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.