t Smisje Cuvee 2005

Formerly brewed at Brouwerij De Regenboog
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Assebroek-Brugge, Belgium

Burnished orange. Fat, clumpy mound of foam becomes creamier as it subsides. Zesty bouquet of pears, black pepper, heavy cream, dried bananas, and plasticy phenols. Big carbonic explosion as it hits the mouth. Quite dense in body. Initially doughy and yeasty chased with a honey- and rum-infused sweetness. Faint peach slickness lurks beneath the zesty esters and tightly herbaceous hop character, but all of these elements remain secondary to all the blemishes. Absolutely no bright finesse or juicily floral hops to extinguish the blazing alcohol. Candy sugar continues to fuel the alcoholic heat while delivering forceful astringency. Sneaky dab of plastic-flavored phenols only compounds the discordant iron and alcohol mess. Finishes wet and sweet with an off-putting edge of cidery tartness, as honey covered mushy malts, gritty cane sugar, and a relentless assault of peppery alcohol squelch the dainty fruit remnants. Strong plastic notes ensue with each belch and remind you of its utter lack of brightness. As it currently stands, this is not good...and it’s definitely not going to improve with age, as not too far from now we’ll be talking phenolic overload. Unimpressive.

(Bottled, 0.75l) Opaque dark orange color with a smallish, tight head. Aroma of typical Regenboog yeast, with some licorice hints and toffee. Slightly cardboardy, quite smoothly fruity flavor with lots of yeast and peppery spices. Medium-bodied, a bit carbonated palate. A typical Regenboog, but more mainstream than most of them. Drinkable. but won’t buy again.

Botlle #269: Hazy amber with a creamy beige head. The strong ABV remains well hidden throughout the drink. Pleasant freshly baked cookie aroma with floral scents, sour fruit, yeast, and unknown (to me) spices. Very soft in the mouth, although a subtle carbonation is noted on the tongue. The malts take on a toffee and butterscotch flavor. Lots of tart fruitiness along with a peppery, spicy taste. The finish is both sweet and tart, the malts and fruits is a friendly balance. Very nice.

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750 mL bottle, corked & capped: a creamy, white head remains constant after the medium size fluff diminishes. Cloudy, reddish bronzed body. Sweet, doughy aroma with candy-orange/floral scents, hints of must and a light sour cherry presence. Soft palate with a lingering carbonation and dull, spice. Alcohol becomes more evident as it warms and the sourness of the fruits come to the forefront. Dry, lightly hoppy finish with hints of pears, apples, and other soft, mushy fruits. Another beer that comes close to that edge where beer turns into great beer…but doesn’t quite make it.

Criminally underrated. Smooth, sweet and creamy with reinvigorating carbonation throughout, this is a nearly perfect fruity aroma, extremely fresh and tropical, and reminds me of the Season Mortal in it’s fresh complexity. I asked all four of us around the table to name the number one fruit that came to mind in the aroma, if you could only use one label, and there were four different answers: Starfruit (carambola), pear, gooseberries and pineapple. Not tart enough for gooseberries to my mind, but all the rest in ultra-abundance. Not very spicy, with just a hint of pepper. I did not receive coriander as others say. At the end this is quite yeasty. This should age with the best of them. Delicious, better than expected even given my admitted "fan" status toward this brewer. Thanks to Andre!

bottle #310. clear, light & bright amber color, fizz up the body. thick creamy off-white head with a dense coating of lacing. aroma is yeasty pineapple, granny smith apples, and applejack brandy. fizzy then creamy mouthfeel, flavor starts rummy malt, kind of dry. alcohol heat comes in with yeasty, dryish finish. a bit acidic.

Bottle 314. Hazy, murky amber with a light, fluffy, moderately-sized off-white head. Sweet, yeasty aroma of sweet apples, pear juice, cobwebs, mango, light yeasty esters, maybe some grains of paradise and a bit of coriander. Light, anise-style alcohol comes in from time to time as well. The fruity flavors have melded well to allow for a layered complexity. The yeasty esters seem to drop off some, but they still have an affect on the flavor. The fruity sweetness is the dominate force, with elements of caramel and light brown sugar. The finish is warm, long and dry--perfect for a cold day. All told this isn’t the most exciting beer, but I think the flavors mix well. There’s just nothing exciting here. Good, but not great.

Orange color, with a large, filmy white head. Very dull and bland aroma, completely devoid of any characteristics worth describing...maybe slightly whiskeyish....Flavor is pleasant, but just like the aroma its very, very dull. Very mild orange and tangerine flavors, with a hint of whiskey.