Grottenbier Flemish Ale

Brewed by St. Bernard Brouwerij
Style: Belgian Ale
Watou, Belgium

Courtesy of maltydogs at his Belgian-themed dinner. Light malty aroma and some Brett and mild bitterness and spiciness in the nose. Fruity undertones. Cloudy reddish-brown with light brown lacing head. Medium watery body with medium carbonation. Starst with good maltiness, neutral fruit, and some Brett. A bit earthy, actually, but has also a bit of tartness to it. A bit of soy and oak. Smooth sourish finish with light alcohol notes. Accompanied the poached mussels, which were done in the beer.

Peachy gold in color, lightly hazy with a medium thick, persistent, white head. Very spicy, clove-like nose of a white beer with some peach and apricot notes, blooming bread yeast, and even some cherry liquor. Even though this beer has some bottle age it still tastes like it has not come together fully. It seems tight. A lot of the aroma components are there but also an incredibly strong bitterness and hop flavor that override the rest of the palate complexity.

(750ml bottle) Pours a clear yellow body with a medium-sized egg-white head. Aroma of mustiness, cork, wood, lemon, and florals. Flavor of yeast, herbs, floral hops, grapefruit rind, and malt.

Bottle. Pours with a nice hazy yellow color and a creamy head. Aromas of dough, banana and some citrus. Flavors dominated by Belgian yeast, so bread, citrus and some banana are present, but the finish is bitter and longer lasting. Very creamy, full mouthfeel, quite pleasant and different from the typical Belgian ale due to the pronounced bitterness.

Aroma of citrus and other fruit. Some light spice notes. Beautiful light apricot color with a white head that persists stubbornly. Citrus, stone fruit, spice, yeast and a whole lot more at about the same time. Arguably some flowery hop, but at least some bitterness towards the end., while something like a light honey sweetness stays with the tongue. Dry finish on the whole, but not desperately astringent. Wonderful mouthfeel. Very clean, very refreshing, very rewarding.

750 ml bottle poured a clear fizzy gold with large lasting white head. Aromas of citrus, lightly herbeland hints of banana and straw. Palate was light bodiedf and crisp. Flavors of straw, light lemon and a hint of herbs with a crisp dry finish.

Light cloudy school-bus-yellow in color with large foamy head and beautiful lacing. Strong fruit filled aroma. Unique flavor. Fruity & sweet, a little herby with some banana/pumpkin flavor. Enjoyed every bit of it.

I’m uncertain on this one, thinking I’m finding it to be more interesting than actually enjoyable. It’s good looking, having a mildly hazy, pale golden body with a thick head of tighly packed tiny bubbles. The aroma is slightly soapy with herbal scents of ginseng, lavendar, and clove. A light stone fruit slowly works its way through the dense head along with a trickle of sweet malts. The palate is slightly oily and the tongue feels powder covered. The flavor at first yields a sweet, pale maltiness but soon is overpowered by an herbal bitterness. Soft fruits come in near the finish, but the powdery bitterness lasts for some time. Interesting.

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