t Smisje Guido

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

Bottle. Dark amber pour, tons of carbonation and a very sweet prune/raisin aroma. Flavor was a little thin, plenty of sweet honey and then finished a little sour.

Holy head Batman! During a gentle pour my Duvel tulip was completely filled with foam and half of the bottle was still left to go. It took nearly 5 minutes to get the entire bottle into my glass and another 10 before the head was small enough to allow drinking. Lightly hazed dark amber with the aforementioned gianormous head. Smells of bubblegum, spice, honey, clove, and dark fruit. Taste is sweet and slightly spicy, honey is immediately apparent. Tasting notes of cassis, brown sugar, honey, cinnamon, red grape, copper, and slightly musty. The lacing was kind of ugly, large sporadic clumps. Very interesting and much better than the 3.3 average indicates.

A dark, translucent, cherrywood tinted body pours from the bottle, with a dense layer of khaki colored foam that lasts for ages at the head. Sticky splotches of lacing mark the glass. It’s really quite a handsome brew. The aroma shows dark raisins, cherries, and figs, though it is less sweet than anticipated as hints of tart yeast and peppery, earthy hops assert themselves. There’s a spicy, woody component, almost like cedar but not quite. Flavors follow suit, sweet and malty up front, with heaps of stewed dark fruit, followed by tart, spicy yeast and grassy hops. Pepper really comes through on the finish, intensified by the lively carbonation that propels the substantial, semi-dry body. This seems to be a love it or hate it type of beer. While the tartness might not be true to style, it all came together well for me.

Seemed to be a little to astringent to me. A nice murky brown color with a tan head and mild retention and some lace. Aroma had some raisin to it and some caramel malts but an overall sour note to it. Sour note seemed to dominate the flavor. Carbonation was moderate.

Dark sticky jammy raisin aroma with smoky yeast, thick and slick sludge on the bottom of the glass. Light chestnut color, dark caramel from the swirled yeast. Dark roasted and heavy on the palate. Some of the spices creep through the heavy yeast. I don’t pick up any honey on its own, but it has a strong molasses character throughout.

bottle - Pours dark amber with a one finger head. It smells of caramel malt with some dark fruit. The flavor is of sweet caramel malt, raisins, and a touch of mild hops. It’s full bodied and quite enjoyable to drink.

Medium to light copper, quite clear, decent head. Malty aroma with lots of raisin and a bready note that distinctly reminds me of Thomas Hardy ale. Flavor is the same - just a touch of sourness that comes off as part of the raisin notes, medium body, rather nice. Liked this more than I had initially thought I would.

Light ring of a head. Pours a murky muddy light brown into the glass. What appearance and aroma lack is made up in flavor. Initially very sweet. Flavors of raisins, oranges and apple. Slight warming in the throat after a moment or two. Ton of sludge left in the bottom of the bottle.