubbly head that quickly fades to a lasting finger width cap.

Aroma is sweet malts then instantly you get a tart, sour green apple edge. Then you get a musty banana note before a yeasty, floral hop finish.

Initial taste was sweeter than I was expecting (not a bad thing though) then you get yeast, faint bitter hops, light tart / citrus notes and a spicy, carbonated finish.

Yet another great beer from the Dormaal brewery and a beer I'll no doubt sample again.

Goliath Tripel

Now I may as well stick true to my words, so here we have another outstanding beer from Brasserie des Geants - this time as hinted their sublime Goliath Tripel.

Goliath was the first beer produced by des Geants back in 2000 and like their other beer Urchon, Goliath takes its name from local sources.

Goliath (pronounced Gouyasse in the local dialect) is the lead figure in the annual 'Ducasse' festivities - Gouyasse btw is also an alias for this beer.

Goliath pours a hazy deep orange with a towering bubbly white head that slowly collapses, leaving behind a rocky glass clinging covering.

Wonderful classic Tripel aroma that explodes with sweet malts, crisp green apples and pears that are combined with tropical fruits. Then you get sweet honey notes before a spicy yeast bite and gentle hop bitterness.

Taste only backs up that fantastic introduction with citrus fruits (orange and lemon) sweet bready malts that are almost biscuit like, there's a nice dose of clove and pepper spicing, then floral bitter hops and again sweet honey notes are there on the finish.

No doubt, a truly well made Tripel.

URCHON

First brewed in 2002 by Brasserie des Geants and located in Irchonwelz, situated in the multiplicity of Ath, a Walloon province of Hainaut.

Ath is also known as the 'City of Giants' after the 'Duccasse' festivities that take place each August when huge figures representing Goliath and Samson (amongst others) are paraded through the streets - Goliath btw being the name of another of des Greants beers (my next review maybe)

Back to Urchon which takes its name from the breweries location at Irchonwelz - 'Irchon' for urchin or hedgehog and 'Welz' for the place across the river, the brewery is located on the River Dende.

Now for the pour, Urchon is a lovely deep ruby red colour and is topped with a massive light tan coloured head that slowly collapses, leaving behind lots of lacing.

Lovely aroma of spicy malts, rich caramel (almost toffee) dark fruits (raisins and plums) and a fantastic bitter cocoa finish that almost borders on becoming leather?

Taste follows with bready malts, roasted nuts, red berries, sweet caramel, liquorice spicing with a malty, chocolate bitterness on the finish.

WOLF 9

The Wolf brewery was founded in 2003 by Peter Van der Borght when he decided to follow his hearts dream and brew his own beer, being joined a while later by three friends and so in 2008 Wolf brewery was founded, being formally called Lupus (Latin for wolf, canus lupus)

Wolf 9 poured much darker than I expected (why I was expecting a paler beer I don't know) and so an incredibly deep amber beer filled my glass and was topped by a huge, creamy, light tan coloured head that really lasts and lasts.

Lovely aroma of sweet bready malts, deep musty banana notes, deffinate anise spicing and a light hop touch on the finish.

Initial taste was raisin bread (malty with a dark, dried fruit edge) then you get a lovely caramel sweetness that coupled with the fruit gives it an almost marmalade flavour.
Again the spices are there (clove and anise...maybe even gingerbread) before slight bitter hops balance things out nicely.

My first taste from the Wolf brewery and I look forward to sampling the blond 7 and dark 8.
   

Vinkenier

Another review , another great beer (well what else would I drink) and my first from brewery Eutropius, located in Heule, in the West corner of Belgium.

The label of the beer features men indulging in the pass-time of Vinkenzetting (Dutch for finch sitting, hence the name of the beer) a local contest that dates back to 1596 and involves male chaffinches, each housed in a small cage which are then placed six feet apart along a street.
The birds then sing their little hearts out - each trying to establish his own territory (and no doubt attract a mate) Each song is then chalked up by the owner sat behind on a long wooden stick - after an hour the bird that sings the most is declared winner, champion birds belting out several hundred calls.

Vinkenier pours a hazy, deep orange and is alive with streams of bubbles.
This is topped with a large, white, bubbly head that slowly collapses as you savour.

Rich, bready aroma combined with a lovely caramel sweetness which is then cut by citric, floral hops on the finish.

Initial taste is dominated by the honey sweet malts, then just like the aroma you get intense fruit notes (orange and peaches) also there's a peppery, spicy bite before grassy / herbal hops provide a welcome bitter finish.

A beer I picked up because of the label....now a beer I'll pick up again because of the taste.

         

Ondineke Oilsjtersen Triple

Time for what is only my second beer from De Glazen, my first being the truly magnificent Christmas offering Canaster Winterscotch and first thing first this beer shares none of it's darker sisters volcanic opening problems (so no panic pouring)

Ondineke pours a hazy, burnt amber and is topped with a huge billowing, bright white head that slowly collapses to a bumpy, bubbly covering.

