 Ernest (4227), Boulder, Colorado, USA
Oct 28, 2002 Updated: Jun 20, 2005
Bottle, Brussels, May 2005. Head is initially average sized, frothy, light brown, mostly lasting. Body is hazy medium brown, bottle conditioned. Aroma is moderately malty (cookie, burnt caramel, chocolate), lightly yeasty (cobwebs), with notes of raisin, plum, toffee, vanilla, candy sugar. Flavor is heavily sweet, lightly acidic, lightly bitter. Finish is moderately sweet, lightly acidic, moderately bitter. Medium to full body, creamy/velvety texture, lively carbonation, lightly alcoholic. Elegant, clean, balanced, and just plain incomparable. Not as bold as the 12, but just as refined. Yeah, I’m raising this to a 5.0...this has been as high as 4.8 before, and this last time, frankly, I fell deeply in love with it...it matched the Westy 12 (which I sampled in the same sitting) in sheer enjoyment even though it’s a bit more easy-going. The 8 and the 12 are both jaw-dropping for me, and wherever their scores fall, whether it’s 4.6, 4.8, or 5.0, I think they’re both equal in quality.
chadzter (88), huntsville, Alabama, USA
Sep 2, 2008 Bottle Pours deep brown with a tall foamy head that hassome great lacing. Has a oak and fruity (grape, pear) and light malt aroma with some sour notes. Malty, caramel, flavor with a yeasty body and fizzy sweet grapes that goes dry as it passes. Full bodied, spicy-fizzy and dries out at the end.
ChainGangGuy (1536), Kennesaw, Georgia, USA
Sep 1, 2008 Appearance: Pours a murky, dark brown body with a thin, creamy, beige-colored head.
Smell: Malty, fruit nose smelling of molasses blended with homemade caramel sauce, dark fruits, apple slices, and French vanilla.
Taste: Rich, sweet maltiness tasting of chocolate, caramel, and molasses. Maybe a sprinkle of brown sugar and dark candi sugar, too. Splash of fruity Beaujolais. Flavors of figs and golden raisins and Red Delicious apples. Pass the Baked Alaska!! A touch bready. Slight yeastiness. Rather warming alcohol presence, particularly on the finish. Finishes sweet and resoundingly fruity with a lingering red wine taste.
Mouthfeel: Medium-plus body. Medium-high carbonation. Smooth, velvety mouthfeel.
Drinkability: Rich, punchy and packed with a fruitastic estery character, although it lacks the depth of the yellow-capped twelve or the drinkability of the green-capped blonde. Still recommended, though.
Borresteijn (542), Amstelveen, Netherlands
Aug 27, 2008 Had this @ in de Vrede with a massive hangover from my trip to Bruges, so this rating needs revision someday. Deep dark brown, beige head. Aroma is a bit musty, yeast, dark fruits, brown sugar/caramel, raisins and malts. Flavour is sweet, fruity, caramel, dark chocolate, slightly bitter finish. Complex but soft and subtle.
Bigmmartin (208), Dayton, Ohio, USA
Aug 26, 2008 Updated: Aug 27, 2008Shared with 1_2many. Nice dark brown beer with a slight ruby hue. Smallish beige head, could be a bit larger and stick around longer. Aroma is bready with yeast and a hint of red wine / grapes. Excellent inviting aroma, but not quite as strong as I had hoped. Flavor is a wonderful mixture of grapes, raisins, sweet malt. Has a unique flavor compared to other Belgian ales. Palate is awesome...damn near perfect carbonation. Proof that a beer doesn’t have to be big and overpowering to be world class. A great beer that I can’t wait to revisit.
1_2many (231), Ohio, USA
Aug 26, 2008 Bottle thanks to Belgianbeergal. A copper-brown with a small fizzy head which disappeared quickly. Almost zero lacing which was a little disappointing. Rich caramel malts, dark fruit, especially raisins, and a nice doughy aroma also. Flavor is amazing and grows on me with each sip. Sweet with some fruit tanginess that seems perfectly matched. Alcohol presence is non-existent. Great medium bodied feel, lots of carbonation but it doesn’t choke you like some others. Very drinkable and wonderful.
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