Wholesale Catalogue

by Abbaye De Leffe (AB-Inbev)

This beer completes the trio of Leffe Royale beers, bringing the total number of different Leffe beers to eleven.

For a brewery known for producing abbey type ales, it was an interesting decision to introduce a more hop-forward series.  Originally, the first beer (Leffe Royale Whitbread Golding) was to be called ‘Leffe IPA’.  There exists promotional materials showing images with this label, but they obviously thought better of that decision.  But we’ll still classify it as a Belgian IPA.

The Mapuche people are indigenous inhabitants of parts of Chile and Argentina, including parts of Patagonia.  The hop is named after these people, and is grown on the plains of Patagonia.  Leffe claim that the hops are grown exclusively for them.  I’d never heard of this hop before, so this may well be the case.

The Mapuche hops are said to have a ‘bouquet of blueberry, red fruits, peach and apricot’.  There is definitely a fruity aroma, with some tropical fruit flavours in the taste.  The beer is a golden copper colour with a sweet caramel malt body, and a sustained bitterness.

by Abbaye De Leffe (AB-Inbev)

This is another Leffe beer from the global monster that is AB-Inbev; and even bigger following the purchase and slow merger with SAB Miller.  The headquarters and main brewery in Belgium occupies an entire block in the city of Leuven.  So not quite the artisinal, small producer we normally get our beers from.

But even the big guys are trying new things, and this is an example of an attempt to play in the same field as the small brewers. 

The Royale is like a bigger, tastier (and classier) version of the Leffe Blond.  It was the original in an ever-expanding series of Leffe Royale beers, and this one features Whitbred Golding hops which are grown in the Poperinge region of Western Flanders.

Despite the hops being featured, this is a strong blond ale.  A sweet grainy malt backbone carries a little spicy bitterness.  The particular hop is said to add a touch of lemon and a slight resinous note.  It also plays on the yeast to exaggerate the banana and vanilla notes.

Look out for more Leffe Royale variants in the coming months.

by Abbaye De Leffe (AB-Inbev)

Even the big boys have to create and innovate in this fast-moving beer market now, and Leffe Royale is the recent attempt by AB-InBev to change things up with its iconic Leffe label. 

The original Leffe Royale was a bigger, tastier version of the Leffe Blond.  It later was highlighted as part of a single hop series, and this beer is the second in that series. 

Cascade IPA is very much a traditional style Belgian IPA.  Heavy on the malt body, with restrained use of hops.  We could be slightly disingenuous and suggest that the relatively low-level of hops is the result of commercial financial decisions, but it really seems to be aimed at a specific market. 

It has a sweet caramel malt body, with a fruity hint and the Leffe house yeast character.  The hopping and dry-hopping with Cascade lends a fresh and light citrus bite. 

Put any ‘mega-brew’ bias aside, and enjoy this for what it is – not a punchy hop-bomb, but an interesting variant on a classic Belgian beer.

by Abbaye Mont Des Cats

Mont Des Cats is a trappist abbey in Northern France, a few kilometres from the Belgian border.  They do not have a brewery in their monastery, so their beer cannot show the Authentic Trappist Product logo.  But it doesn’t get much closer – they have their beer brewed by the monks of Chimay!

Developed independently to the Chimay range, the beer is a lovely copper colour.  The link to Chimay is evident in the distinctive Chimay yeast character, in both the aroma and taste.

A pleasant caramel malt sweetness introduces the beer, being joined by hints of dried fruits, gentle spices and an earthy, herbal hop character.  As the beer progresses, the bitterness seems to build toward a nice lingering finish.

The abbey only makes one beer, with no intention for more.  The abbey is recognised as a Trappist Monastery, allowing them to use the term on the labeling.  But as the beer is not brewed on their own premises, the beer is not a Trappist ale.

by Abdij Der Trappisten Van Westmalle

The classic Trappist Dubbel, and a benchmark of the style.

