De Koninck

Brewed by Brouwerij De Koninck
Style: Belgian Ale
Antwerpen, Belgium

On draught. Rich copper colour in the glass. Small head for a draught Belgian beer, but good lacing. Sweet, some malt and hopes, but not enough to make it distinctive. Bit of a let down considering all the ’classic Belgian ale’ jive that goes with it, but its ok. *I had a couple of bottles of this last night (29/12/06) and I prefered it to the draught - much more dry and with the hops more evident, but with out the large fluffy head. I had a glass on draught at The Rake (02/02/07) and it was much better than the draught at the Bierodrome. Much dryer and complex - honey flavours, some spice and and well rounded finish. I guess these guys keep their beer better. A Re-re-re rating. I had a half at The Dove on Broadway Market, Hackney and it was the best yet. Such an easy drinking beer, full of flavour. When its well kept, its a winner.

"Hoge Gisting." 330 mL bottle. LCBO gift box. Smells like raw barley malt, with a touch of hops. (Smells like my basement when I’m making beer.) Copper brown in colour. Lightly carbonated. Tastes like it smells; sweet malted barley with enough hops to make the finish interesting. If you’ve ever made your own beer (all grain), you’ll recognize this. Undecided. I’ll have to have another (colder) one.

Amber pour with a merdium head. Smells malty with a hint of clove/spice. Taste was almost fishy, certainly more malt in this bottle would have been appreciated. A vaguely unpleasant lingering acidity.

Pours a rusty light-brown with dark clumps of yeast floating around. No head to speak of. Very low carbonation. Nose is citrus and flowery. Flavor is light with notes of lemon and a little malt. Maybe some bready coriander in the background and some hop bite. A litte cardboardy too unfortunately. Unspectacular for a Belgian, but better than most U.S. mass-market brews by a mile.

Really pretty unremarkable Belgian ale. Some citrus and pepper notes, early maltiness and a nice dry finish, but little to distinguish it.

Low head sits atop a dark golden body. Very clear and the head thins out considerably. Carbonation continues to rise but not much evidence of beading. Malty nose but with a tartness that reminds me of the sharpness of some continental lagers. Sour notes above that. Sharp burning palate. Flavour is light and unremarkable. It’s good but not to become a staple.

The new label says: Hoge Gisting - Pur Malt. It lives up to that and comes with a high carbonation, light sour flavour and malt scent. Reddish color. Nice beer

On tap at the De Koninck brewery pub. Pours copper with a thin white head. Medium body with a fruity malt base and light hoppy finish. Some herbal spice shows in the finish, not overly estery, but mild and subtle. Malts taste like carmelized apples. Carbonation was lighter on this one so didn’t seem as lively.