Its been a while since we've had a beer from Brewery Van Eecke.
Located in the 'Brewer's Town' of Watou, just over the French border, it is in the midst of one of the oldest hop growing regions of Poperinge. The family run brewery dates back to 1862, and is being run by the 7th generation of this family of brewers.
Most of their beers are under the 'Kapittel' label, which means 'chapter' - a nod to the monastic links of these abbey breweries. A Prior is the senior figure of a small monastic community, so it is a fitting name for the strongest of Van Eecke's dark beers.
The beer is a smooth and rich mouthful of roasted malts, dark fruit and candi sweetness. Caramel, raisins, figs plums with hints of toffee.
Having the hops produced nearby, the Van Eecke beers all have generous hop additions. This helps cut through the body, to give the beer a lovely balance of sweet vs bitterness.
by Brasserie de l'Abbaye des Rocs
A lovely Belgian strong dark ale, balancing sweetness and bitterness so well
by Brasserie de l'Abbaye des Rocs
A strong dark ale full of dark fruits, caramel malts and a gentle hop and yeast spiciness
by Brouwerij der Trappistenabdij de Achelse Kluis
A classic strong dark ale from one of Belgium's renowned Trappist Monastery breweries.
A strong dark winter beer which uses old whiskey barrels to impart an added dimension and depth of flavour
An intriguing dark ale, brewed with spices (ginger, coriander & cardamom)
A Belgian strong dark ale brewed with star anise and orange peel
The most well-known of the Golden Carolus beers is the 'Classic' - a beautifully balanced Belgian strong dark ale of 8.5% ABV
by Brouwerij Hoegaarden (AB-InBev)
The 'Forbidden Fruit' is a delicious balance of ripe fruits, sweet malts, earthy hops and gentle spicing
A tasty beer somewhere between a Belgian Dubbel style and a Belgian Strong Dark Ale
by Brasserie d'Achouffe (Brouwerij Duvel Moortgat)
The winter seasonal offering from the Chouffe brewery
The best features of a traditional strong ale, and the added earthiness of noble hops used in abundance
A solid malty backbone balanced by a good level of hop bitterness
The middle beer in the Rochefort range - a classic Trappist strong dark ale
The famous Old Fisherman's Ale from Struise is a spiced strong dark ale
Struise's spiced strong dark ale Pannepot, matured in Bordeaux barriques for a full 4 years
A strong dark Belgian ale created from 6 different malts, slightly spiced and with a little honey
A big strong tripel style ale, with a sweet malt body, peppery spice and a big alcohol kick
Good malt body, gentle hop bitterness and classic Belgiam yeast aromas make this a great introduction to Belgian beer.
A great traditional abbey Dubbel style ale from one of Belgium's traditional family breweries
The original Belgian IPA, from one of the three breweries in the 'Brewers Town' of Watou.
A traditional Witbier, from the 'Brewer's Town' of Watou; crisp, light and refreshing.
