Alvinne Balthazar

Brewed by Picobrouwerij Alvinne
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Heule, Belgium

Bottled. Poured shimmery medium amber without much head sticking around. The aroma picked up an array of alcohol-fueled, heavy spices (cardamom, rose petals, and dirty white pepper come to mind) over a caramel and sugary pale malt base.. warmth brought out a hit of yeast.. powerful, but well-balanced. The flavor was also spicy and strong, opening with sour American oak and sticky allspice.. the middle started with pale malts, and scored some vinous character as it warmed.. large dose of cardamom, ginger, and white pepper on the finish.. alcohol was definitely present, but it never got in the way. Heavier-bodied on the palate with light, but tight carbonation.. the sourness gave an almost refreshing feel.. zesty and tasty.

Hazy umber color with a moderate, slightly diminished beige head. A very light aroma, as in a lighter style, cross of saison and tripel. Yeast and spices of cinnamon wander about with some light toasted malt in the nose. Earthy malt start. Some light, dry spice mingle in middle. Slightly acidic and a touch medicinal in the finish and linger. Somewhat promising start, leads to a less than favorable end.

Bottled. Aroma has spices like ginger, fresh slightly grassy hoppiness, fruits and caramel malts. Hazy, red-brown coloured with an off-white head. The taste is sweet, tart/sour, spicy (ginger/cardamom), hoppy with some fruity maltiness. Some carbonation, not really disturbing for the taste. Though the season for this beer is labelled winter, I think this is an excellent refreshing beer for the summer.

Sampled on 3/30/2009. This Belgian Strong Ale pours a deep reddish brown color form a 33cl bottle. Small to medium sized tan foamy head with decent lacing and very short head retention. The aroma is sweet and spicy, some ginger. A medium bodied Belgian Strong Ale. The malts are dark fruit, caramel and sweet. There is a sour/tart lactic quality that I am not sure should be here, but I kind of like it. The spices are in the background, mostly ginger and coriander. Lively carbonation. Interesting beer. Mouthfeel is full. Finish is clean and smooth. Aftertaste is slightly tart.

BierKonning. Amber red body, slight head. Sour nose and fruity. Sweet, carbonated. Lots of ginger. Some caramel to be found. Okay. Not great from a very good brewer.

33cl Bottle from De Bierkoning. Dark reddish brown beer with a minimal off-white head after a vigorous pour. Not a very good sign. Aroma is almost sour ale like, reminded me of Liefmans Goudenband, which I guess is not supposed to be like that. Infected? I guess not, the beer is still clear. Vinous, alcoholic nose, some wood and red fruits. Flavour is sour, wood, coriander, sour drying finish. When the beer warms up the spices like cardamom and coriander are more pronounced in both aroma and flavour, and the beer gets a bit sweeter, but the sour flavour remains, albeit less. Will definitely try again, but for now not really my kind of brew. 6 3 5 3 10. Re-rate: Free bottle from De Bierkoning, this one almost exploded upon opening, with great effort I managed to save half of the contents. Aroma is way more spice than the first bottle, lots of fresh lemony ginger and cardamom, a bit of alcohol. Flavour is spicy, ginger, cardamom, lots of dark malts, sour and light bitter finish. Medium bodied. 7 3 7 3 13

Be careful while opening... this stuff exploded everywhere after having been rested for several days. Pours a murky dull thin dark brown with a foamy root-beer-like sudsy sticky head. Very sweet aroma, well spiced, ginger, coriander and lots of cardamom, brown sugar and a touch of alcohol. Love the flavor, brown sugar, rum soaked raisins, chocolate, and spices, has a nutmeg type drying effect, coriander and cardamom being the most prominent, the ginger is lighter and more in the finish. I love this type of flavor. Medium bodied, sugary feel, dull carbonation.

33cl bottle. Disclaimer - my brother-in-law ordered this beer, not me, so I had to formulate these notes on less sips than is usually required so as not to drink all of his beer. Pours dark brown with a thick tan head. The bottle practically gushes upon opening. The aroma is sweet and very spicy with lots of cardamom The flavor is sugar sweet but also quite spicy with notes of ginger and lots of cardamom. There is a subtle and refreshing acidity in there, too. The beer is smooth considering its strength and strong spice flavors; alcohol is well-hidden. The mouthfeel is full in body with an almost soda-like spritziness. Overall, a very intriguing spiced beer - much better than I expected. I wish I could have had a few more sips.