Signature Ale

Brewed by De Proefbrouwerij
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Lochristi, Belgium

tasting at GDBTF on 10/18/08. dark gold with 1/4’ white head. yeast aroma. medium to full body. very soft over the palate. spicy on the tip with some citrus and wild yeast. nice finish...

750 mL bottle from Grape & Gourmet. Pours dark orange, almost the color of a good DIPA. Aroma of orange, clove, banana, and bread. There’s probably a lot more there that I’m not able to pinpoint. The flavor is dominated by the clove spiciness on the front end but finishes smooth with the bready sweetness. I’m possibly painting a better picture of this beer than I should because it is a bit of let down after the inticing aroma. I still like this one a lot but the aroma is better than the taste.

750ml bottle, courtesy of travisd13. Pours a hazy deep yellow color with a nice active white head. The head hangs out a bit and leaves a bit of lace. Smells yeasty and bready up front and as you sniff you get some of the fruits. A little banana and some sweet potatoe or something. Great tasting Belgian. Sweet and malty in the front and a bit of hop spice on the finish. Awesome. Coats the mouth a bit. Very active and nice carbonation. This is one of the best Belgian brews I have had in a long time. It won’t overwhelm you with sweetness or anything.

22oz bottle. Pours a nice cloudy dark orange with a huge puffy head. Incredibly lacing. Nose is tons of yeast and noticable floral hops, unusual for the style also a nice ciderlike apple aroma. Flavor like the nose is quite unique. Nice mix of USA and Belgian styles. Toasty malt up front with a strong peppery yeast note. Some strong citrus and apple notes at the end a slightly bitter hoppy finish. Complex and easy drinking despite the ABV.

Bottle thanks to my ratebeer.com secret santa mcbackus. Nice reddish burnt orange with a finger of long lasting eggshell colored head. Lots of lemon zest aroma, yeasty, spicy. Taste is a bit of a saison farmhouse funk, lots of lemons and other citrus, grassy hops and light yeasty spices. Fantastic and reminds me of Orval with some more lemon zest.

A really good beer. The wildness and tartness of the brettanomyces is perfect for a Belgian ale. Furthermore, the idea of a collaboration ale is exactly what the brewing industry is looking for. On to the beer... The beer pours orange with a thick white head that diminished quickly. Aromas are strongly influenced by the american hops that are heavily used, in a similar way to a double ipa, with the addition of yeasty, belgiany sweetness. The flavors are first sweet (malty) and yeasty, followed by strong dry bittering hops. The malts are sweet and taste like citrus and apple, with an herbal and spicy touch (grains of paradise?). The sweetness quickly leads to a dry hoppiness that is nicely balanced by the sourness of the farmhouse yeast. A very good beer but could use a little more complexity. Overall impression is balance.

Bottle 07 shared by Robert at Stateline. Poured orange in color with nice white head. Nice aroma of bread hops and slight fruityness. Taste is similar with nice texture. Smooth finish and easy to drink.

750 ml bottle: Poured into my Allagash flute: This one pours a very dark golden color, with an orange hue. There was a bit of an off-white head o nit, but it didn’t linger long, and left a minimal amount of lacing. The first this that hits the nose is some spiciness: I get a whiff of cinnamon. There is also some breadiness and yeastiness, as well as some citrus and apple in there. An interesting flavor profile. It has some up-front bitterness. Spicy with citrus notes. Medium bodied, but lacks the normal Belgian sweetness. Very interesting and very good!