Fantome Magic Ghost

In an earlier post I excitedly reviewed a beer (and brewery) seldom seen in pub menus or on store shelves - that beer was Fantome Saison.

Yes I have another of Dany's weird and wonderful Saisons to sample, this time the intriguing Magical Ghost - a beer that in keeping with Dany's "brew with nature" philosophy is brewed the green tea (and other magical ingredients I guess)

Now on with the pour and YES! it's GREEN.....absinthe green, a natural colour coming no doubt from the green tea used in the brewing process - a green beer may sound alarming but the subtle pale kiwi colour is very attractive (we're not talking a shitty, chemical alcopop dayglo here)

That magical lime green beer is topped by a huge trademark white bubbly head that eventually settles down to a constant finger width covering.

Aroma was as expected, being crammed with floral, grassy, herbal notes also tart and citric with a crisp green apple fruitiness and a deep, bready finish - at the same time there's a malty sweetness.

Taste follows with a tart, herbal bitterness (is that dill?) then sharp, green fruits (apples, kiwi and grapes) along with that fresh cut grass and a strong citric backbone with a long, lingering finish.

Yet again Dany delivers another unique beer and one quite unlike anything I've tried before.

Yes his beers are old school, true artisnal brewing that push my sweet, dark, triple loving taste-buds to the extreme - but that's why Fantome excites me.     

Forestinne Gothika

Time for another beer from Falmignoul brewery Brasserie Caracole, this time one from the Forestinne range - a beer brewed by Philippe Golinvaux and Michael Vermeren.

This intense beer pours black - jet black, and is topped by a thick, dense, creamy, tan coloured head that really lasts, it just sits there as you work your way through.

A powerful aroma hits you the second you uncap the bottle, pouring the beer and the air fills with intense liquorice aromas.
Lift the glass and get a lung full....WOW! Instantly you get powerful liquorice coupled with bitter dark cocoa, then you get a toffee like sweetness - great start.

Taste follows that fantastic aroma, initially you get sweet caramel then roasted malts, dark sweet fruits (plums and figs) sprinkled with a delicate spice note before finishing with a coffee bean like bitterness.

Weighing in with a relatively healthy 7.5% ABV this beer really does pack a flavour punch.......bloody lovely.  

Struise St Amatus 12

Now for a beer that since its introduction a couple of years ago has been high on my "to try" list.
So during the last Bruges beer festival I paid a visit to the Struise shop situated on the Burg and (along with a few other bottles) purchased myself a couple.

The label on the bottle has a church window design and features all 4 brewers (Peter, Urbain, Carlo and Phil) portrayed as saints - the reason behind this....well a Canadian reporter called them a set of self promoting bastards, so they thought "we'll show him" and put themselves on the label, and to top that portray themselves as Gods at the same time.

Also the name - St Amatus was a Benedictine monk and the hometown of the Struise brewery (Oostvleteren) is the only parish to patron St Amatus as a saint.

On with the beer, like many on offer from Struise what we have here is a dark beer whose ABV hits double figures (10.5%) so it pours that characteristic deep, dark mahogany (almost black) with a ruby /  plum like hue topped by a huge coffee coloured head that quickly falls to a thin cap.

Powerful aroma of liquorice, a heavy dose of deep dark fruits, rich and roasted malts, black coffee and a sweet, dark muscovado sugar finish - intense and heavy stuff indead.

Taste can only follow that heady aroma.....and it does - initially you get sweet, rich, roasted malts then loads of dark dried fruits (raisins, prunes and figs) also a hint of tart cherry, lots of caramel / toffee sweetness (almost molasses like) the finish has faint touches of spice and tobacco leaf.

So yes another great beer from them self promoting bastards.    

Smisje Dubbel

Lets continue with another from Smisje and also another beer that featured heavily on my bar bill during that fantastic mid-week break to Bruges......again this also no longer features in the current line up so talk about indulging.
And IF you're going to indulge in obsolete Smisje beers then where better than Bruge's NO1, iconic, beer fanatics haunt 't Brugs Beertje - talk about perfect timing because it appeared that bar owner Daisy had some kind of Smisje promotion going on with lots of beers Johan no longer produces being offered, to say I was in heaven is putting it mildly.

We were also lucky enough to share quite a few with local Bruges inhabitant and good friend Filip Geerts and his wife Katrien (Filip btw is simply one of the most dedicated Belgian beer fans I know, his passion for the subject is infectious and the website he runs...easily the webs NO1 on the topic  belgianbeerboard. If I can portray just a fraction of that enthusiasm on here then I'll consider my blog a success)
Between us quite a few of Johans finest disappeared forever that night, with both Smisje Dubbel and Guido featuring heavily.

This outstanding beer pours a rich, rusty, chestnut brown - lighter in colour than some Dubbels but attractive non the less.
Sitting proudly on top is a huge, compact, frothy, tan coloured head and my does it last - right down to the last drop.

