Malheur 10

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

3/01 on the cork. Clear amber body with a fluffy alabastor head. Sharp, intense nose is fairly sweet with a strong hop presence. Sweet honey, piney hops, tart apples and light flowers. The body is fairly full and with a strong carbonated bite. The flavor is good, but difficult to grasp. It seems to me that the beauty of most Belgians is the interaction of the malts and the yeast, with hops providing a nice balance. Here the hops try to dominate. Piney bitter hops slowly take over sweet, fruity malt. A bit of grain toward the end as the hops start to fade. Warm and relaxing, but just a bit out my preference zone.

[75 cl corked bottle] Hazy, pale bronze colour. Huge, white head. Toffee and citrus aroma. Fruity, spicy, piney flavour. Goes down dangerously easy.

Bottle at the Brickskeller in D.C. Poured in a small tasting glass. Golden color with a nice fluffy head of white cream. The aroma is pretty mild, sweet, creamy, spicy, yeast. Attractive but mild. The flavor is smooth, well-blended, toasty and spicy. Pretty nice, easy drinking ale of Belgian character. Incredibly easy to drink for a 10% Belgian.

Bottle. Golden amber beer with a nice off-white head. Rustic, dusty, yeasty/hay aroma. Malty flavor with yeast, lemon/slight orange, and a bit of spice. Medium-plus body with a bit of creaminess. Slight alcohol presence. Lingering orange, yeast, dust. Decent complexity.

(Bottle, RBSG05) Explosive on opening, eventually yielding a cloudy lemon yellow body topped by a white head. Aroma is medium sweet, lemon sour, yeasty. Taste is medium sweet, yeasty, lemon, her, light banana, definite yeast. Nice carbonation, light-medium body.
Earlier Rating: 5/7/2003 Total Score: 3.2
Hazy apple juice color, with a medium off-white head. Aroma is spicy, apple, acidic, musty. Taste is fruity (apple/pear), acidic and yeasty, with minimal sweetness. Finish has slight bitterness. Alcohol is apparent, but not overwhelming -- has a nice warming effect. Quite dry. Evokes comparison to champagne, though not as sweet. Given that I am not a fan of champagne, this isn't something I relish.

From bottle at ’t Brugs Beertje. Great aroma with perfumy notes and light honey. Little bit of hops and some candy sugar. Fairly standard tripel aroma, though it’s a Belgian Strong. Medium amber-golden hazy body with creamy white lacing head. Medium body with medium carbonation. Starts sweet with musky grain. Nice alcohol warming. Tasty with light chalky after. Sweet and smooth.

Bottled: Light golden coloured. Off white head. Huge and dense. Yeast, spices, fruit, alcahol in the nose. Fresh. Alcahol, fruit, yeast, spices and grapefruit in the flavour. Quite complex. Ends on a sharp alcaholnote with some light citric nuances.

I had trouble getting this one to stop foaming. Gold color, slightly hazy, with a frothy white head. Floral aroma, rich in yeast and light Belgian candi sugar. Flavor is dry, some from the hops but mostly from the alcohol. Dry finish.