Wonderful aroma that is packed with ripe citrus fruits (oranges and biting lemons) coupled with sharp crisp hops then you get a toffee sweetness to balance things out nicely before income the spices - clove , pepper and coriander.........just lovely.

Taste follows with sweet doughy malts, then you get touches of citrus fruits (orange and lemon) there's grassy / herbal hops that provide a dry mouth-feel along with those trademark triple spices of clove and coriander.

A fantastic well made true triple.

    

Montagnarde

One of my favourite beers (and one I'm guaranteed to order when in Bruges) is the utterly fantastic  Abbaye des Rocs Brune
So here's a beer from the Montignies-sur-Rocs brewery that I've never sampled before, an amber beer by the name of Montagnarde.

A hazy amber coloured beer that is topped with a huge white bubbly, creamy head that lasts and lasts - look closely and you'll notice that typical Abbaye des Rocs snowglobe effect, the glass is crammed with yeast particles - there's nothing wrong though, empty the bottle and watch the glass come alive.

Incredibly fruity aroma, it's simply packed with peaches and apricots combined with a delicious honey, caramel sweetness.
There's also a lovely yeasty, bready note on the finish......fantastic.

Taste is rich with toffee sweetness and caramel malts, complimented with a buttery, honey smoothness and a definite orange marmalade kick.
There's also the lightest touch of spiced biscuits and a gentle hoppy bite on the finish.

Another great beer from a great brewery.

Boskeun

The time is right for a seasonal offering from one of my favourite breweries - namely De Dolle and the beer in question the Easter brew Boskeun.

Roughly translated as "rabbit of the woods" (hence the label) Boskeun was one of the first Easter beers brewed in Belgium and being a blond beer was the style Herteleer brother Jo preferred brewing - ironically Boskeun is also his nickname , the result of an accident when the brothers were younger in which Jo received an injury to his lip.

The mighty Boskeun shares the characteristic De Dolle pouring problems (a steady hand is required here) whilst not as aggressive as Dulle Teve (a very similar beer) it still took 4 separate pours to fill the glass - each time a towering , fluffy white head is produced, underneath lies a hazy, bronze beer.
Once filled however you have a very nice looking beer.

Gorgeous aroma of bready / yeasty malts, sweet candy sugar, intense tropical fruits, clove spicing and a floral, honey finish.....simply divine and no doubt about it a fantastic start.

Initial taste is sweet, bready malts (almost dough like with the yeast) then you get ripe fruits - apples, bananas and apricot. There's a peppery spicing (perfectly balanced)nand the lightest touch of hop bitterness on the finish.

Hands down De Dolle are my favourite Belgian brewery and Boskeun.....one of their finest - roll on next Easter.

 

Qantelaar

Time for a relatively new beer, a beer from brewery d' Oude Maalderij - a brewery founded in 2011 by 4 friends who all shared a common passion for craft beer.
The original beers were brewed at bry Manhout, however recent batches have seen a move to bry. het Gulden Spoor.

My first sample of Qantelaar was at the recent Bruges Beer Festival and my reaction was one of surprise (this is one heavy going beer)
Miss-labelled by some as a Quadrupel (what I was expecting) this is anything but....it's more akin to a sweet stout.

Powerful aroma of roasted malts, burnt sugar, liquorice. dark fruits and a biting coffee bitterness combined with a light touch of hops on the finish.

Taste can only mimic that intense aroma with roasted burnt malts, bitter cocoa (almost mocha) old worn leather, light tropical fruits, caramelised / brulee sugar and a slight bitter note.
Mouth-feel for such a mighty beer is incredibly smooth and creamy.

Have no doubt, Qantelaar is one hefty beer....but as long as you know what to expect you can enjoy this for what it is - a really good sweet stout.    

Watou Tripel

Watou Tripel takes its name from the small village in the west corner of Belgium, situated in the province of West Flanders and located next to the French border (a beautiful area I feel very fortunate to have visited)
The illustration on the label features the St Bavo Church, which in parts dates back to the 12th century and proudly sits in the centre of the village.

savoured at the one and only 't Brugs Beertje

The people behind this beer, the iconic St. Bernardus Brouwerij and is just one from their impressive portfolio of beers.

Watou Tripel pours a hazy burnt amber and is crowned with an intense white, three finger width head that comprises of a thousand compact tiny bubbles - a very nice looking beer, which is made even nicer poured into that bowl like St. Bernardus glass (a simple yet elegant design)

Aroma is instantly fruity and floral, ripe bananas, lemons and pears. Then clove and coriander spices come through with a doughy / bready finish.






