Bottleworks Van den Vern Grand Cru

Brewed by De Proefbrouwerij
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Lochristi, Belgium

Bottle. <b>[thank you, after4ever]</b>
<i>[vintage 2004]</i>
Pours a lovely red-brown with a super-nice, creamy, yellow-beige head. Lightly oxidized aroma, some toffe, rye bread, lots of plums and raisins. Medium carbonation, fine mouthfeel. Lovely flavours. Sweet, some Belgian sugars. A lot of dried fruits, very lightly oxidized, some subdued woody tartness and with a vinious edge. Small notes of vanilla and chocolate. Nice.

<i><b>2004 Vintage</b></i>


<b>3/18/2008</b>: Bottleworks Van den Vern Grand Cru Flemish Ale is a bargain at $3.49+tax! The aroma has a slight bit of oxidation and mostly consists of Concord grape, apple, and a hint of vinegar and mustiness. The flavor is a bit buttery at first with toffee coming through in the mid-palate along with cooked apple, grape, and other fruits. The alcohol content is well hidden and the sweetness is welcomed. There is a slight oxidation that works well with all of the other flavors. This beer has a medium-full body and a ruby-amber color with suspended sediment. There is also a frothy beige head on top. Overall it is quite good.

<i>11.2 fl. oz. bottle (9.8% Alc. Vol.) from River’s Bend Wine and Spirits in Maineville, Ohio shared by Rob. Thanks Rob! Rating #131 for this beer.</i>

Grabbed this 2004 vintage from bottleworks. Pours clear amber with off white head. The aroma is full with bold cherry, plum, sugar stewed raisins, some sweet and roasty malts. The notes are smooth and blended. The taste begins malty sweet. Yum. Much like the nose the flavor is smooth and blended with pure goodness bringing up notes of cherries, plums, prunes, sugar coated and then stewed raisins. This is very smooth, as noted above, and tasty with plenty of yum.

Thanks to Skyview for sharing. This one was interesting. A light brown/red color with faint head. Bread and a faint sourness to the aroma. A water body with bread, light caramel malts, and the remnents of pitted dark fruits. And a light sourness that left me wanting. I thought this might have been a sour but it seems more like an infected bottle.

Bottle… This beer rocks!… Lightly hazed burnt orange ale with a mid-sized, frothy, white head. Decent retention. Robust, malty aroma offers a plethora of sweet dried dates with wonderful undertones of raisins, brown sugar, caramel, wood, sorghum molasses and yeasty bread. Full-bodied and chewy with medium carbonation. Sweet, but not cloyingly so; the breadsy, fruity flavor boasts caramel and dates alongside whispers of other dark, dried fruits and a rumor of sorghum molasses. Finishes lightly sweet. Thanks go out to explosivebeer for shipping this incredible beer all the way from Washington state!

12 oz. bottle - 2004 vintage; pours dark brown with tan head fading quickly; lots of haze and some floaties; very sweet, woody, bready and musky; caramel, dates and sugar; drinks rich and smooth with very slight oxidation; body is thin with a dry, fruity finish; very nice and syrupy sweet; i thought this was fantastic, especially given the age

Syrupy mess - it may have sat too long. Bottled in 2004. Lots of raisin notes, leather, and molasses. Good on palate, and finishes dry. Meh

Bottle shared by Taverner, pours opaque burnt caramel with a thin cream colored head. The nose is overly sweet and dried fruits. The flavor is quite the same, with some molasses, dried fruit and more sugars. Just too sweet.