This slightly cloudy dark brown nectar is an inviting blend of caramelised sugar, dark stone fruits, light roasted malt and of course Belgian yeast characters; including a hint of banana.

The mouthfeel is very smooth, and surprisingly dry.  The lovely balance of flavours persist with a fruity but dry and slightly bitter aftertaste.

The Westmalle Trappist Abbey has a brewing history dating back to 1 August 1836.  In 1856, the Monks produced the first strong dark beer, and this beer is considered to be the first beer brewed in the Belgian Dubbel style.

Did you know: Westmalle Dubbel is the only dark Belgian Trappist ale to be available on draught.  It is generally acknowledged that the draught version is less fruity and sweet than the bottled version, smoother, richer and maltier.  Officially available at around 300 select outlets, we’ve managed to source a keg a couple of times to bring over to Oz!

by Brasserie Atrium

Back in 2015 we first met Val (who would later establish Brasserie Atrium with his wife Paula) when we went to visit Dany at Brasserie Fantome.  Val was planning his brewery – which he then thought he’s open in Paula’s native Brazil – and was seeking some guidance from one of Belgium’s most renowned saison brewers.

So it comes as no surprise that the first beer Val and Paula produced in their new brewery was a saison, which they named The One.

And a really decent saison it is, too.  Maybe a little higher in ABV than is traditional, it has a slightly hazy golden body with a pillowy white foam.

Lots of funky saison yeast character in the aroma, with grainy malt and a little fruit and spice.  This all follows through in the flavour with a crisp, light grainy malt body supporting the citrus, peppery spice, slightly herbal flavours that fill the mouth.

It feels quite smooth at first, giving way to a dry lingering spicy finish.  Pretty much everything you’d ask for in a classic Belgian Saison.

by Brasserie De Brunehaut

This beer is a little bit different to our normal offerings.  Firstly, we haven’t had a beer from Brasserie de Brunehaut before.  They are a small farmhouse brewery who grow their own barley used in the production of their beers.

The second interesting fact is that all of their beers are gluten free (at least according to European standards).  They used a special enzyme to remove the gluten during the brewing process.  So if you have any gluten-intolerant beer-loving friends this is one you can definitely share with them.

Australia and New Zealand have the strictest standards for certification as a gluten free product.  The test is ‘no detectable gluten’, with the testing equipment accurate to within 3 parts per million (ppm).  So this beer can’t technically be called gluten free in Australia.  Rather it is termed gluten-reduced.

The brewery freely issues copies of the certifications for each batch of their beers, with their own standard being less than 5ppm.  The European and North American standard is 20ppm; which is a level even the Coeliac Society agrees is a safe threshold even for coeliacs.

Labelled a tripel, it has a crisp malt body, good level of bitterness and enough spicing and Belgian yeast phenolics to pass.  It’s a decent tripel, but a bloody good gluten free (gluten-reduced) beer!

by Brasserie De La Senne

For those who recognize Brasserie De La Senne, you’ll know this is quite a big beer for them.  They tend to concentrate on lower alcohol, sessionable beers.  But it would be a short session on this tasty black IPA.

De La Senne is the second brewery in Brussels (Cantillon being the first).  It began operations on 22nd December 2010, and has prided itself on becoming the locals brewery.

Two Brussels locals, the brewers look after their Brussels market first.  They don’t export a lot of their beer, so we are fortunate to try this one.  All the beers are very traditional in that they are not pasturised or filtered, and use only natural ingredients.

There beer has a deep roasted malt character, with hints of bitter chocolate.  But the solid hopping, that is a trademark of this brewery, is not overpowered. The earthy bitterness and medium carbonation make for a beer that is lighter in body than you might imagine; and very drinkable.

by Brasserie De La Senne

This beer from Brussels brewery De La Senne is one I look forward to each year.  Brewed only on the 22nd December each year, it celebrates the day the first brew was completed in the new brewery back in 2010.

