From the fantastic Brouwerij Verhaeghe, makers of Duchesse de Bourgogne, Vichtenaar and Echt Kriekenbier – we have a second beer in the Barbe range.
Barbe Ruby is classed as a fruit beer, featuring cherries but in a very different way to a Kriek. It pours a stunning dark red colour, topped by the prettiest pink hued foam.
The aroma comes bursting out of the bottle, and this is where I (at first) felt a dislike for this beer. To me it was all sweet almonds, like those complimentary Italian almond cookies (Amaretti) you get with coffee.
There is an early sweetness, a combination of fruit and malt, which is quickly overridden by a solid and sustained tartness that continue to induce an eye squint at each sip.
And then just when you thought it was over, the raspberries come through with a dry, tart bite that leaves your mouth feeling refreshed and ready to do it all over again. I went from loathing to quite liking this beer, several times over, but in the end I finished my glass and probably could have explored another. But not straight away!
by Brasserie d'Achouffe (Brouwerij Duvel Moortgat)
This beer is McChouffe with the addition of cherries
by Brouwerij Corsendonk (at Brasserie Du Bocq)
A dubbel kriek from Brouwerij Corsendonk, brewed at Brasserie Du Bocq
Kasteel's 11% Donker is the base, with sweet cherry liqueur added to create a perfect aperitif
Belgium's strongest fruit beer - a mix of Bush Amber (Scaldis) and fresh peach extract
A Belgian Export Porter from a brewery more known for their Flemish sour ales
The classic Flanders Red Ale - the Duchesse of Burgundy
Verhaeghe's Duchesse with 20kg of sour Limburg cherries added per 100 litres of beer
Verhaeghe's famous Duchesse De Bourgogne with the addition of sour cherries and chocolate essence
A flemish mixed fermentation ale with northern sour cherries added during the barrel maturation
Verhaeghe's special Christmas beer is a blonde ale with wheat and spices
The original flanders oud bruin from the old family brewery Verhaeghe, this is an unblended cask aged beer
