Pater Lieven Blond

Brewed by Van Den Bossche
Style: Belgian Ale
St. Lievens-Esse/Herzele, Belgium

330mL bottle courtesy of Lubiere, thanks Luc. Pours a hazy pale gold with a huge white, frothy head. Aroma right hits the second the bottle is popped, pleasant mild sourness, green apple, citrus, mild malts and some spice. Something else I can’t quite put my finger on that is quite nice, kind of a musty spice that’s difficult to define. Flavour is very nice, all mentioned above, but with more emphasis on the medium sweet pale Belgian malts, with some dry yeast to balance it out. Finish and aftertaste are defined by yeasty dry dullness which is kind of nice. Super drinkable though I would still guess it to be 6.5% if I didn’t know already. Fairly standard Belgian blonde, which happens to be a style I really like. Thanks again Luc!

Pater Lieven means Father of Lieven in Flemish; this is the blonde beer from Van den Bossche. I had quite enjoyed the brown ale from Pater Lieven and expected perhaps a bit more from the rated blonde. The pour was golden and carbonated, with barely any head. The first flavours accompanied dinner well, citrus and a slight tartness however this dissipated into a stereotypical blonde beer after 10 minutes of opening. Certainly not unpleasant but more lagery than craft beer !

Bottled sample via Lubiere. Dark blonde in colour with medium carbonation. Aromas of both pale and mild caramel malts, along with lemon, apricot, berry bubblegum and spicy yeast. Flavors are of soapy coriander, anise, orange and lemon peel, caramel, and dry biscuit. Fairly light bodied, although it could probably be discribed as off dry. Fairly drinkable stuff.

A hazy amber ale with a thin off white head. A fruity aroma, pineapple, with notes of maple syrup. In mouth, thin candy sugar with light hopping, a bit of coriander. Bieropholie import, BB 18-11-08.

No 696
Rated:27.02.2009
Bottle brown, 330 ml
Appearance: Pours regular blond body colour, body texture is slightly hazy, carbonation of the body very lively vivid, impressive, head is snowy white, thick, frothy in texture, medium in size, very stable, leaves nice lacing, quite perfect for its style.
Aroma: Generally very gentle, notes of grains, wheat, malted barley very mildly felt at the background, gentle notes of bananas, very similar hoppy profile to the Pater Lieven Wit, quite easily catchable yeastyness, cookie, dough, salt, quite noble but not strong and simple in fact, white wine grapes, gentle alcoholic note.
Flavour: Very nice grainy front, gentle and pleasant alcoholic warmth, gentle tartness, easily catchable suggar added which makes for the better taste, yeastyness, lemon balancing the flavour, lime, cereal, very fresh, crispy, some spicyness, straw, perfumy - flowery hoppyness, finish duration is long.
Palate: Body is medium, texture is smooth and very nice, gently alcoholic, strongly fruity - yeasty but clean and fresh at finish, finish feel is gently alcoholic and mild yeasty.

33cl bottle De Vits. Pours hazy blond, standard. Very hoppy fruity aroma & cereals. Touch of witbeer, lemon, oranges. Very crispy sweet and bitterness, good balanced.

Pours clear golden with huge fizzy moslty diminishing white head with some lacing. Faint banana and yeast in nose. Not much flavor, very dry and thin with an alcholic bitter aftertaste. Not my idea of how a belgian blonde should be.