As mentioned for previous versions of this beer, it seems quite a simple malt profile.  This remains unchanged year-to-year, with the hops being the ingredient that is altered up each year.  For the 2016 version, an experimental hop from Slovenia was chosen.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

The brewers describe the beer as a Belgian IPA, but I don’t think there is enough hop character to move it past being a Belgian pale ale.

There is a clean bready malt body and a fresh fruity, grassy hop presence.  Grapefruit, melon and pear provide a tropical fruit sweetness with a tinge of tart.  A spicy yeast character compliments a firm and sustained hop bitterness for a lingering dry bitter finish.

Definitely a little spicier than previous versions, and a long bitter finish which we come to expect from De La Senne.  Always favouring the old world, earthy and grassy hops, and in always generous additions.

by Brasserie Dubuisson

We featured the 2015 Bush Noel last year, and it was a favourite.   And while we try not to repeat beers without reason, the fact that this beer is a vintage seems a good enough reason to include the current version.

It is a beer made of only malt, hops candy sugar and water.  And of course the very distinctive Dubuisson house yeast.  Unusually for a Christmas beer, there is no spicing or any other adjunct added to this beer. 

This beer is also dry-hopped, with hop flowers added to the tanks in which the beer rests after fermentation.  The result is something akin to a hoppy barley wine.  A big thick body, full of caramel malt and over-ripe stone fruits with a nice hoppy bite to balance things out.

We enjoyed having this beer again, and if you had this in our pack last year, we hope you enjoy it again.  We won’t put another version in any future packs, but we do get this for wholesale each year.  So if you are a fan, let us know and we can put some in the ‘Extra Beers’ shop page on our website.

by Brasserie Fantôme

This is the flagship beer from Dany Prignon's Brasserie Fantome.

The brewery is a rustic stone cottage tucked away in the very rural village of Soy in the Belgian province of Luxembourg.

The Fantome name and imagery comes from the legend in the nearby town of La Roche-en-Ardenne, which tells of the ghost of the late Countess Berthe de La Roche, who it is claimed still wanders amidst the old castle ruins.

Almost all of the beers brewed at Fantome are in the saison/farmhouse ale style.  And in true eccentric style, various beers are brewed with a vast array of interesting and downright random ingredients.

This is the flagship beer from Dany Prignon's Brasserie Fantome.

It is as complex and mystical as the brewer himself, and the beer he seems most evasive in divulging its ingredients.  (Though he is pretty shy to disclose any of his full beer ingredients and recipes).

It pours a hazy golden straw colour with an aroma full of earthy funk and musty  farmhouse goodness.  Flavours are of strong citrus, bready malt, grass and hay, more background fruitiness and a slightly sour hint.  Carbonation is quite high, and the mouthfeel is almost chalky and bone dry.  

This beer is amazingly complex, and totally belies its 8% ABV.  A true masterpiece.

by Brasserie La Caracole

I have a real soft spot for the beers of Brasserie Caracole.  It was one of our earliest brewery visits, tracking down virtually unknown breweries with the aid of only paper maps and an address with directions provided by another brewer.

And a fantastic recommendation it was; a memory which brings a smile to my face as I write the notes for this beer.

It is one of the last breweries in Europe to heat their kettles with an open fire.  The brewery really is a working historical display of how things used to be done, housed in the atmospheric stone and wood diary shed that is home to the brewery.

Caracole was the first beer produced by the brewery and remains the most produced beer from the portfolio.  It really is just called Caracole, with the ‘Ambree’ added to help distinguish it from the other beers

We will nominally label it an amber ale, largely thanks to its colour.  There is a lovely fruity malt body, caramel, brown sugar, raisins with a moderate hop bitterness and a strong Belgian yeast character.  It finishes slightly sweet, but with a prickly lingering bitterness.

by Brasserie La Debauche

France has not been known for its craft beer, being the poor cousin to the wine industry which is a part of the fabric of the nation.  But that is changing – and fast. Microbreweries and brew pubs are popping up at an unprecedented rate.

