Lefebvre Floreffe Prima Melior (Meilleure)

Brewed by Brasserie Lefebvre
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Rebecq-Quenast, Belgium

12/17/2008: Floreffe Prima Melior has a clean, dark brown color with a foamy, rippled tan-colored head forming afte the pour. The aroma is sweet and malty with hints of roasted malt and anise. This beer tastes nicely balanced, strong and sweet. It is very satisfying and complex. The flavors include hints of aged citrus, an herbal and earthy quality, cherry licorice, cocoa, and caramel-flavored bubble gum. This beer has a medium-full body and airy palate. It is very good and quite impressive overall.

11.2 Fl. Oz. bottle (8% alc./vol.; Best before L20090529 10:00) from Jungle Jim’s International Market in Fairfield, Ohio. Rating #289 for this beer.

Location: 750 ml bottle from Total Wine - Richmond, 7/24/09

Aroma: Yeasty, dark fruits, alcohol, herbs/spices, a bit of caramel, and some roasted malts
Appearance: Dark brown color, light (somewhat lingering) tan/light brown head, creamy lacing
Flavor: Sugary, sweet malts that are fruity, with some raisin flavor, and a bit of chocolate, some spice hops and alcohol in the finish (though not as pronounced as in the nose)
Palate: Medium body, with an interesting mouthfeel, decent longevity of finish
Overall Impression: This was an enjoyable Belgian beer, a nice bit of complexity here, subtle, but good. Not quite what I was expecting when I opened the bottle, but a good beer none the less, and pretty unique from what I have tried. Quite a good deal at under $5 for a 750 ml bottle!

darkbrown coloured body with a sparkling off white head a malty herby spicy aroma a malty herby little fruity sweet taste with a herby alcholic bitter finish

750ml Bottle: Aroma of dark ripe fruits, blackberry, candi sugar, plums, light grapes, and a slight hint of chocolate. I do not smell any anise, orange peel or coriander. Poured brown in color with a small to medium-sized, tan/light brown head that diminished but lasted throughout. Cloudy. Sparkling. Good lacing. Flavor is medium sweet. Tastes of malts, slight tobacco, dark ripe fruits, slight vanilla, caramel, slight wood, raisins, figs, and hints of chocolate and yeast. Medium body. Creamy, slightly dry texture. Average to slightly lively carbonation. Caramel, dark ripe fruit, and malt finish is sweet.

330ml brown bottle, BBD is 05/12/05. Deep brown pour, reddish highlights, poured fairly clear. Holds a small sized tan head, not much lacing. Malty nose, raisins, toffee/caramel, some light alcohol. Flavour also malt focused, Good burst of raisin and black cherry fruit notes, some coffee-ish/roasty dark malts and some background alcohol. Dries out in the finish, some chocolate aftertaste with just a trace of alcohol lingering. Mid to full body. Nice Belgian strong ale, seems to hold up well with age.

draft at In De Wildeman in Amsterdam - Pours dark brown with a thin, lingering, off-white head. Aroma is malty with dark fruit. It tastes sweet with notes of anise, caramel, and dark fruit. This medium bodied beer stays sweet right into the finish without getting syrupy. Very nice.

Sample at 3rd Annual Great Austin Belgian Beer Festival on May 16, 2009. Losing memory for the review (too many samples by this time), but I did manage to write down the numbers. Dark, great lookin’ head. Nice dark brown color. Sweet aroma, hints of licorice and spice. Great brew!

Pours a rich ruby color with thick plumy off-white head with big gobs of lacing. Aroma is of light yeast, dark fruit, and Belgian spices. Taste is of dark fruit (figs, currant, grape) and some yeast and belgian spice. Alcohol is well muted with the dark fruit and yeaest working well together. FOr $4.50 it’s a steal.