De Prael Nelis

Brewed by Brouwerij de Prael
Style: Doppelbock
Amsterdam, Netherlands

Tap @ The Dutch Bockbier Festival, 2009.
Two versions, Jong (2008), Oud (2009).
Pours muddy brown with a small, creamy, off-white film head. Aroma has raisins, chocolate, lightly roasted. Highish carbonation, a bit thin. Flavour is light metallic, softly roasted, chocolate and ashy dryness in the finish.

Oud: More raisins and lots of rye bread sweetness: 5/4/6/2/10 = 2.7

On tap at In de Wildeman. Dark reddish brown with a creamy tan head. Good nutty caramel aroma. Tastes of molasses, caramel and dry notes from nuts. Hints of raisins. Quite likeable.

Huge dense, dark-beige head, very stable over red-brown beer. Chocolate and other dark malts, vaguely lactic; sweet cacao. Dry-bitterish dark malts, with a quite bitter finish. Again chocolate, minimum sweetness. Finish is pure spicy bitterness and cacao powder. Warming up, it acquires something vinous. Pretty well-bodied, quite slick; alcohol discreet but there. Definitely not bad at all!

Bottle: Hazy, chestnut-amber coloured, big - slowly collapsing - fluffy beige head; caramelly-toasty nose with a subtle fruitiness and a distinctive acidity in the background; moderate to robust sweet-bitter flavour, accompanied by a light acidity, medium bodied; vinous notes and a tinge of alcohol in the drier sweet-toasty finish, followed by a bitter aftertaste. Not bad, but not well rounded...........

Bottle 50cl. @ home.
Clear medium to dark red amber color with a large, frothy, good - excellent, fully lasting, off-white head. Aroma is moderate malty, roasted, smoke - peat, light to moderate yeasty, nutty notes. Flavor is moderate sweet and moderate to heavy bitter with a average to long duration. Body is light to medium, texture is watery to oily, carbonation is soft. [20081117]

A unclear dark red/brown colored beer, with a thick and big beige head. The aroma of grain, dark malts, a little musty. There are some fruits. The taste is dry bitter, smoke with some fruits. The Aftertaste is dry bitter.

500ml bottle (Cracked Kettle, Amsterdam)
Deep reddy brown, large tight persistent tan head. Initial aroma while pouring was quite winey, but also quite like a good light lager. On leaving in the glass it retains those fruity aspects, but also there’s some soft nuttiness and weetabix. Subtle, but quite luscious. Lively but pleasant carbonation in the mouth. Rather yeasty taste, but loads of esters too. Some liquoricey dryness, and a touch of soap. Dry finish, segueing from liquorice to bitter hops. Aroma promised something a little more gluggable, but this is certainly a very nice sipper. The long finish being so hoppy, and almost nettley, is a nice positive note to end on. Not a million miles from very very good indeed.