Bottleworks Van den Vern Grand Cru

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

Rating from memory. I have sampled several bottles of this from HiTime over the past year, most of them aged since 2002. The body is relatively thin, as one might expect from a brew pushing 5 years, but holds up fairly well. Huge amounts of candied malts still there, with just a bit of spice and a lot of dark fruits dominating the finish. There is a thin metallic note that’s present towards the end, giving this one a bit of an awkward quality. Could simply be past its prime. Solid grand cru, though.

330. Thanks to the boys at BW for spiffing this one in (albeit with a pretty huge order). Pours deep opaque brown with a thick, creamy, moussy off-white head. Minimal lacing. Soft nose of raisins, cookie dough, brown sugar, and white sugar. Velvety, sticky thick body. Very plummy, tree fruity mid-palate, lots of dark pitted fruit bud sugar. Bit of a hollow finish, kind of a candied orange note there. Not very dimensional in the flavor profile, but a very pleasant little monster of a grand cru.

Bottle. 2004 vintage. Murky brown with a medium-sized creamy off-white head. Lots of plum, raisin, and dark malts in the aroma. Similar flavour, quite malty with raisin sugars, toffee, and butterscotch. Alcohol warmth is present in an otherwise heavy body.

Date: 06/22/2006
Mode: Bottle
Source: Roadtrip

dark red, big fine creamy head leaving thick lace, sweet tart fruity aroma of cobwebs with a touch of cherry tartness, creamy body, mellow tart fruit flavor, sweet balanced with the tart, great rich ripe fruit character with dates and figs but balanced with the cherry tartness, wonder and complex, not as sour as the typical Flemish with just some very nice mellow tartness, no hint of the 9.8% alcohol,
-------- /> Date: 06/02/2007
Words: Bottle
Words: Tasting

muddy burnt orange, fine dirty white head, drippy lace, sweet caramel aroma with fruity spicyness, lots of fruity malt flavor, light balancing earthy bitterness, nice spicy character,

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 15/20
Rating: 3.6/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **4

12oz. 2004. Nice looking ale - Very rich belgian, with a full, heavy mouthfeel. Strong malt base with an ensemble dark fruit choir of figs, raisins, etc... Mild sweet finish. High ABV hidden. Complex but overly bland, lacking a strong characteristic to make it memorable.

A hazy mahogany brown with floaties and a thick light moka head. Pleasant aroma of maple, apple pie, vinous notes, and alcohol. In mouth, a rich brown sugar malt taste, orange peels, light hops, dark fruits and warming alcohol. Oily mouthfeel. Rich and pleasant. Bottled in 2004. BOTW.

Deep golden color with big off-white head. Slight aroma of apples. Taste is mild but tastes like carbonated apple bread. $2.50/11.2oz

I love sediment in a beer and this is full of it. Pour a dark brown with a 3 finger tan head with huge chunks of sediment. Aroma of yeast, alcohol and bread. Taste of fig, yeast, dark fruit and spices. Metallic aftertaste but not too strong to notice unless you are looking for it.