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.