And one of the new crop of breweries gaining much attention in the craft beer scene is La Debauche which was founded in July 2013 by friends and amateur brewers Eglantine and Aurelien.  They started their brewery with just two 120-hectolitre fermentation vessels.  There immediate success warranted an expansion which was achieved by crowdfunding.

They are known as being very much experimental and creative brewers, producing a range of styles from stouts to barley wines, funky saisons to barrel aged sour beers.  

But if we need to establish a benchmark on a brewery, given our love of IPA’s it seems an appropriate beer to pick to introduce our newest brewery in our portfolio.  And it’s a decent introduction.

A good dose of tropical fruit aroma follows through into the taste, along with a medium grainy malt body and a solid level of bitterness that lingers long into the aftertaste.  

by Brasserie La Debauche

We’ve just received a bunch of new beers from our ‘Debauchery’ brewers from Angouleme in France.

We’ve quickly become accustomed to their adventurous nature, pushing the boundaries in terms of combinations of ingredients and melding of styles.  And this beer is one of those unique creations.

The ‘Clever Girl’ (reference to the female raptor in Jurassic Park) is a milkshake lager with popcorn and pineapple.

A heavy malt body, rich and sweet, quite fruity early on giving up the pineapple early.  The beer remains pretty thick even with some hop bitterness creeping in. There is a caramel malt sweetness at the finish, which I’ll attribute to the popcorn; only for the fact I know it is there.

The alcohol provides a gentle warmth to the aftertaste, which remains full and always on the sweeter side.

Who ever said lagers were boring?!!!

by Brasserie La Debauche

Here we have a French brewery presenting their interpretation of a largely US beer style, which itself is an Americanised version of a cross between a Belgian and a German beer style.  Sounds quite confusing!

La Debauche’s Lindy Hop is based on an American Wheat Ale.  And this style is probably best described as being something between a Belgian Witbier and a German Hefeweizen.  

It has the crisp wheat body of the Belgian Wit, but is a little darker in colour, slightly heavier in mouthfeel and with an ABV more akin to the German wheat beer.  The yeast character has a more subdued citrus and peppery nature with none of the bubblegum, banana or coriander signatures of the Belgian or German varieties.

And to make it more Americanised there is more hopping with the US fruity and aromatic hop varieties Cascade, Amarillo, Columbus and Summit.

It all comes together as an easy-drinking, refreshing summer beer style.  A little fruity sweetness early, lemon citrus being prominent. Then a solid hop bitterness with a slightly spicy, peppery note and a lingering bitter finish.

by Brasserie La Debauche

One of the most striking features of the La Debauche beers is the label art.  Each label is the work of a local artist and is carefully chosen to portray the character of the beer.

The Volga label is the work of local tattoo artist Orange TP, and embodies the delicate and inviting nature of this beer.

Pouring a light golden amber, the aroma is of lemon and grapefruit with a good malt base.  When cold the citrus follow through in the flavour, with a crisp malt body providing some delicate sweetness.

As the beer warms the bitterness takes a firmer hold. The finish is really dry with a lingering hop bitterness, accentuated by the good level of carbonation.  

A really refreshing and thirst quenching offering from our (so far) one and only French brewery.

by Brauhaus Bevog

We are continuing our monthly love-in with the Bevog beers, and this month feature the Rudeen Black IPA.

It was possibly the beer I was most excited to receive when we got our first Bevog order. Black IPA’s area favourite style of mine, though I really prefer those that have a nice tropical fruit character to counter the dark roasty malt.  Many I find to be just an over-hopped porter style, and I don’t find those as appealing.

Luckily for me (and you I hope) this beer is one of those that has a more tropical hop presence.  Dark roasted malt, chocolate and a hint of caramel sweetness are offset by some fruity and resiny hop character that offers grapefruit and pine.

