Pauwel Kwak

Brewed by Brouwerij Bosteels
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Buggenhout, Belgium

Bottle, Trappist chalice. Hazy brown, head (in this glass) fades to a nice rim and coat. High bead. Aroma of honeyed orchard fruits and light dough. Fairly sweet malts, some funky yeast, almonds and grassy hops. Alcohol well hidden, although as it warms it starts to stick out a bit. Spicy finish.

Huge pale brown lasting head. Brown body with powerful carbonation. Fruity dates and honey aroma with alcohol and wood notes as well as spicy cinnamon. Sweet-dryish dried fruit and honey taste with floral toffee and alcohol notes. Full, but light body. Hot mouthfeel. Complex, fresh palate. Dry caramelly wooden dried fruit aftertaste with metallic herbal licorice notes. Excellent! Light, delicate, easty to drink, yet complex. (0.33l bottle, wine monopoly.)

Well done Belgian. Pours a honey brown with a foamy beige head. Aromas of yeast, caramel, candy sugar, with a taste that is much the same.

11.2 oz. bottle poured into a Kwak carriage glass. Pours a dark golden amber/caramel orange color with some golden orange hues when held to a light source and a three finger frothy, pillowy light beige head. Excellent retention, pretty much only settling a slight bit into a thick lasting cap that coats the glass chunks of soapy lacing. Sweet caramel malt aroma with a nice earthy, grassy hops. Smells surprisingly hoppy for a Belgian beer with subtle estery dark fruit notes. Surprisingly hop forward with some subtle earthy hoppy bitterness which is nicely balanced by a sweet caramel malt backbone with hints of toffee and, caramel, slight nut character and subtle dark fruit notes. Possibly some raisin and fig notes. Very well balanced and the bitterness up front actually lingers throughout into a slightly dry sweet finish. ABV decently masked making Kwak pretty quaffable.

This is my first rating, so it might not be as accurate as I would like it to be. I’ve had this beer twice already, both times in a bottle. The first time was serve in a glass, the second right from the bottle. Enjoy the taste and body of the beer.

Bottle @ home. Pours an amber beer with a good head. Good aroma with hints of caramel. The taste also contains hints of caramal. Sweet, full mouthfeel. Not a bad Belgian.

Pours dark amber with a medium head. Aroma is sweet with caramel, and bready yeast. Medium in body with a good amount of carbonation. Flavor is mostly sweet with some toffee and caramel and a yeasty finish.