Grimbergen Cuvée de lErmitage

Brewed by Brasserie Union (Alken-Maes / Heineken)
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Jumet, Belgium

(botlle) Clear red to amber colour with medium foamy white head. Malty aroma with a fruity and liquorice note. Also sweet initial taste but a bitterhoppy finish. Well balanced strong brew.

Clear amber brown with a thick creamy off white head. Bready aroma with a strong nut presence with light vanilla and faint molasses. Lighter than expected in the mouth with a light sweetness that fades into a dry bitterness. Carrmel, Walnuts, Hazelnuts and a sweet mid palate fruit quality all rounded out with a slight bitter herb finish. Not bad.

Sample quite old. Named "Cuvée de l’Ermitage Christmas", but quite certainly identical to the regular Ermitage <P>Deep red-brown beer; creamy, yellowish head, not stable. Fruity nose (grapes, nuts, raisins, Studentenhaver), madeirisation, liquorice, cinnamon hint, brandycake with a bit of chocolate topping. Still an unmistakable Union stamp: the harsh break between sweet and bitter, even when age has mellowed the suddenness of it. Even the older, stronger version had a real treshold between the sweet and bitter malts. A traditionally unbalanced beer. Madeirisation, liqueurish. Once the break done, rather nicely filled palate, very good body. But in the aftertaste remains a sharp, bitterish tang. One of Belgium’s classics - one I never dug. But it is a "must try" all the same.

Bottle. Dark amber color and a big white head. Sweet malty aroma and light sweet dry malty taste, light roasted?. Medium body and a sweet dry finish.

Dark amber colour with fairly large head. Aroma has a nice sweetness. Flavor has a malty sweetness with hints of caramel.

Bottle Conditioned at Taverne Jan Zonder Vrees. Reddish amber beer with bubbly head. A fancy name for a fairly average beer, sweet and malty with a chocolate note, there is a tea like undernote which subdues any fresh flavours. Okay.

Since Grimbergen double is one of my favourites I’d like to taste this one. This was a big disappointment. Vague tastes of fruit and spices but mostly alcohol taste. Too bad!

Light red amber color, medium head. sellery, vegetable nose. Hoppy bitterness in the beginning, some roasted malt following. Due to it’s lively carbonation it tastes stale.