t Smisje Calva Reserva

Brewed by Brouwerij De Regenboog
Style: Barley Wine
Assebroek-Brugge, Belgium

Wow. Sweet malty nose with distinct calvados floating about. Possibly some molasses as well. This is the third beer I’ve drunk this month from a calvados cask and I must say, this one had the best aroma. Hazy brown body with no head. Sweet candy sugar body green apples among the malt flavor. Most flavors fade quickly to a nice calvados finish. The calvados profile lingers for a good minute on my palate. Surprisingly approachable for such a sweet beer.

Quite a surprise. Definitely close to a belgian barleywine, nice tartness from the calvados cask to level out the intense roasted malt tones. Dark pour to a snifter, definitely a sipper. No hops in sight, from recollection anyways. Pretty similar in tone anyways to J.W. Lee’s Specialty Harvest ale, for a lot cheaper.

Pours a slightly hazy dark brown with a medium light tan head. Big calvados aromas mixed in with candy sugar and dark malts really make up a powerful and pleasant aroma. Very sweet taste, very malty with greeen apples, and candy sugar. The taste is what you’d expect from the smell of this beer. Leaves a sticky feeling on the insides of the mouth, kind of like if you had just finished an apple. Pleasant experience.

Robe brune voilée surmontée d’une mousse blanche mince. Arômes de chocolat, de caramel et de pain. Saveurs de levures, de caramel, de chocolat et de cerises.

Pours ruby/amber into a trappist glass. No head to speak of. Pit fruit aromas. Cloying and flat with sharp dark fermented sugars upfront. Rum and oak in the middle. Lasting alcohol burn.

Vinous nose with sourness and yeast. Taste was vinous, wine sour with a small alcohol snap. Very well balanced, soft, delicate mouth feel. I got nothing except vinous qualities, no fruits hardly any spices.

Bottle. Nose is lots of dark fruit. Fig-heavy, but also raisins, grapes, and syrupy malt character. Slow, steady bubbles lead to a frothy white head on top of a dark amber body. Flavor is honey-like sweet with a touch of sourness in the finish. Syrupy palate just shy of cloying.

Bottle. hazy chestnut color with minimal head. Strong aroma of alcohol, raisins, apple and oak. The initial portion of the first sip is sweet, then replaced by warming alcohol. Some alcohol and sugar noticible in the finish. smooth and with very little carbonation. interesting, but I think the calvados overwhelms the beer.