t Smisje Calva Reserva

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

Pours dark brown with a hint of red and a nice light brown head. Sediment in bottle gives it a haze. Malt, caramels, fruits, and alcohol apparent in the aroma. Moderately carbonated. Malts, candy sugars, and coriander in the flavor. Alcohol very apparent. Little hop bite. Interesting and enjoyable brew.

Poured a cloudy/hazy dark brown with almost no head. Somewhat of a vinous aroma and little earthy and spicy. Brandy tasting with a stronger alcohol kick. Lightly sweet (brown sugar). Flatter body.

This is a sweet beer, but not too sweet and an interesting flavour because of the special Calvados Casks. Very recommendable beer! Tasted at the “kertbierfestival” Essen, Belgium, organised by ober. www.ober.be.

Bottle. Very yeasty and peppery marcipan aroma. Dark brown/orange cloudy colour. Flavour is malty, alcoholic, caramelly. Burnt aftertaste.

Murky dark tan color with a moderate head of beige bubbles. Aromas of baked buttered apples with caramel and anise seeds. Whiffs of alcohol permeate the nose as it is swirled. Palate is rather smooth for the size of this brew - Granted mine does seem to have carbonation which does seem to be missing from quite a few of the brews rated. Lightly oily with enough fizz to keep it from sticking to the tongue. LIght start. Some caramel malt and and a touch of oak. The finish in this one has more notes of interest with some drunken light fruit, calvados, and green malt. Really seems like an average barley wine.

Amber-red, slight bronze shine, hazy; yellow-amber head, stable and leaving lace. Sherrywood, lactic acid-like nose and indeed - old harvest apples. Dried fruit (cherries, apples, figs) but not sweet, alleviated as it is by a very restrained but seemingly active lactic acid, and a bitterness that is definitely tannine and a bit spicey. Beer is both incredibly severe and frivolously complex. Something like berries, laid up in alcohol. Very well-bodied, full MF, oily & slick, and infinitely complex. I cannot follow anybody who would look cross at the brewer, because he fills these casks on special demand from the USA. This is an enrichment for Belgian brewing, more power to B. United.

Looks like mud in the glass. Alcohol aroma coupled with something reminicent of brandy. Very sweet barley taste along with an obvious alcohol kick.

Muddy brown color, thin white head. Aroma is sweet, some brown sugar, and some cider notes. Light sweetness some corriander, undercarbonated.