De Proef Flemish Primitive

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

De Proef Flemish Primitive pours to a beautiful, hazy, bright golden color with a very thick and creamy white head, and a very vibrant carbonation. The nose on this beer is very aromatic and complex, with aromas of horse blanket, fresh leather, and fruity aromas of fresh raspberry. The palate is smooth and gentle, with fruity flavors of green apple, rhubarb, some crisp pale malt, and tanic, winey flavors. Reinaert finishes with a very dry , "yeasty", slight herbal hoppy, and peppery finish, that lingers on the tongue. This is a very complex, refreshing, flavorful beer that would make an outstanding aperitif, and would work well with fish dishes, or as a sharp contrast to very creamy and buttery cheeses. I’d pair this one with a cheese course, or enjoy it to rouse the appetite before a nice summer meal served al fresco hot off the grill.

Simply put... My wife made fun of me for the fact that when I popped the cork and poured it into a snifter I unconsciously said "it... it’s beautiful!" Sight, smell, and tastes. I don’t know how to describe is aside from a very unprofessional, "it is a flowery bouquet of wonderful wild goodness." I am going to get kicked off soon for such lame reviews.

Pours a clear deep gold, nice and bubbly, producing an inch or more of frothy off white foam. It hazes slightly the longer it sits in the glass. Exceptional head retention and superb thick sheets of lacing. Mild tart funk accompanies bread dough and yeast in the aroma. Tasty beer - tart and funky with biscuit malt, yeast, dry grain, lime, hay, and peach pit. Weird, but very good. The peach pit flavor lingers, taking leather and bee pollen along for the ride. Smooth mouthfeel, very creamy carbonation. Enjoyed at cellar temp in a stemmed Belgian goblet. A wild ride, and a great beer.

Pig Nun bottling, LOTS of yeast/bread in the nose with a strong wood and cellar character in the flavor. Interesting lactic character in the finish, and pronounced bitterness. As it warmend a medicinal phenolic became more pronounced, but was not offensive. Very unique and interesting, despite the hefty price tag I would buy this again.

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?

Demon Fish. "Original recipe" with some tweaking: 50-55 IBU’s, roasted malts, and lots of Saaz aroma hops. Cork stamped FP0608. Pours a clear golden straw with crazy active carbonation. Fluffy head of bleached white foam sits proudly with large bubbles on the outer edges decreasing in size as you make your way inward. Laces in a whipped egg white fashion. Spicy aromas with just a hint of must. Bready nature to the nose. A smidge earthy. Subtle tart fling. Flavors tickle the palate with peppery spiciness, tilled earth, and a cotton candy sweetness. Farmy funk noted, but not overbearing. Tart and sour apples. Bitter. Lemon zest finish. More cracked pepper. Almost a wintry spicing with cinnamon and nutmeg. Dry finish with pepper and funk. Roasted malts? I didn’t quite get those, but I did get plenty of earth, so maybe that’s it. Busy carbonation, yet feels creamy.

49F Take a step outside into the late morning spring sun blazing like a new star giving you the first tangible thoughts of summer. Now put a clear plastic bag over your head and look at the sun; you’re looking through this beer. Some beers put you over the barrel. Tangy tangerine, firm bosc pear, dried citrus rinds, and little tugs in the direction of fruit pits and kernals, tart apple, crabbapple jelly, and gooseberry puree swimming in wildflower pollen and grain chaff. But do you want the whole profile of this beer? Open the cellar door and step down the stairs slowly watching the dust rise after each footfall in the evaporating sunlight. At the bottom smell the must, and inhale the cool bog air from the condensation on the walls. Remember that postcard from Belgium of the old brewery next to the river? You’re in the subterranean cavern of beer mecca; you’re in a dream of the beer holy land, You’re in the barrel chamber. Look at those barrels! They’re crusted over with dust and dampness, dust and dampness repeated a hundred times a day for years. There must be twenty years of microbial fallout on those staves. Some of it dead, and some of it alive with the magic that makes Belgian beer sing like the sirens: Captivating. One of the barrels is leaking and beer is trickling down the side into a little pool on the floor. Here’s a straw. That’s this beer. This beer is all of the above, and everything dirty in bedroom. I love it. P.S. The sediment is like being horsewhipped by a PIGNUN in your beer.

major floaties in this guy!! amber to gold appearance with a overwhelming thick white head. citrusy apples to oranges taste with a little yeasty aftertaste but nothing thats too bitter or that lingers all day. this stuff was the bees knees, i loved everything about it from the smell to the taste to the aftertaste. cant wait to drink again!!