De Koninck

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

On tap at Pub Italia. Dark amber ale with a thick off white head. Strong apple and beeries in aroma. Rather oxidized malts and sweetish maple notes, with some german style hoppiness. Medium bodied. Very slightly above average. 6-3-5-3-11 Bolleke at Oude Arsenaal, May 2005. Red amber ale with a thick off white head. Sweet perfumey aroma of rosewater and sweet vanilla. Sweet maple-like sugar, with delicate nuttyness, very floral in mouth, like rose petals. 8-5-8-4-15

Head is initially average sized, frothy, off-white, mostly diminishing. Body is clear medium amber. Aroma is moderately malty (caramel, grain, toasted light bread), lightly hoppy (flowers), lightly yeasty (dough), with notes of peach and cola. Flavor is lightly sweet, moderately acidic. Finish is moderately acidic, lightly bitter. Medium body, watery texture, lively carbonation, moderately astringent. Too sour and astringent for my liking, and for some reason the aromatic profile just isn’t quite as enticing as hoped (dry grain and cola are probably the offenders for me).

Bottle. Creamy off-white good mostly lasting head. Dark yellow colour. Moderate malty slightly bready aroma. MOderate hoppy and light honey notes. Moderate bitter flavor. Fruity notes. Light bitter herbal finish. Oily palate.

Certainly not impossible that my sample was touched in some way; but I had it on tap at the Map Room, an establishment known for the quality of its service and beer-keeping; so... this was pretty bad. Like a second-rate Orval, all bitterness and dryness but little real flavor. Decent aroma and body, nice head, but this was really hard to put down. Luckily better brews were in store for me..

Filtered? Mine had sediment. Color is hazy amber. Aroma is a bit acid. Perhaps a bit thin. Tart and a bitterness that lasts to the finish. Refreshing. I don’t, yes, I do, find a bit of sweetness, but it didn’t appear immediately. The fruit develops after several sips. I could drink this frequently.

both different and skullable

Meaty, buttery, mostly sweet aroma with some doughy yeast character. Clear amber coloured body with a low white head that recedes to a thin cover with patchy lacing. Buttery flavour has vegetal notes and a cardboard-like staleness. Some caramel sweetness and herbal hops with mild bitterness. Medium body with fairly low carbonation. Bottle (BB. Nov-06) sampled with MartinT, Olivier_MTL, Rastacouere and Siroy.

Bottle via JoeM, thanks: Reddish amber hue with nice frothy off-white head and very good lace. The aroma has notes of candi sugar, ripened apples and pears, orange zest, aromatic and grassy hops, light caramel, and zest yeast esters. The taste starts with a bittersweet note, some malt and a acidic fruit content. Zesty and bitter finish with a dose of pepper. The feel is lively but a bit thin. Refreshing for a Belgian Ale, a session style brew. A like this more than average ratebeerian I guess.