Leffe Radieuse

Brewed by InBev Belgium
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Leuven, Belgium

Yeasty aroma, dirty amber and a fading head leaving laces. The flavour is spicy with notes of pepper, coriander and alcohol. Not fabulous, but oddly drinkable...

Brown bottle, 33 cl, best before 08/03/09, via Importations Privées Bièropholie, savoured on October 25 2007; eye: copper with golden reflections, clear, light effervescence, creamy beige head, quite a lot of lacing; nose: starts with hops followed rapidly by and erased by the caramelized malt, good wave of sugar, yeast, spices, pepper from the alcohol; mouth: caramelized malt, a hint of alcohol, light hops, a bit of dark berries, hint of alcohol, spices, finale in caramelized malt with a mix of hops and alcohol, pasty sensation after the finale, lightly bitter, mildly sweet, full body, not much carbonation, slight astringency; overall: quite liked FRANÇAIS Bouteille brune, 33 cl, meilleure avant 08/03/09, via Importations Privées Bièropholie, savourée le 25 octobre 2007; œil : cuivrée avec des reflets dorés, claire, légère effervescence, mousse crémeuse beige, pas mal de dentelle; nez : début en houblon suivi très rapidement et aussitôt effacé par le malt caramélisé, bonne vague de sucre, levure, épices, poivre de l’alcool; bouche : malt caramélisé, petite pointe d’alcool, léger houblon, petits fruits foncés, pointe d’alcool, épices dont le poivre, finale en malt caramélisé avec un petit mélange de houblon et d’alcool, sensation pâteuse après la finale, légèrement amère, moyennement sucrée, corsée, peu carbonatée, très légère astringence; en résumé : bien aimé

Bottiglia da 33cl al Corsaro Nero, versa rosso rubino intenso abbastanza scuro, con schiuma beige chiarissima. Aroma molto alcolico con note di amarena vaga, sapore dolcissimo come usuale per la linea, con però un etilico predominante che guasta un po’ e arriva subito in testa. Buon corpo, ma non certo la mia Leffe preferita.

33 cL bottle. Pours clear deep amber with a thick creamy light off-white head. Deep malty aroma and a lot of dried fruits. A minor spiced note too. Sweet caramel malty flavour with a lot of cane sugar. Nice balance giving a soft experience from start to finish. Finish is slight warming to burning. Nice by all measures.

Bottle. Clear amber colour with large frothy white mostly lasting head. Fruity aroma. Sweet Spicy flavor.

Pours a dark ruby almost brown colour. Intense taste of nuts and fruit. Another fine Leffe.

Bottle at cellar temperature. Poured a clear copper color with nice carbonation driving a small tan head. Flavor had earthy tones...dust? dry palate? A little alcohol, a little bitterness. nice but nothing amazing.

33 cl bottle from Bieropholie, served just above cellar temp. in a tulip glass.

App.: Medium copper, small light tan head, clear, some lacing. Aroma: Very sweet – plenty of candy sugar, stone fruits and dried fruits, a bit of chocolate, some alcohol and wood, a little yeasty; hints of “warm” spices – clove stands out; dry, dusty hops. Palate: Medium bodied, almost no carbonation, silky and smooth. Flav.: Brown sugar, burnt sugar, some stone fruit, burnt raisins (really), some yeast, a touch of wood and spice; definite bitterness to finish and a touch of alcohol.

Where’d that bitterness come from?? The nose gave NOTHING away. Doesn’t seem to fit, somehow...