Piraat 10.5%

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

On tap at Zeno’s Pub. Light grainy pear nose, dappled with alcohol. Pours a pale gold, with a rim of white. Flavor is coarse and a bit harsh to me. Phenols bite the tongue through some subdued, crystalline tropical fruits. Bready, yeasty. A touch sweet and searing for me. Just too overwhelming in terms of heat, sugar and phenols. Not enough hop leaf or balance.

Draft @ my new favorite bar/pub The Dirty Truth in Northampton ma (http://www.dirtytruthbeerhall.com). The pour contained a thin fruit filled head and a cloudy golden body. One of the better tripel’s I’ve had in a while, had a great fruit/spice taste and a rather complex hoppy palate.

Bottle. Medium high white creamy and lasting head. Hazy golden body. Fruity aroma but alcohol is definately present. Flavor dominated by the alcohol otherwise fruity and salty. Low carbonation. Long aftertaste with alcohol. Generally speaking: Alcohol is way too dominant.

Grain and apple aroma, with some yeast noticeable. Amber pour, thick lacing head. Caramel malt and apple flavor. A little blackberry in the finish. Good body and balance.

Pours the color of unhealthy urine. All alcohol up front, but slowly rescinds into malty goodness. I’d probably like it better if the alcohol wasn’t so prevalent.

Smells so good and fermented, wine like smells. perfect golden appearance with a white head. carbonation is high. sweet hints sour hints, and also finishes dry. really good, but for the price duvel wins.

Bottle acquired from Brussels distributor via direct-to-home delivery. Poured a moderate head which dissipated almost immediately. Hazy gold with obvious yeast veins suspended in the glass. Nose of apricot, fennel, coriander, freshly mowed grass, alcohol, and sea spray. Flavor less complex than the aroma. Fruity, slightly peppery, but the most intriguing effect is a lingering saltiness on the tongue and lips, reminiscent of that found in speyside single malt scotches. Not sure of the origin of the sea brine notes, but definitely in play on the finish. This quirk alone is enough to elevate Piraat from the mundane to a curious appeal.

Pours clear honey-yellow with a foamy white head. In fact, there is probably more head than beer here, and it takes forever to go away. Smell is of sourdough bread with apricot jam. The flavor is unusual. Eucalyptus and pine, with more sourdough and apricot. On the one hand, I like that the flavor is so unusual. On the other hand, the flavors seem to clash, and I have a hard time enjoying it. Goes down smooth as satin, and leaves a pine and honey taste on the palate.