Smooth and nicely balanced, I really enjoyed this beer from Bevog.

by Brew By Numbers

Belgian Pale is a fairly broad category, which captures a vast range of beers.  Possibly the most famous member of the group is Orval, which really has no peers.  The group can also include beers such as Westvleteren Blonde, Palm Speciale and St Bernardus Extra 4.

In such a broad category the beer is open to the interpretation of the brewer, and the Brew By Numbers team attribute their inspiration to De La Senne’s Taras Boulba.  We had this beer way back in May 2014.  It is a very crisp, dry and bitter pale ale.

As with all the BBNo’s beers, the version of this particular style is second number, and this beer uses Crystal (think Rogue Brutal Bitter) and Tettnang (German aroma hops).  

The body is light, with a crisp grainy malt backbone supporting grassy and floral hop bitterness.  Belgian yeast characteristics blend in nicely, to add banana and citrus with a peppery spice and slight funk.  The beer finishes really dry with a pleasant lingering hop and spice bite.

by Brew By Numbers

This is the first saison we’ve featured from our favourite London brewery, Brew By Numbers.  And you’ll see from the numbering convention used in their beer names that saison was the very first style produced by the guys.

They are unashamed fans of Belgian styles, finding reason to undertake many research trips to Belgium.  And I think it shows in the nature of their take on some classic Belgian styles.

The beer has a very solid saison character, with strong Belgian yeast phenolics with a wild funky background.  A light, crisp and clean malt base allow the more subtle elements to dhow through.

The hop variants come into play as well, with lemon citrus and grassy hop notes mixed with prickly spice.  The beer is super dry, with the hop and spice character lingering pleasantly.   Really simple but delicious beer.

by Brew By Numbers

Well that’s a mouthful of a title for a little pale ale!

This beer is the fourth version of the little Belgian Pale Ales that the BBNo team enjoying experimenting with in their European summer.

Hallertau Blanc and Mandarina Bavaria are the hops used in this version, which was first released earlier this year. 

The base beer is a clean, crisp and light malt body, with a Belgian yeast aroma.  The particular use of hops provides a strong lemon and grapefruit citrus kick with a little peppery spice.

These are quite simple, deliciously drinkable beers.   And a good way to understand the different characteristics of the hops used in each variant….if you can remember the last one!

by Brew By Numbers

Brew By Numbers is one of London’s early wave of craft breweries.  Established in December 2012, they took up residence in a railway arch under the above ground train line between London Bridge and Bermondsey.  They are one of the oringinal breweries in the famed Bermondsey Beer Mile.

The beers have a rather unique naming convention.  The first number represents the style of the beer while the second number indicates the version of that beer style.  So our Porter here is the third distinct style of beer the boys brewed, and this particular recipe is the fifth different version of a porter they’ve done.

This beer is an American style porter featuring Willamette and Centennial hops.  It has the classic porter characteristics of dry roasted malt with hints of chocolate smoothing the mouthfeel, coupled with a definite hop character of fruity, grassy bitterness leaving the beer to finish quite dry with a lingering bite.

by Brouwerij Alvinne

With their very expressive Morpheus yeast, it seemed only natural to apply their culture to a traditional Belgian style saison.  The only trouble with the Alvinne boys is they do very little in a traditional, straightforward manner.

Their saison is a little different in that they blend a small amount of their Omega blond sour beer with the saison.  They use just enough to add character without making the beer overtly sour.

So did they succeed?

The beer is a bit strong for a traditional saison, but certainly gives the beer more body and depth.  There is an inviting fruit sweetness right at the start, with a crisp grainy body. Orange citrus, yellow berries, apricots, peaches, apples, water crackers and just a little sourness all meld with a solid hop bite and the Pandora’s box of funkiness that is Morpheus yeast.

It is refreshing, quite easy drinking, satisfying yet intriguing enough to have you looking for flavour spikes with each sip.  There’s a lot to enjoy about this beer.

by Brouwerij Alvinne

This is one of several new beers produced by Alvinne in the last few months.  (So new I couldn’t even get a picture of the bottle, as you can see!)  

