Piraat 10.5%

Brewed by Brouwerij Van Steenberge
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Ertvelde, Belgium

Piraat Ale is hazy, bubbly and golden with a thick, fluffy, frothy, yellowed head that has great retention and lacing. It has an aroma of bread, pepper, clove and bubblegum. It has a smooth and fluffy medium body with a clean finish. There are notes of leather and black pepper in the flavor. The alcohol is quite prominent. There really doesn’t seem to be much bitterness or sweetness. Other flavors slowly reveal themselves, notably pear. The flavors are well blended and well balanced, but the alcohol flavor is a little distracting.

Are these the guys that issued a "cease and desist" to AleSmith over "irie pirate ale?" If so, lots of bad beer karma to them! Still though this Belgian ale is not too shabby. Golden color with a little haze and a white head. Aroma of pale malt, light fruits, spices, and yeast. Flavor is malt, Candi sugar, pineapple, mango, and mild hops on the finish. Smooth palate with medium body.

Bottle. Hazy golden colour with a huge fully lasting white head. Complex aroma and taste of malts, fruits and spices. Well balanced. Long finish.

pours hazy gold with small white head. aroma is sweet sugar, wheat, malts, spices, some light fruity notes as well as rich leathery tones. drinks super smooth for the alcohol, cant tell its there. drinks sweet wheat, candied sugar, soft spices, leather, sweet fruits. very complex but damn tasty

Well past 2006 ’expiry’ This is now a fantastic rich, rounded ale packed full of fruity esters, spicy tones and zero sign of madeirization. 33cl Bottle pours a thick creamy dark blonde with ripe tropical fruit and lemon aromas. Head is fine, very active and noisy in my Westmalle chalice. Fruits of overripe pear, maracuja, papaya and the like, The alcohol is simply a warm influence. Not too rough! Aging can be a good thing.

11.2 oz bottle. A little less on the aroma than I would maybe like or expect from a beer this strong, but still quite pleasant and rather unique. A decent variety of light spices, fresh cut grass, an interesting smoky quality, apples, pears, and some light citrus and Belgian toast. Good fluffy, still, white bubbled head, decent lacing and retention, a rather light body for such a strong beer, and golden tangerine in color. Great smoothness, medium body, though still a nice sharp flavor presentation. Very impressed on this aspect of the beer. The flavors overall may not be too out there, but still quite solid. Some lighter spicy, peppery notes, also minor citrus, smoky grain toast (not sure where this smokiness is coming from for me, but its fitting in nicely), some grassy straw and lemon bitter, mild fruits, and some herbal yeasty Belgian qualities in the finish. Overall, I was quite pleasantly surprised by this offering. Good stuff.

Bottle from Kegs & Barrels in Plano, TX. Pours a hazy light amber with nice off-white head. Aroma of some farm house, malt, caramel, faint butterscotch, faint fruit. Flavor is sweet, some farm house, malty, fruit, caramel, pepper, earth, nice small bitter on the back. Mouth feel is heavy body with high carbonation. Overall, a nice, tasty, relaxing beer....kinda warming as well.

Pours milky honey gold with a 1 finger creamy white head that has decent retention. Aroma is sourdough bread dough, grassy and herbal hops, maple sap, green grapes, and dusty straw. Flavor is fruity up front, passionfruit, cantaloup, lime, and apple, followed by bread dough, raw yeast, a little grapefruit, light caramel, artificial sweetener, grass and limestone. Finish is peppery yeast, orange peel, alcohol and dusty red apple. Palate is medium thickness, slick all around and has a sharp carbonation. All around a decent beer but it’s alcohol content overpowers its flavor profile a little too much.