t Smisje Calva Reserva

Brewed by Brouwerij De Regenboog
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Assebroek-Brugge, Belgium

Courtesy of Papsoe
Cloudy amber color. The aroma has, in the beginning, some nice malt; the mouthfeel is too dry and alcoholic, with just some light caramel flavor. The fermentation has used too much of the sugars. Strangely, it has a parmesan touch both in the aroma and flavor. Disappointing.

330 ml. Deep chestnut with maybe some red highlights and a one-finger head. Aroma of rich raisin rum cake with gobs of icing. Initial flavor is deliciously the same, with oak, red wine, brown sugar. Finish is amazingly dryish: chestnut, soggy oak, and the leftovers of the rum cake. Light-medium palate is slightly rough and finishes dry. Great dessert.

This beer was all over the place, perhaps it would do better with some aging, almost like it had improper storage, or some bottle shock. Somewhat musty and very vinous nose, some hints of spice, and woody notes. A bit sharp initially on the palate, with some sweet spicy malt notes, a bit of pepper, and fruit skins. I may have to come back to this some point in the future, when the yeast has learned to play a little nicer with the other flavors in the bottle.

Had a PP bottle shop. Different label: pink. Different ABV: 11%. Same title. Light amber color. Kind of like a triple. Thick body. Some alcohol in the nose.

11.2 oz bottle, pours a hazy chesnut, slight subtle garnet tone. Two finger head slowly collapses down to a nice dense creamy blanket covering the top. Smells like wheat bread, cranberry juice, very light licorice, nice yeast character. Carbonation gently bites the tongue. Tastes of licorice, plum skin, pepper, some malt sweetness gets swept away by the hop bittering and alcoholic astringency. Some alcohol vapors in the nostrils. Alcohol is not masked. Not much wood. Worth trying but will not get again.

Bottle.Just a bit of a gusher. Pours hazy copper with a fluffy, lacy off-white head. Fruit, honey, musk and spice in the aroma. Medium body and active carbonation. Apple, some fig and spice in the taste. A bit of alcohol hotness and some bitterness on the otherwise spicy dry finish. This beer seems to have a lot of things going on. I’m not so sure that they all play nicely with each other.

Aroma of ripe dark pitted fruit with honey notes followed by roasted barley. Pours a deep red color with significant haze and a long lasting although slight head. Flavor is very strong with roasted malt bitterness and sickly alcohol sweetness. The spices are subtle, but present, however, I can’t detect anything contributed by the wood aging in calvados casks. I usually enjoy Regenboog beers, but I’m not fond of this one.

Smell is very strong, musty & sweet at the same time with a great roasted barley aroma. This is an attractive beer cloudy with a pretty deep red color. The head is very unique, tight with a very light pink color, could be the tint of the beer, no matter whatever it is it’s a very cool looking head. Taste is roasted barley, with great apple flavors. Bits of candy sweetness are present, but this is very well balanced with some dry & bitter flavors near the back of the mouth. Not surprisingly there is the classic barley wine alcohol warmth is ever-present. Flavor is complex and fully enjoyable. Palate is sharp and a bit flat. A Belgian for a barley wine lover.