Leffe Radieuse

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

Ranks as possibly the first Belgian I ever laid my lips on. Picture a young Texan at picnic in the hillcountry circa 1985 with 50 gallon trashcan filled with ice and imports. Somehow I was prepared for it, even if my tulip glass was late in coming. Friends have long held that Leffe is middle of the road for Belgian ales. Guess I would go along with that. But damn, those Belgians sure know how to pave their roads.

Medium head, amber colored body. Typical Leffe yeast (I think Leffe uses the same yeast for all their beers...) aroma with malt and hay tones. Quite spicy flavor with malt, caramel and fruit. Bitter finish. I do have some difficulties with Leffe....

Amber in color, nice off-white head, sugar candy-type nose, nicely balanced, medium-full body, very complex flavors, a very different tasting beer, lots of sweet maltiness, a hint of dryness in the finish, a very different but good strong ale

Bottled. Amber/tawny colour. Rather odd candyfloss/bubblegum aromas when first poured but this settles down after standing for a few minutes and making way for wine/sherry notes with some volatile acidity. Sweet malt on the tongue but balanced by a sourish/bitter edge developing towards the finish. Surprisingly dry aftertaste. Not a bad beer - definitely the best of the Leffe family - but rather straightforward for a beer of this strength.

Deep amber in colour, creamy beige head. Aroma was slightly sweet, caramel, cream and yeast. Flavour was sweet, some malt, smooth and full bodied. Finish is very smooth with a mild bitterness.

Wonderful deep copper to brown in colour with thin head. Notes of spices like coriander or cloves in the nose with some warmth. I get some liquor aromas with some sweet maple. Deep malt taste with some spices, with some pears, and again this nice caramelly rum flavour. Good bitterness which coats the mouth in a pleasant way. Good stuff. 7-4-7-4-15
Bottle at l’autre oeil, june 16, 2006. Hazy red copper ale with a thick big bubbled off white head. Herbal malts with orange peels and coriander, thym and grass. In mouth, a rich alcohol warms the mouth, leading to a crisp malt, light herbal hops. Rich bodied. 8-4-8-4-15

Nice aroma. Light yeast component. Bit sweet with some malts, caramel. Dark fruits, hops. Copper brown clear with very thin off-white head. Med-heavy watery body with vibrant carb. Light sweet malts. Caramel & some raisin. Nice light floral hops give bitter dry finish. Nutty bitter dry after. Some musty grass components.

Deep ruby brown. Small beige head. Spicy dark fruit nose. Apple, plum, light to medium bodied, fairly sweet, finishing with a bit ofbtter acidity, yeast, hops. Spicy and fruiy, not a bad brew, although by no means a favorite.