And it is a slight departure from the normal offerings, with the focus being on barrel-aging and fruit additions.  This beer is pretty much a Belgian Tripel at heart, but Alvinne don’t do normal.

It has a pleasant sweet and grainy malt body, with ripe fruit sweetness as well.  The rye no doubt exaggerates the spicy prickle from the yeast.  There is a little tartness as well, like green apples with a hint of grass or hay.

The farmhouse yeast adds the barnyard funk as well, which is easily noticeable but not necessarily the dominant feature of the beer.  There is a lot going on in this beer, though it all seems to work together after a few sips.

The beer finishes quite dry, with a little spicy prickle and lingering funky bitterness.

by Brouwerij Alvinne

More known for their sour beers, Alvinne also produces a few beer they list simply under ‘ales’.  Although I don’t know that you can categorise a three-grain two-hop 12% monster like this as a simple ale.

Often Alvinne’s purpose of these simple ales is to act as a base for adding fruit or barrel aging.  Or more often than not both!  Let’s call the Pays d’Erpigny a cross between a barley wine and an ABT.  It pours pretty still without any agitation, though a more vigorous pour will encourage a little fluffy white head.

The body is thick and malty as you’d expect.  The Morpheus yeast is there, though not so prominent thanks to the heavy caramel malt body which gives hints of sweet tropical fruits, like ripe mango.

The alcohol provides a decent kick, though as you progress the beer dries out a lot and finishes with quite a spicy bitterness to compliment the alcohol warmth.

This base beer was put into French Sauternes barrels for 8 months to create the Cuvee d’Erpigny Sauternes – a 12.2% slightly sour-but-sweet delicacy.  We’ll make some of these available on the ‘Extra Beers’ section of the website.

by Brouwerij Alvinne

For the past few years, the Alvinne Brewery has been known for their amazing range of sour and barrel-aged beers.  They attribute much of their success to their in-house Morpheus yeast.

Yeast is the treasure of most breweries, with the traditional breweries cultivating their house yeast over decades.  It is very uncommon for a new small brewery to have their own yeast.

Without getting too technical, Morpheus yeast can be used to brew both traditional fermenation ales, and also mixed fermentation for sour beers.  And this at high alcohol volumes as well.  It is pretty amazing.

Land Van Mortagne is a traditional quadruple style.  The beer is full of dried stone fruits, caramel, brown sugar and a touch of chocolate.  There is a little sour cherry tartness, as well as a little spicy hop bite.

A really enjoyable beer, and one which highlights the flexibility of the very special Morpheus yeast. 

by Brouwerij Alvinne

If there is one thing we know about Alvinne, it is to expect the unexpected.  And Gaspar is something different.

It is a little hard to categorise this beer into a particular style.  We’ll nominally call it a strong blond ale, but throughout the beer I get hints of a saison, a tripel and a Belgian IPA.

Gaspar is one of Belgium’s most bitter beers at 115 IBU.  It sounds a bit of a beast, but there is enough else going on in the beer to soften this bitterness out.  The Morpheus house yeast is in there, and is brewed with pilsner, pale and chocolate malts plus wheat.

It’s a light, slightly hazy colour, with a fairly subdued aroma.  There is a little malt sweetness right at the start, and an interesting hit of the Morpheus yeast.  The bitterness come on hard, but is softened by a little fruity/grassy hop hit, as well as interesting hints of spices like coriander and pepper.

Of course there is a lingering bitterness, but also enough interesting components to quickly invite another taste.

by Brouwerij Alvinne

The boys at Alvinne are really focusing on their barrel-aged sour beers, but that doesn’t mean they don’t make more mainstream styles. 

This beer pours a deep black colour, with notes of roasted malts, coffee and chocolate. 

The flavour follows the aroma, with the addition of dark fruit sweetness, a hint of vanilla, licorice and a slightly bitter finish.  It has a heavy, rich mouthfeel which is very smooth.  As the beer warms, a well-balanced sourness develops.

