Gulpener HerfstBock

Brewed by Gulpener Bierbrouwerij
Style: Dunkler Bock
Gulpen, Netherlands

29 Apr 06 - Light sweet malt and vegetable hop aroma. Clear red-brown colour, good head and big suds lacing. Big luscious fruit malt and spiced hop flavour. Nice thick malt finish and hop aftertaste.

Bottle. Light bronw fluffy lasting head. Clear dark red bronw body. Spicy malt aroma. Well balanced spicy dry flavor with a suitable amount of carbonation and relatively long aftertaste. Pleasant surprise.

Bottle at Monks Cafe, Stockholm. Amber color, offwhite head. Malty aroma with hazelbuts, a bit dry. Malty, nutty flavor, fruity notes, maybe with some alcohol showing.

Bottle. Clear red brown coloured with an off white head. Aroma of malts, caramel and spices. Sweet flavour of malts, caramel, dried fruits and spices.

It took me lots of efforts to try an other Dutch beer (read my comments about Wiekske Witte) but this was above expectations. Mahagoney red color, soft beige head. Middle carbonation which covers sweetness first. Malt and Caramel comes through. A bit too sweet for my taste

Yellow-brown head, slightly irregular dark beer with bright-ruby highlights. Sweet, gingerbread nose, vanilla, green cardemoms, caramel filling, very pâtisserie-like. Burnt, roasted, (autumn)leafy flavours (nuts & mushrooms), much less sweet than suggested by the nose. Bit coca-cola-like too, all the same (qua combination sweet-spicyness). Palate is a bit empty, shame. Rather fizzy, bit burning MF. Medium bodied at best. I like the initial taste, but gradually, too easy soft-drink characteristics take over. As said, shame, it appears to have more possibilities.

Aroma: light sweet malty notes with a hint of berry. Appearance: dark amber brown with a fluffy white head and amazing lacing. Flavour: sweet malty and candy with some floral notes and a touch of spiritousness. Palate: thin but gently carbonated with a hint of cinamon and berry in the aftertaste.

My second bottle of this, having tried my first a few weeks ago, confirmed that it all just falls apart halfway through. With the initial promise of a grand bock, it becomes tired and bland by the last few drops. Something I’ve never before had happen with a bock-bier. Poured into a chalice glass; the head erupted to a loose, frothy tan layer before condensing to the thickness of cream that stuck like glue to the sides. A wonderful glow of deep ruby brown beer filled the rest of the glass. Aroma had strong notes of alcohol and rough woody malts with underlying savoury dried fruits like sultanas and figs with just a touch of toffee making it altogether sweet and mellowing. Rich fruitcake flavours in the mouth with the body to match. Carbonation is quite soft for style and it has the viscosity of maple syrup. Juicy, meaty melanoidous malt flavours showing a controlled rich sweetness that dries of in the back with some burnt fruit notes giving it a gentle astringency. Finish is long, sweet and tangy with a touch of acidity (?) and alcohol. As it warms the flavours meld and lose appeal, becoming flatter and thinner as I moved along. But that’s just a personal opinion as overall it wasn’t bad!!! (30cL, BBE Dec ’06, Int’l Beer Shop, W. Leederville)
Maybe I’ll try for a third...