Zatte Bie

Brewed by Brouwerij de Bie
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Waregem, Belgium

Bottle at home .... a big gusher ... lost half the bottle ... Dark brown ... lots of bits ... thin lacing ... sweet toffee sugers and light roast malt nose ... bitter toffee ... some yeast ... decent simple dark roast

Pours a black color with a ruby red seethrough light, with a tan head that does not stay long. Aroma of roasted malts and honey. Flavors of strong roasted malts, caramels, a hint of honey and spices. A sweet and bitter dry finish, with a grainny texture, low carbonation. A good winter beer, strong flavorfull pleasant body.

Bottle. Vintage 2002, the label is old and faded but still rather enjoyable. Pours a cola or darker brune body with a light tan head, quickly trickling away to a thin stream of bubbles. This is oxidized quite a bit from the look. Fruity esters form the mold, plums, minerals, dates, dark cherry pit notes. A malty body with hints of maple or impressioned by the fruit esters. A mild warming with some hints of apple or oxidation. Still enjoyable nonetheless.

bottle,very dark reddish/brown colour with white unstable head. Malty and a bit skunky/artificial smell. Taste: roasted malts, sugary, alcohol, bitterness. I don’t taste any ’honey’ in this beer, what I would expect in the name? Not bad however not ’spectacular’ strong ale!

6th May 2008. Rich brown beer made with honey. Definite treacle note but also faint bubblegum. Dry finish with a coca cola bitterness. Yeasty nose. Faint Melon and Apple notes. Complex and hard to pin down.

Gorgeous pour... ruby-tinted mahogany body, well-peppered with yeast and above-average in carbonation beneath a small, creamy, tan head. Aroma is predominantly vinegar and funk, with a tart taffy undertone to attest to its yeasts and malts. Flavor is undeniably tart and moderately acidic (Granny Smith and unripe yellow apples) while malts add an essence of dirty caramel and a touch of sweetness that suggests honey... but it doesn’t really out-and-out proclaim it (I wouldn’t have picked it out if it wasn’t on the label). Alcohol hides until very late. Hmmm. If I poured this beer expecting something along the lines of a Flemish Sour I would have been pleased, but I was expecting more body and sweetness from something named "drunken honey bee." Also, I don’t normally eat while I review beers, but a few salty peanuts made this more palatable. (Oh, and to call this a "jet black" beer is pretty laughable. Send more Imperial Stouts to Belgium, please! :) ~~~~~~~~~ 11.2 oz. bottle from Dobby’s Liquors, Palatine, IL November 2006, consumed July 2009.

Bottle. Highly carbonated. Pours out a grey head, long lasting but not thick. Sweet aroma, like candy. Slight bitter flavor, a bit of coffee and caramel. Finish mediocre. Good balance.