Flavour again has those typical orchard fruits characteristics (mainly pear) combined with a honey sweetness, then clove and pepper spicing before herbal hops cut through.

An expertly made, easy drinking Tripel.

Helleketelbier

Here's a brewery who's "Witchy" labels have long intrigued me, for some reason they seemed to jump out to me on the shelves (hey I'm a sucker for a cartoon image)

Brouwerij De Bie was founded in 1992 in Watou, near Poperinge on the French border, then in 2001 moving to nearby Loker before in 2011 finally settling in its current location at Wakken, Dentergem in a renovated farmhouse - here you can witness the entire brewing process from hop field to bottling.

So here is one of the breweries most popular beers, namely Helleketelbier.

A hazy, deep amber beer that is capped with a large, white, bubbly head that all too soon collapses in on itself.

Aroma is at first sweet caramel toffees but then you get sharp green apples, prickly spicing and a pine like hoppy finish.

Taste is also an intriguing mix of sweet and tart - sweet in the form of caramel malts, brown sugar and honey.
Then just as noticeable you get the tart unripe peaches, citric notes and a sharp, hoppy / herbal finish, there's also a hefty dose of spicing for good measure (nutmeg and coriander).

A brewery that has a history of bottling problems, resulting in infected beers (yes I've had experience) but lets hope the recent move to a new brewery marks a new era and a very bright future for De Bie.

Tripel Kanunnik

Next up, a beer that was a massive hit with my wife during our recent Bruges trip. Tripels are undoubtedly Linda's favourite style - with the house beer Tripel De Garre claiming the number 1 spot (see my last post) she is however not a fan of the hoppy variety like Westmalle.....more the sweeter/spicier variety like Karmeliet, De Graal and Dulle Teve and now added to that list is Tripel Kanunnik.

A beer from Brouwerij Wileren (named after its location in Wilderen, Sint-Truiden) Tripel Kanunnik is brewed using 4 grains - barley, wheat, oats and rye.

The beer itself pours a bright gold (as reflected on the label) and is topped with a huge, towering, mousse like, creamy white head that really lasts the duration.

Perfumed aroma of crisp orchard fruits (apples and pears) coupled with sweet peaches and apricots, then intense spicing of pepper and coriander seed before finishing with a yeasty / hoppy bite - fantastic!

Those great characteristics carry over into the taste - initially malty and honey sweet before a zesty / citrus note cuts through.
Then in come the spices (clove and coriander) powerful yet perfectly proportioned along with a strong malty backbone before finishing with a floral / hoppy bite.

A great beer, no wonder Linda was such a huge fan.   

Achel Blond and Bruin

Well Bruges seems so long ago now (only 3 weeks and we're already pining for another visit) so I may as well share what was my first beer of that wonderful visit, and also one of my very last.

Now normally our first beer is always the one and only Tripel de Garre - after a chaotic 4 hour plane and train journey it certainly hits the spot (and is met with a relaxed, at home, sigh of relief)

However this visit there would be no first day De Garre, a note pinned to that ancient wooden door stated that they would be closed for the next 4 days - all the festival period?
CRAP!....quick rethink and plan b, namely 2be (hey that's no hardship) so a quick stroll down Wollestraat and it's time for our first beers (me Achel Bruin and Linda Brugse Zot)

Achel as you know is one of the eight Trappist breweries and one of the six in Belgium - well only just because Brouwerij der Sint-Benedictusabdij de Achelse (Achel for short) actually sits on the Belgium / Netherlands border, the brewery sits in Belgium, the gardens in Holland.
It has the lowest production of all the Trappist breweries and is also the Trappist I have sampled the least (yes Westvleteren has passed my lips on more occasions)

So on with the beer, Achel Bruin pours a deep brick red that is clouded with a slight haze and is topped with a bubbly, creamy, tan coloured head that slowly falls.

Lovely aroma of sweet candy sugar, rich caramel malts, dark ripe fruits (raisin and fig) with a slight sharp, crisp finish.

Taste is dark candied fruits, sweet demerara sugar, light spices, bready malts and a hint of cocoa with the slightest hop bitterness on the finish.

My first beer in Bruges and it's a cracking start.


Now then, onto Achel No2 - yes the Blond, and this was savoured at what was our first visit to this particular bar - Cafe Rose Red located on Cordoeanierstreet (near to Cambrinus) and from the outside it can look like it's part of a hotel, but the multitude of beer paraphernalia hanging reassures you that beery heaven awaits you inside (and it does) a pleasant cosy bar with a well chosen beer list, this is now a must visit bar for us.



Achel Blond pours a slightly hazy amber and is topped by a thick, white, fluffy head and just like the Bruin it really hangs around.

Intense fruity aroma (banana and pears) coupled with clove spices, light hops and a bubblegum sweetness.

