Liefmans Jan van Gent

Formerly brewed at Liefmans (Moortgat)
Style: Belgian Ale
Oudenaarde, Belgium

Vintage 2003
Half bottle, corked
Hazy amber color; frothy head. Light malty aroma, a bit sour and corky. Too much carbonation; very dry taste, a bit astringent, corky; quite watery and disgusting.

Pours a copper colour with little to no head. Aroma and taste are pretty much one dimensional. This is pretty bland beer tasting and smelling of candi sugar.

Musty and bitter yeast aroma, light malty sweetness, and some metallic hop character. Deep medium amber, hazy, with fluffy foamy off-white lacing head. Medium-light body with medium-heavy carbonation. Light sweet start, malty, with some barnyard musty quality. Light acidity, and light bitter hops. Kind of fruity. Some apple and pear, light alcohol. Finish is metallic and dry bitterness with some hops. After is mild cooked vegetable and dry.

Cloudy gold with a large lasting white head. Citrus, lemon, yeasty aroma very reminicent of a witbier. Similar flavour, sweet yet doughy start with a crisp spicy finish. Aftertastes of citrus. Slightly tart too. Smooth medium-thin mouthfeel. Nice.

Draught at Waterhius, Ghent and served in a beautiful glass emblazoned with a stern-looking Gannett. Bread aroma, orange colour - no head, but some lacing. Biscuity, slightly bready flavour. Medium orange peel sweetness, over some tartness and bubblegum. Reasonably tasty and quite refreshing. Improves as you drink.

Bottled - Oxford BF. A good clear copper coloured ale with a nice Belgian spicy aroma. The taste is typically Belgian with spices and a gritty candy sugar mouthfeel.

Unclear dark orange beer with a fine white head. Sweet and somewhat syrupy in the aroma, tones of fruit and yeast. Sweet but harsh fruity flavor with yeast notes. Not very well balanced and not my kind of beer.

Quite a disappointment after having tasted other Liefmans’ beers. Despite the fact that it is not filtered, it has no richer taste than other ambers like ‘Palm’ or ‘De Koninck’; it only tastes less sweet. Also I am afraid to say (without exaggeration) that the aroma reminds me of the smell that came of the fungus that grew on the soaked concrete floor in my home, after there had been a leakage. Of course, yeast is a kind of fungus, but it usually doesn’t smell bad like this, and no, it wasn’t past it’s date.