Van Twee

Brewed by De Proefbrouwerij
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Lochristi, Belgium

Bottle (small sample). Darker brown pour with a tan head. Tart fruit nose and taste. Decent, but I didn’t love it.

It pours deep mahogany with tall but loose tan head. The aroma is a Brett tart and lemon like sourness right to the snoot followed by grapefruit sour moldy citrus and a thin layer of musty earthiness. The taste is smooth with prunes, plums, cherries and modest tartness unlike what I was getting in the nose. It gets a bit dry and mildly tart and refreshing blending into smooth fruitiness right into the finish. Nice smooth refreshing brew.

750mL bottle, purchased at Davis Co-op. Pours a very dark cola-brown color; significant, creamy light-tan head with excellent retention and lacing; attractive pour, definitely. Lots of fruitiness and pleasant esters in the nose: ripe and overripe fruits (cherries, dates), cocoa, and lightly bitter chocolate alongside breadiness and a fair amount of smoked meat; the combination of cherries and a significant smokiness is quite interesting, like chocolate-covered cherries and barbecue, I’m not sure how I feel about it; very sweet and lots of ripe fruitiness. Medium-to-full mouthfeel: relaxed carbonation and very creamy presence in the mouth: cocoa and overripe cherries, light acidity, a bit of an herbal hop character on the perimeter of things (almost entirely overshadowed by the smoked meat, chocolate, and cherry notes, but it’s there); there’s a ton to like about this beer: a pleasant and legitimate cherry character, plenty of cocoa and breadiness and bananas and assorted esters, lots of creaminess, plenty of smoked meat and light roast, and a quiet New Zealand sauvignon blanc character from the hops, but it really is a strange mix of things overall: chocolate, cherries, smoked meat and gooseberries. And yet... it’s quite tasty, despite the inherent confusion. One can drink this and focus on each of the separate parts, enjoy them, and then wonder how on earth they all made it into a single beer. Minimal to no show of brett... Medium finish: dry cocoa powder and minimally bitter chocolate notes, lasting dry toastiness, some hints of cherries and esters at the far end of things.

Picked up at the PP Bottle Shop. 750mL bottle, cork labeled BELL 01. Hazy deep reddish brown with a one finger lasting beige head. Earthy cherry juice and toasted malts dominate the aroma with some light dry figgy (oxymoron) notes. Flavor adds some nice roast and the cherries get a little tart. Just a tinge of leathery Brett is present so far. I’m having trouble getting any Nelson’s Sauvin hops. Semi-dry finish with bitterness at a 3, good amount of roasted malts, dry chocolate. Moderate to high carbonation with a medium body. In a nutshell--good toasty toasty slightly chocolatey strong ale.

Bottle. Poured a dark molasses brown with a grayish brown head that laced nicely. Aroma had tart and sour cherry notes, a bit of sweet chocolate, candied sugar and a yeasty note. Flavor had tart cherries throughout with a sweet sugary and chocolate finish. The beer was smooth on the tongue.

750ml. Deep red brown color with and rich frothy redish tan head that leaves massive lace. You can smell the fruit on pour. The nose gives you a lot of fruit while leading with cherry, grape, plum, and pear. Being complex, the nose opens yielding malt, smoke, nuts, black licorice, and coffee. The body is heavy, heavy medium that produces a mouthful of flavor across the entire palate. It provides a ’chewy’ type feeling as well. The finish is long, starting at the front then moving to the sides with a sour yet hoppy taste.

Bottle pours dark red to black with a large and sustained off white head. The aroma is sour cherry, wet wood, and some maltiness. The flavor shows some caramel sweetness, some roasted coffee notes, the cherry, and some lingering smoke and/or wood? The palate is medium bodied. Overall, I like this a lot.

25.4 oz bottle. Dark brown with a fluffy tan head. Nose is cherry, chocolate, grape jelly and hay. Medium light with moderate carb. Taste is cocoa, sour cherry and suprisingly peaty smoke and wood. Coffee finish with golden raisin. Odd stuff.