Taste follows the aroma with full on fruits (banana again) but also a citus sharpness, floral hops, candy sweetness and a dry, bitter finish.

So two great beers (and bars) from an often overlooked Trappist brewery, will I be sampling them again - most definitely, will we be visiting Cafe Rose Red again - you bet.      

Wit Goud

Well yet another fantastic Bruges beer festival has come and gone, with many great beers sampled (yes the crowds were as large as ever) and also many great places visited.

Amongst them was our first ever visit to a beer shop located outside of Bruges, a trip organised by our ever obliging mate Filip (thanks once again for a great weekend) along with me and my wife on that beer buying spree was fellow Belgian Beer Board member (and lambic fanatic) Daniele.

The shop in question was the excellent Drankencentrale Rotsaert in Zedelgem - I now know what the term "tourist prices" means when referring to Bruges.
So a very happy half hour was spent buying many outstanding beers (some you don't pick up too easily in Bruges) I felt very fortunate to have bought beer........as the Belgians do.

Included in that fantastic haul were a few from farmhouse brewery Hof ten Dormaal - located in the rural farming region around Leuven, this is a brewery that is very much self sufficient.

So now what we have here is for me a double first, my first Dormaal beer and my first chicory beer - in fact the only chicory beer in production (an ingredient that is also grown on the farm) which is then dried and used to replace a portion of the hops during the brewing process.

The beer pours a hazy deep amber (for some reason I was expecting it to be golden???) and is topped by a large, white, bubbly head that slowly fades as you savour - a very nice looking beer.

Aroma again was a surprise, instead of sharp and bitter notes it was crammed with sweet caramel malts (nice) dig further and yes you do get bitter, grassy, hoppy elements - like I said a surprise BUT a very pleasant one.

Flavour follows with a honey sweetness, then yeasty bready malts, balanced out with bitter hops along with a banana fruitiness and a clove like spicy finish.


My first beer from Dormaal (with others to follow) and it's been a great introduction.    

A very special tasting

Now I know that the festive period is just a distant memory but what I'm about to review now is what has undoubtedly been my "Holy Grail" since my love affair with Belgian beer first began.

It's no secret that my favourite beer is the mind blowing Stille Nacht from the mad brewers of Essen and what we have here is the highly sought after barrel aged version, namely Stille Nacht Reserva.
A beer that is only released once every 5 years (since 2000) and in very limited quantities.

The release here is the latest 2010 Reserva (yes even though it was released in 2013) what it is in fact is the regular 2010 beer (hence the date) matured for 25 months in Bordeaux barrels then bottled and released to the eager waiting public.

The bottle in question belonged to our great friend Filip Geerts (who runs the outstanding site Belgian Beer Board) he most generously brought that precious bottle (and a bottle of the wonderful Winterkoninske Grand Cru) to the recent bottle share that was held during the weekend of the 6th Bruges Beer Festival - the location for this magical evening that great bar of Rudy's - De Bierboom (located on Langestraat and well worth a visit)

Now for the taste..............................

The Reserva pours a clear deep amber with the slightest suggestion of a faint white head that in the blink of an eye vanishes, leaving behind a sticky, oily film - a result no doubt of the lengthy barrel ageing process and the formidable 13% ABV.

A powerful aroma of woody oak-like tannins, sticky sweet caramels, red skin grapes, along with that there's the regular Stille Nacht jammy characteristic - only this time very much in the background.

Taste....WOW........instantly you get the barrel ageing then grape like vinous notes along with slightly tart red skinned fruits, then you get the toffee, jammy sweetness combined with rich plum bread before  an alcoholic Port like finish.

So there we have it, my search over - and was it worth the 10 year wait.....HELL YES!!!! now it's just a waiting game until the release of SN Reserva 2015.

      

Struise Tsjeeses Reserva

Well seeing that my last post concerned my Christmas beer, it's only right that I share my New Years beer (well New Years eve) and my what a way to welcome in 2013.

What we have here is a special limited release of a beer that I've already reviewed, the difference with this beer is that it has been aged in oak barrels for 6 months prior to bottling.

http://jaysbelgianbeers.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/tsjeeses.html

Tsjeeses Reserva pours a murky brick red and is topped by a huge, creamy, beige coloured head that really lasts, eventually falling to leave a lasting finger width cap.

Incredibly powerful aroma that smacks you in the senses - sweet,sweet malts, ripe orchard fruits (apple and pear) sherry soaked wood (seriously) spicy triple notes before finishing with oily rich alcohol.

Taste is sweet caramel malts then you get rich mixed fruits (pear and grape) light spiced yeasty notes (clove and coriander) then the oak comes through to add another depth, with it you get tannin / vinous notes - yes the alcohol is there but not as prominent as on the aroma.

without doubt a staggeringly good beer......will I see more in just 4 weeks time when we visit Bruges again - I bloody hope so.