Aroma is of rich dark malts, ripe fruits and sweet sticky dates (this beer is brewed with honey and dates) there's also a hint of bakers spice...intriguing and addictive.

Taste is packed with candy sugar combined with that typical musty honey note. Dark fruits (dates) appear and build as the beer warms, again a subtle use of spices keeps the taste-buds guessing (allspice berries?)
Warming alcohol is felt on the finish along with a light bitterness from the hops.

For the style...unique - lighter in colour, sweeter and with more alcohol, but hey I for one certainly ain't complaining.
My only problem is....................................can I land it lucky a 2nd time come February.

Smisje Guido

Well there's a new look for my blog (things may change slightly but I think it reads better) so lets kick off this new look with an absolutely cracker.

Time then for another beer from what is undoubtedly one of my all time favourite breweries - Smisje (now Smiske) and being a Smisje beer sadly this is one of the beers that brew-master Johan no longer produces (still we never give up hope for a revival.......you hear me Johan)

Guido takes its name from the 19th century Flemish writer and poet Guido Gazelle, who's statue stands proudly in his birth town of Bruges...........aaahhh Bruges.

Johan is well known for brewing his beers with distinctive fruits and herbs and Guido is no exception, here honey and raisins give this beautiful brown ale its unique character.

Guido pours an attractive hazy chestnut that is topped by a 2 finger width khaki coloured head that sits there as you indulge in yet another of Johans masterpieces.

Aroma is of rich malts, floral honey sweetness and caramel like demerara sugar - FANTASTIC !
Then the deep dark fruits emerge (figs, dates and of course raisins) then you get a barrel aged tawny port depth (possible woody tannins and a hint of leather) along with that a heady alcohol waft comes through as well but this just enhances all the above wonderful scents - truly a beautiful smelling beer.

As you'd expect from a beer brewed with honey and raisins the initial taste is sweet (but never over the top) deep molasses coupled with smooth honey (yes it's there) then in a repeat of the aroma dark, dried fruits - raisins most definitely but also plums and figs then a morello cherry sharpness before finishing with sweet caramel malts......the perfect balance.

Hands down one of Johans finest moments in brewing, the beers in my collection are amongst my most prized.

      

La Corne Tripel

Now then Belgium has a well known tradition for producing a unique glass for each beer, most do the job perfectly well (what more could you ask of a glass) yet a few are honestly just all show - a case of the container being better than the contents.....some however miss the mark on both counts.

Any new visitor to Belgium who stumbles upon a bar will inevitably pose with one of these glasses for that "look at how wacky I am" shot, and more often than not the glass and beer held aloft will be a Kwak (during our last visit to Bruges a table of 6 guys sat behind us all ordered Kwak, did the glass determine their choice ? )
Produced by the same brewery that brings us that outstanding beer Tripel Karmeliet , Kwak is (as far as taste goes) very much in its shadow - its saving grace that much photographed coachman's glass in which it is served  (time to own up, yes I do own a kwak glass but have used it maybe 3 times - a real pain to clean and dry)

Just as a quick side note there is a far worse glass than this, possibly the most useless glass title going to Leute Bokbier  - a round bottomed glass that sits in a wooden ashtray.......why?  The only time I tried this beer I spent the entire time holding the glass upright, it's that unstable - the beer is nothing to write home about either.

And so all this rambling brings me to my next beer and no prizes for guessing that it's one that is served in yet another wacky glass, the beer in question La Corne Tripel BUT I'm pleased to report that in this instance both glass and beer didn't disappoint.

Firstly the glass, what we have here is a horn shaped glass that is sat on a wooden frame (Kwak similarities yes) but here the glass is held in place by a leather strap and it's that little leather strap that holds the glass firmly in place, making the vessel totally use-able (no Kwak of Leute wobble here)

La Corne Tripel pours a hazy deep amber that is topped by a compact yet fluffy head, served in its own glass this is a really attractive beer.

Aroma is bready and yeasty with a sweet caramel note, also a light citrus edge along with a floral / herbal twang, alcohol is also there on the finish - a very promising start.

Taste is dry and malty (almost earthy) yet also packed with an apricot / citrus fruitiness, mildly sweet, spicy and well carbonated with a definite bitterness in the finish.

Both glass and contents top notch, a match made in heaven.               

Boerken

Brewed at de Proef brewery to an original recipe from the Den Ouden Advocaat cooperative, they also brew the sister beer Boerinneken (meaning little farmers wife) Boerken therefore as you'd expect means little farmer (as pictured on the bottle) a bottle that unusually features a swing-top (Grolsch type) cap.

Boerken pours a deep, dark ruby red, topped with an impressive, light beige, creamy head that just sits there whilst you work your way through the beer.

Very malty upfront on the aroma, coupled with lots of dried fruits (ripe plums and cherries) caramel sweetness then a yeasty finish.

Taste is again rich and malty (like brown bread) with hints of brown sugar, dark fruits (raisins) then a hit of chocolate before finishing with a light oaky bitterness.