Alvinne Balthazar

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

From the bottle at the Kerstbierfestival. pours black-brown with dark brown highlights, tan head. Nose is roasty, with licorice and dried, dark fruits. The flavor matches it, bitter and boozy, with some fruit notes and more licorice. Dry and bitterish finish.

Considering the style, Scores ranging from 1 to 5, 5 being the most intense
Appearance:
Body:   Clear(1)->Murky(5) : 4     Pale Yellow(1)->Copper(5) : 4     Still(1)->Volcanic Sparkling(5) : 2
Head:   None(1)->Large(5) : 3     Lasting: 3     Lacing : 2
Aroma:
Intensity : 4  
Yeast : 4   Bread : 2   Dough : XX   Esters : XX   Phenols : 3   Dusty : XX   Spicy : 2   Apple : XX   Banana : 3   Tropical Fruits : XX   Brett : XX   Barnyard : XX   Leather : 2   Wood : XX   Vinous : 2   Cheese : XX   DMS : XX   Diacetyl : XX Sulfur : XX
Malt : 4   Pilsner : XX   Pale : XX   Vienna : XX   Biscuity : 3   Toasty : 3   Hay : XX   Caramel : 2   Honey : 4   Cereals : XX   Grainy : XX   Wheat : XX
Hops : 2   Noble(1)->American(5) : 1   Leafy : XX   Perfume : XX   Orange : XX   Floral : XX   Lemon/Lime : XX   Herbal : 2   Grassy : 2   Piney : XX
Notes : Pepper : 1   Cloves : XX   Coriander : XX   Ginger : XX   Orange : XX   Earth : 1   Vanilla : XX   Oxidation : XX   Bubblegum : XX
Flavor:
Initial Flavor : Dry(1)->Sweet(5) : 4   Finish Dry(1)->Sweet(5) : 4   Sourness : 2   Acetic : XX   Lactic : XX   Bitterness : 2   Farmy : XX   Complex : 3   Length : XX
Palate:
Light(1)->Full(5) : 4   Flat(1)->Fizzy(5) : 3   Clean : XX   Sharp : XX   Watery : XX   Oily : XX   Chalk : XX   Astringent : XX   Alcohol : 1   Mineral : XX

Comments: My favourite Alvinne I believe. Full-bodied, spicy and caramelly Belgian ale with anisey and brown sugar flavours and a surprisingly growing bitterness to catch onto the sweetness.

Bottled. Beer came gushing out of the bottle as soon i opened it. The result: huge head. Dark brown coloured, lasting thick brown head, thick layer of yeast on the bottom. Strong nose of liquorice and raisins, some dried fruit as well, really nice. Very sweet flavour, quite alcoholic, a bit disappointing after such a fine aroma. Thick mouthfeel. Great appearance, fantastic aroma, good mouthfeel, but the beer has obvious shortcomings when it comes to flavour (and that’s a pretty essential component of a beer...).

Bottled (BB 11/2009)
Never seen so lively beer than this one. HUGE living brown head, creamy, cloudy and full of big bubbles, I wonder what super yeast they have used here. Beer itself is dark ruby. Aroma has chocolate, licorice and gingseng. Sticky mouthfeel. Ginger, gingseng, juniper, dark fruits, licorice and alcohol in the flavor. Some woody and earthy notes in the finish. Quite sweet beer with all kind of interesting spices.

Bottled. Very dark brown opaque colour. The head is something of the most alive head I have ever seen. Aroma is salted licorace, yeast, spices, and some malts. Flavour is alcohol, spices, earth, grass and some caramel. Also slight hints of salted licorace.

Bottle. High creamy and lasting ligh brown head. Hazy very dark red / brown body. Kind of soapy aroma. Ginger dominated flavor with coriander. Pretty odd.

330 ml bottle. Big, very big tanned head over a muddy and well corbonatied plain brown body. Sweet aromas of malts and christmas spices. Taste is fruity sweet, malty sweet and... sweet. Mildly hopped and strongly spiced. Good body. Rather sticky palate. A little acidicy, but mostly sweet dark dried fruits in the finish.

CBF07 sample from bottle. Pours amber clear with almost no head. Soapwash aroma, very perfumed aroma hops with a slight spice note (ginger). Flavour is a lot more pleasant sweet, spicy and well balanced. Fullbodied. Finish is rasin sweet.