De Proef Flemish Primitive

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

750 ml, Reinaert version, cunning fox label. Orange-gold with a small, lasting cream above. Aroma is cream, corn, honey, dried herbs, and just a hint of sour. Flavor begins with creamed corn and becomes more tart with grape must and woody-earthy hops. Some spicy dry banana and lemon-honey tea later, and then a beeswax and cork finish. Maybe some wheat too. Complex taste profile but some horsey-funk, fish, saltwater, acidic honey and spicy banana notes become a bit dominant after half a glass. Medium body is slightly watery, acidic-tingly and fairly light on the carbonation. Nice cobwebs of lacing.

Reinaert Flemish Wild - brewmaster’s special reserve. 2 yeasts are better than one, right? Brettanomyces right away on the nose -- and that makes me want to drink it. I’ve gotten hooked on the Brett... Light white head and a golden color. Complex taste, with plenty of yeast and great feel on the palate. Not as tasty overall as Ommeggeddon, but a nice beer to settle down with.

Pours light golden with fluffy white head. Some sour fruit tingle your nostrils, plus there is also a slight mustiness and a bit of banana thrown the mix. Tasty beer that is sour, some spicy sweetness but definately has a sour edge. A medium bodied beer with a oily feel to it.

Small taster glass from bottle. Pours a hazy gold/orange, small head. Malt, biscuits, apple, some sourness and funk. Hints of orange and citrus. Fairly mild, but still good.

Big thanks to Rian (Thirsty Bird) for sharing this beer. 750 ml bottle. Pours dark hazy orange with a medium white head. Aroma is all sour apples at first. After a minute, some grass and funk come through. Well balanced flavor, with a nice mix of sweet and sour. Has a medium body and medium high carbonation. Overall, this was a very nice beer.

Bottle thanks to HAWG. Pours out a slightly cloudy golden/straw color. Aroma is of some funk, yeast, banana and some other interesting fruit notes. Flavor is complex with some tart apple, lemon, citrus, funk, sweet fruity notes and a slightly alcoholic finish. Rather solid.

750mL bottle, i forget which label; I think it was spoon whacker. Pours hazy yellow- golden with a medium sized white head. Musty aroma, with yeast, green apple, and some hops. Earthy flavor, with wild yeast, wheat, grass, lemon, and mild hops. Long yeasty finish, with mild hops.

In short: A very wild and bretty Belgian blonde ale. Very dry and kick-ass.
How: Bottlesssss(many s) 330ml and 750ml, various vintages, various aging. This rating for a two year old 750ml, the best one I’ve ever had
The look: Partly cloudy dark yellow body topped by a large white head with good retention
In long: Nose is intensely farmhouse, the “Wild” of the name is obviously there for a reason. This yeasty beer brings an interesting mixture of bananas and Brettanomyces and hefty amount of dry grassy hops. Like a Weizen Orval blended with some Bam Bier or something. Whatever. Bretty beers can go sour or dry and the Flemish Primitive is really on the dry side of the spectrum. Really mouth drying, I felt like I needed water in between each sip. Some dry lemon skin and little pineapple here and there. Body is simply splendid, very fluffy and with its expansive carbonation every sip I took really filled my mouth. Very very wild. Although not a “Brett Beer” per say this is as wild as more Brett beers I’ve had. IMPORTANT:The many bottles I’ve had were all different. Aging makes a big difference. I’m not a fan of aging beers but this one seems to need at least a year to develop its wild and dry character. This absolutely kick-ass bottle I’m reviewing is a 2 year old bottle and it was the vintage with an ugly creature wearing a red jacket and a cone on its head. Highly recommended. But what’s the deal with this beer? It goes by many names (Reinaert Flemish, Vlaamse Primitief, Flemish Primitive) and it changes label every year. Is this beer on a witness protection program or something?