Oud Zottegems Bier

Brewed by Brouwerij Strubbe
Style: Belgian Ale
Ichtegem, Belgium

(Bottle 33 cl) This original version from "Brouwerij Crombe" called "Oud Zottegems Bier Hergist" at 6,8% ABV. Hazy, amber coloured with a small fine head. Yeasty nose, some slightly roasted malts in the flavour with an indefinable spicyness - licorice? Very bitter finish. 280398 (Bottle 33 cl) An old sample from the original "Brouwerij Crombé" in Zottegem comes as "Oud Zottegems Bier Speciaal", vintage unknown. Label: http://home.tiscali.be/proud2b/breweries.htm. Reddish brown, fruity nose, rather flat. In spite of the age this is pretty fresh with a dry finish. 7/3/7/3/14=3,4

acidic and metallic nose with a bit of roasted malt and lactic acidity. Earthy and chalky on the palatewith a somewhat sour finish.

Hazy orange; slim whitish head. Dusty nose, wood, dash of lemon. Again dusty - old cookies, in a nice way set the tone for the taste. Pale malts, not sweet. I suspect quite some candi sugar. Medium-bodied, thinned by the sugar. Restrained slickness. Strange dusty taste (my brewing co-taster suspects the cork) - got nothing to do with ageing. OTOH, Strubbe has made this beer remarkably close to the original.

Tim Webb’s book suggests that this beer is now brewed at Strubbe, so strictly speaking it’s not really retired, although the bottle simply says "Crombe". I had a lot of difficulty discerning what style this beer is. The colour is more of an orange/copper than brown. Perhaps a Flemish red? Although it’s not really very sour. The aroma is vaguely woody - presumably the result of some barrel aging - and a bit yeasty and, whilst there is a very slight tart edge at the finish, the mouthfeel is predominantly smooth. There is a bit of citric hop character and a slight metallic edge. Very drinkable, but not too challenging. Slopping all the yeast in doesn’t change things very much. 330ml bottle (bottle conditioned) from onlyfinebeer.

Nice ambercolored beer with taste evolution.The aroma is hoppy and lightly sweet in the nose.The taste is round and it has a ferm body.The sensation in the mouth is bittersweet,ending in a fine bitterness.

Aroma is malty sweet, hoppy and fruits. Clear, amber coloured with a lasting head. Taste is malty-sweet/caramel, hoppy, bitter and citrus-fruity. Not one to get really excited about.

2005-10-06, 7-4-7-3-13=34, 6.8% ABV, bestbefore Octobre 2001, probably 6 years old
Beautiful orange-amber color; thin cap of foam. Strong malty aroma, aged, with yellow fruits. Pretty good, malty. With the age became dryer. Quite alcoholic profile.

2004-04-03, 9-4-7-4-15=39, 6.3% ABV
Light amber color. Aroma of malt, cork, cellar, honey, wood, mould, old hops, light raisins: excellent. Mature, malty, round; caramel; bold ending bitterness.

This beer has a clear yellow body - hue apperance and a fine light white scum collar. I have drunk the beer from the bottle and it had a low carbonic acid. The initial flavor taste is grilled with no strong mouth feeling and no strong afther tast.