Swaf Brune (formerly Vervifontaine)

Brewed by Brasserie de l’Abbaye du Val-Dieu
Style: Spice/Herb/Vegetable
Aubel, Belgium

App.: Reddish-orange-brown with a tight, foamy off-white head. Aroma: honey, a gingery note, a bit of cereal maltiness and biscuity yeast. Palate: fairly aggressive carbonation and med. body. Flav.: quite sweet, honey, spices, alcohol. Some dried fruits come through and caramel candy. Not balanced. A very slightly bitter finish. Not for me.

(33cl bottle) These beers have been a surprise and a letdown. I’m intrigued by the yeastiness and the underlying honey maltedness but the flavours are so unpronounced and weak. This one was no different.

Orange brown color. Mint and orange in the aroma. Mint, yeast and orange in the flavor. Not too sweet. Just a bit alcoholic. Touch of chocolate. Spicy aftertaste. Not bad.

Hazy dark brown hue, with a tan-colored head, yeasty spicy grainy nose, with a chocolate note, ginseng spiciness, dark toasted malts, brown sugar, hint of dark fruits fuitiness in the aroma follows through on a medium-bodied palate with a yeasty fruity and toasted malt alcoholic character, with some dark dried fruit accents of dates, plums, raisins, with brown sugar, a faint ginseng spiciness, leading towards a caramelized graininess, and a faint sweet alcoholic finish.

Bottle. Golden colour with a medium mostly lasting creamy head. Aroma and taste of malts, ginger, fruits and spices. Nice palate.

Red highlights in dark amber-brown beer. Creamy yellow-brown head, leaving lace. Spicey nose, wood, green-dark leaves, undergrowth, nearly earthy, bit of ginger (or is this ginseng?). Meaty, estery taste, and a little bit of oxydized malts. Finish is again spicey, peppery. Medium bodied, quite some alcohol there, but very much hidden. Nowhere bad, just not very original. Somehow, I would think Vervifontaine might have made more out of this.

Pours a cloudy brown color with a thin offwhite head. Aroma of spices with candi sugar and licorice. The flavor is sweet and spicy. The body is light with an oily texture and moderate carbonation.

(Bottle, Delhaize St-Niklaas) Cola brown colour, mediu rocky head. Aroma of malts and brown sugar, caramel, soap, alcohol. Quite unbalanced. Initial bitter acidic taste. Weak medium taste and finish, but with a cloyish aftertast.