by Brouwerij Hoegaarden (AB-InBev)
This beer was first brewed by Pierre Celis – famed for re-establishing the Belgian Witbier style with Hoegaarden - at his small brewery De Kluis which he opened back in 1966. In the 1980’s he opened a new facility which was unfortunately destroyed by fire a few years after opening.
It was at this point the Belgian beer company Interbrew took over the brewery. Interbrew would go on to become the global behemoth we now know as AB-InBev.
So for decades, this beer has been brewed at the massive ABI brewery in Leuven. But it is proof that there are beers made by the multinationals that are very much worth drinking.
The ‘Forbidden Fruit’ has a wonderful balance of sweet ripe fruits, caramel malts, earthy hops and some gentle spices. It has a very full, round and somewhat soft mouthfeel. From a sweet start the beer dries out nicely with a lingering prickly bitterness and just a hint of alcohol warmth.
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
A flavoursome strong dark ale, at the top of the abbey beer hierarchy
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