De Koninck

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

Pours an amber colour with a tiny head. Malty aroma, with a subtly yeasty taste. Nothing special here.

250 ml bottle a amber colored beer with almost no head aroma of malts fruit and yeast taste fruit spices caramel a little bit watery

Bottle. Poured an amber color with almost no head. The aroma is fruity with hints of yeast and sour tones. A hint of a slight acidity, a little yeast, sugar and fruits. Unfortunately, the beer feels pretty thin and watery.

Gold pour. Nice malty aroma, caramel, bread, yeast, light honey and some fruit. Flavor is a maltorama! Honey and caramel with some honey wheat bread. Good and refreshing.

33cl bottle, as pictured. Pours a clear deep amber with a small off-white head. Little lacing. Aroma of toasted malt, cherries and wood. Light-bodied and fizzy for a Belgian ale. Grainy, earthy mouth feel, active carbonation. Taste of roasted malt, again cherries, resin and a wee bit of citrus. Medium-bitter middle, mildly sour-bitter finish, no lingering after taste. This is strictly a by-the-numbers red ale. Have yet to taste a red one (from Belgium OR Scotland OR Ireland) that has truly unique characteristics, or stands out in any way. Nothing special, won’t order again. Then, not nasty either. Just boring.

Nice head of deep amber. Very deep malty aroma and taste: bready and toasty. Not as defined as others in the style that I’ve had. Still enjoyable.

Serving date: 2009-01-30. Served in tulip. Presentation: 330 ml bottle with freshness date on the label (Best before 2009-08-03. Actually no other information of any interest on the bottle. Very clear amber/dark copper color with very lively initial carbonation. The two finger off-white head is very sparkly and rocky but dissipates a bit too quickly, leaving small lacings. Fruity aromas - mostly banana - and sweat malts, some yeast as well as faint notes of some sourness. The smell of this one is ok, but a little to anonymous and withdrawn. The taste has more fruit up front, coupled with faint flavors of citrus fruits and cinnamon. Some yeast and sweet malts are there as well. It’s a bit sour in the middle. Some flavors in this one is presented in a rather sharp fashion, which is very pleasant. The finish has a slight bitterness to it, with notes of spices and more juicy malt. Light body. The carbonation in this beer puzzles me a bit: At first, the carbonation is generous, almost too generous since it almost overpowers the different flavors. However, the carbonation decreases rather quickly, and for a while the mouthfeel becomes very pleasant with a great mix of gentle bubbles and nice fruity and spicy flavors. At this state, the beer was at its most enjoyable condition. But towards the end, carbonation is almost completely gone leaving the beer a bit bland (worth mentioning here is also that I finished the beer in about 30 - 40 minutes). This is an ok beer, and it drinks quite easily. It taste quite nice as well, but I can’t help feeling that it falls somewhat short. But bluntly, it’s a bit flat. However, considering the low ABV and it’s decent overall character, I could see myself having it again. But I recommend serving this one in a glass with a more narrow body than a Duvel-sized tulip, considering the successive loss of carbonation. Serving type: bottle (Copy of old Beer Advocate review)