DE DOLLE OERBIER

Time for another great beer from a great brewery, Oerbier by De Dolle. Oerbier means original beer and is a hark back to the homebrew the brothers produced when students.

The words Nat en Straf on the glass mean Wet and Strong an indication to the 9% ABV content. The little yellow person on the glass and label is the Oerbier man, in his hands he holds a brewers fork and a glass of beer.

Like its sister beer (Dulle Teve) this also took a while to patiently pour, but as the saying goes "good things come to those who wait"


Oerbier pours a murky deep brown with a slight ruby tinge topped with large creamy tan coloured head that hangs around, a really nice looking beer.

Complex aroma of yeast and malts, tart dark fruits (figs and sour cherries) then roasted dark caramel and a slight sharp (red wine barrels) finish.
Taste perfectly compliments the aroma, sweet malts, deep dark fruits (raisin, prune, plum and again tart cherries)  hops cut through to balance things out along with a slight spicy clove like finish.
This beer has definite tart, vinous qualities but not overbearing so, intriguing, original and a must try.


http://www.dedollebrouwers.be/

LAMORAL TRIPEL

Next up a beer with a noble connection - Lamoral, Count of Egmont was a wealthy 16th century general and statesman in Flanders, whose beheading (along with the Count of Horne) in 1568 on the Grand Place in Brussels led to public protests throughout the Netherlands, which in turn led to resistance against the Spanish and the eventual independence of the Netherlands.

That's enough history we're here for the beer -

Lamoral pours a hazy, deep orange, topped with an impressive large bubbly white head that slowly falls, clinging to the side of the glass on its downward path - so from the start an attractive looking beer.

Very nice aroma, full of sweet floral hops, ripe banana, caramel malts and honey with notes of citrus on the finish

Sweet almost caramel taste with a citrus zestiness to it, a slight crisp/hoppy bite with notes of pine and a fruity orange finish.

DE DOLLE DULLE TEVE

De Dolle Brouwers (the mad brewers) started life in 1980 formed by three brothers (Jo, Kris and Ward Herteleer) and all keen home brewers. After winning a local brewing competition they purchased an old defunct brewery in Essen, West Flanders.

Nowadays Kris is the master brewer and very much the face of De Dolle, often spotted wearing his infamous bright yellow 'Oerbier man' jacket and oversized bow tie (like the neck of the bottles)
Ward is predominantly a silent partner whilst Jo lives and works in South Africa.

Now for the Dulle Teve, this roughly translates as 'Mad Bitch' and boy is this an angry beer - eager to escape the bottle. Just a gentle prise of the bottle opener on the cap is enough to send it flying a full 2 feet with it a loud pop as the gas contained within escapes.
That lively character carries over into the pour, this beer took 5 separate pours to fill the glass - even the slightest, most gentle pours generates a giant towering head.

Anyway once poured Dulle Teve is a hazy dark amber beer that is crammed full of tiny dark yeast particles that coat the bottom of the glass. The enormous, fluffy, dense, white head that dominates the glass slowly recedes to leave a constant finger width covering.

Joyous huge aroma of citrus fruits, beady malts, honey sweetness, tropical richness and a prickly ginger like spice finish.

Gorgeous strong and yeasty taste with a light caramel sweetness, bitter floral hops cut through along with a  spicy (clove) note, an intense fruity but at the same time peppery taste fills your taste-buds as the beer warms, the finish is dry and herbal..................complex, unique and a must try.



http://www.dedollebrouwers.be/

TRIPEL KOLK

Brewed by the Boelens family in the village of Belsele in the Waasland region of Belgium, an agricultural area south-west of Antwerp.
Kris Boelens is today's owner and brewer, taking over the beer distribution from his father in 1980 - upgrading the family's old brewery, installing new stainless steel tanks. His first commercial speciality beer Bieken was brewed in 1993, an ale sweetened with honey.

Now on with the Klok, pours a hazy deep yellow with a finger width, creamy white head that soon settles down to a constant thin covering.
Fantastic deep aroma fills the glass - pine like hops, citrus, wheat, banana and also a spicy/biscuit bite.
Taste backs up that wonderful aroma - malty, citrus, grassy hops, spices (clove) and a flowery perfume in the finish. Lively carbonation provides a nice lasting mouthfeel.......simply an excellent Tripel.



http://www.brouwerijboelens.be/    

REINAERT GRAND CRU

Now for a beer that for my blog is the first to bear the name Grand Cru. This is a term more commonly linked with wine and translates as Great Growth, an indication that a vineyard is known for its favourable reputation in producing wine.
When written on a beer label it's an indication that this is a breweries more elaborate, complex release.

Initially RGC pours a beautiful crystal clear brick red but as I also added the yeast sediment at the bottom of the bottle the result was a hazy dark amber beer that shimmered with a red hue, topped by a lovely large, dense, fluffy white head, that slowly faded down to a constant cap.

Pleasant sweet aroma that is malty with rich candy fruits, a slight spice note is also present with a bready/hoppy finish.
Flavour is sweet roasted malts, tart dried fruits (spicy banana) and roasted cocoa, a warming alcohol note on the finish makes this a thoroughly enjoyable Grand Cru.     

ABBAYE DES ROCS BRUNE

The brewery was founded in 1979 in the small southern Belgian village of Montignies-sur-Rocs in Hainaut province, between Mons, Belgium and Valenciennes, France. The brewery itself is located just a few hundred yards from the ruins of a 12th century abbey (Abbey des Rocs) and it is from this that the brewery takes their name.

Pours a deep, dark, brick red that appears cloudy but is in fact full of yeast particles, topped with a gorgeous, massive, tan coloured creamy head that slowly fades to leave behind a constant centimetre covering.

Divine, deep aroma of sweet candy, chocolate, brown sugar, dark fruits (figs and cherries) finishing with a roasted edge - and with a start like that you know you are in for something special.

Taste.....wow, sweet roasted caramel malts fill your mouth along with light spices then a definite cherry fruitiness follows, providing a slight tart note that perfectly balances out the sweetness. As the beer warms more flavours emerge - chocolate and oak, a light carbonation gives the perfect mouthfeel.


http://www.abbaye-des-rocs.com/       

WESTMALLE TRIPEL

OK lets continue the Trappist tasting with another outstanding beer, this time from the Westmalle brewery.
Just 3 beers are produced, the dark 7% abv Dubbel, the golden 9.5% abv Tripel and also (like the orval below) a lower strength (5% abv) patersbier (monks beer) named Westmalle Extra. The abbey also produce their own milk and from this a semi-hard Trappist cheese.

First brewed in 1934 this was the first beer to be labelled as a Tripel, the current recipe dating back to 1956 - so folks here we have the Tripel Daddy.

Pours a hazy pale orange the glass is alive with streams of bubbles, topped with a creamy white head that slowly falls to leave behind a lasting thin covering.

Aroma is sweet, malty and fruity (bananas are prominent) with a hop bitterness on the finish. Beautiful creamy sweet flavour with a fruity / citrus (orange) edge, a dry hop bitter finish - and when I say finish I mean long finish, the carbonated mouthfeel lasts and lasts............the original Tripel and certainly amoungst the best.

Also note the same bottle (minus the label) is used at the other Trappist brewery Westvleteren.



http://www.trappistwestmalle.be/