Malheur 10

Brewed by De Landtsheer
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Buggenhout, Belgium

Not too shabby but nothing super special at the same time. Typical golden/strong. The alcohol notes are very prevalent. The lacing and carbonation are exquisite. Had this at the 12 Hour Belgian Beer Party and then a couple weeks later at O’Brien’s. I liked it better at the festival... probably because I was pretty pasted when I had it.

Bottle, 75cl corked. (RBNAG 07) This time as Millennium 2000. Clear pour, except for some floaties, golden to straw color, with a huge, white head on top. Sweet and slighlty grainy aroma with a little alcohol. Malty (wheat?) flavor with a balancing fruityness, as well as alcohol. Quite effervescent and warming in the mouth. Nice, but the Malheur beers somehow fails to be as good as expected. Rating: 6-4-7-4-15-3.6. I’m leaving the old rating valid.

Bottled, 0.75ltr. Lightly hazy and golden beer with a small white head. The aroma is mostly hops and alcohol with some yeastiness. Flavor has maltyness and sugar too. Full body and a mellow bitter finish. (060328)

RERATE of a 2005 Bottle and shared with Tom: Pretty much the same as before except I noted a bit of soap and sweet bread on the nose. The taste seemed more fruity and there was a trace of a lacto sourness too. -1 Flavor and -1 Overall.

Bottle, 2000 - Millennium Release and served in my Duval Snifter:

Greeted me with a lightly hazed golden hue topped by an everlasting frothy white head and good lace.
The aroma has notes of earthy and dusty yeast esters playing along with light apricot and pear. Additionally the nose detected mild pepper and clove along with some remaining sugar candi but not a lot.

The taste starts with a dose of sweet malts and candi supported by ripened fruit followed by a mild spicy midesection. Throughout the the tasting there is the common yeast character often found in most Belgian Strongs. There was a bit of prickly bitterness by I think age as mellowed and dried it out.
The palate is biting at first before a heavy serving of yeasty and woody dryness comes about. While the alcohol is there, again age seems to have mellowed it out as well, nicely warming.

I like it the more I consumed it, very tripel like and would be if brewed by monks. I really like how it aged out and it appears to just now be hitting on all fours. If cellared right, this five plus year old beer will be more than just fine. Thanks for the bottle!

Bottled, Bruges, 04-11-05. A warm golden slightly hazy coloured beer with a slim white head. Wonderfully tangled and complex layers of fruitiness and spices with hops in the background this is superb and actually even slightly better than the Malheur 12

Bright, fruity aroma, light clove-like phenolics, mild graininess.Slightly hazy pale golden color, big, long-lasting white head. Crisp flavor, nice balance of fruitiness and light malt, a little spicy from the yeast profile. Medium-light body, very high carbonation, dry finish; very drinkable, if you don’t mind a few burps. A really nice Belgian blonde that I would classify as a classic example of the style - it’s not over the top, but very enjoyable and highly drinkable.

Dark golden color, thin head, fully aroma explosion complex with spices and fruits, very nice one

25 cl bottle, 2002 consumed 3/2006 – Golden, with a thick lasting white head; Nose is still very fresh and incredible soft, not citrus-fresh, but fresh like hazelnuts right from the tree. This nose actually has somewhat the same notes as a fat young vintage champagne; The body is soft, thick and a little oily, the great carbonation makes it fresh; A long fresh super hoppy (the Belgian way) finish last long and becomes a little alcohol sweet in the end. Greeeeeaaaattttttt beer! DE LANDTSHEER - RULES! (75cl bottle, 1999 consumed 4/2006 More or less same nose just more hoppy; body and finish, much more hoppy and quite dry. Even greater then the 2002)

This actually grew on me quite a bit but probably won’t make to my top 10 list anytime soon. Huge white head, that lasted very well and drew quite a bit of lace. Body is quite pale and more yellow than golden in my eyes. Pretty hoppy aroma with notes of citrus. Flavour with hints of fruits (oranges) - quite sweet and after the initial shock of the alchohol quite easy to drink (so beware of those 10%). Nice palate and a curious lack of aftertaste. Quite decent actually.