The Mano Negra is a great beer in its own right, but is also used as the base for some barrel-aged alternatives.  Look out for the Mano Negra Bourbon Barrel-Aged, or even the Mano Negra Chilli Bourbon Barrel-Aged beers.  They are delicious!

by Brouwerij Alvinne

Another beer from the boys at Alvinne, and typically it is hard to put this beer in a style box.  Balthazar is essentially a strong amber ale with spices.

It pours a hazy amber colour, with a tan head.  The aroma is of sweet fruits, caramel malts and spices.  Almost like a fruit cake.

The fruit and malt sweetness is first noticed in the form of caramel and toffee.  The spicing with ginger, coriander and cardamom adds a layer of flavour to explore. 

The dark fruit sweetness has a slight sourness to it as well; hinting at a soft Oud Bruin style beer.  The alcohol provides a warmth to the slightly tart aftertaste.

by Brouwerij Alvinne

Its an unmistakably Alvinne bottle in the packs again, but those who aren’t fans of the sour, please don’t despair. This is something a little different from Alvinne.

Land van Mortagne is one of the base beers.  It is nominally classed as a quadrupel, but pushes some boundaries of a big barley wine.  (And is then confused by the use of the crazy Morpheus yeast)

Cuvee de Mortagne is the barrel aged version of the beer, rested in red wine barrels such as Pomerol, St Emilion, Margaux.  The really special version of the Cuvee de Mortagne is then added to a different barrel.  This beer has spent a further year in Sauternes white wine barrels.

It smells big and sweet, slightly fruity and funky. The flavour is a pretty complex combination of a multitude of things.  Initially sweet with plums, raisins, cherries, caramel malt, dark sugar and fortified wine.  A little sour acidity grips the sides of the tongue for a short time before the warm, smooth fruit and malt body takes over again.  

It finishes reasonable dry, with a long slightly bitter, slightly sour, somewhat sweet aftertaste that hangs on the tongue and in the throat for a good while.  Rest, repeat!

by Brouwerij Alvinne

This beer was first brewed as a collaboration between Alvinne and Laugar Brewery from Spain.  Alvinne has retained the recipe as a regular in their lineup.

‘Ich Bin Ein Berliner’ – famous words spoken by President John F Kennedy to convey America’s support of West Germany against the Communists states.  It translates to something like ‘I am a Berliner (in spirit)’.

The meaning when related to this beer is much simpler.  It is a Berliner – that is a Berliner Weisse.  The further play on words is that this beer is brewed using 20% wheat, 30% rye and the remaining 50% barley.  And it of course it contains Alvinne’s famous house yeast Morpheus. 

It is a delightfully simple sour beer.  Without being too sour, it can still draw an eye scrunch at the bottom of the glass.

The wheat adds a little something texturally, while the rye imparts and extra peppery prickle.  The beer is crisp and tart, very refreshing with a dry finish.

by Brouwerij Alvinne

We had the Pays D’Erpigny in our February 17 pack, and this is the base for this beer that is aged in French Sauternes barrels for 8 months.

Alvinne last created Cuvee D’Erpigny in 2012, when they made Cuvee D’Erpigny Monbazillac.  After this use, they were not able to find any suitable barrels for the barrel-aging process.  In 2016,  three 300 litre sauternes barrels were sourced and it was time to reintroduce Cuvee D’Erpigny.

In case you haven’t had sauternes, it is a sweet white desert style wine made from Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle grapes that have been affected by the Bortrytis disease known as ‘Noble Rot’.

The barrel aging adds a little extra sweetness to the big malty body, as well as a slight vinegar acidity with the sweet dessert wine character in the background.  And the beer has picked up a touch of extra alcohol.

It’s a big bold sipper, so let it warm and notice the evolution of the beer as it progresses.  Don’t be driving anywhere after this one though!

by Brouwerij Contreras

Divers is a more traditional beer from Brouwerij Contreras.  It is essentially a tripel style ale, with a touch of dry, hoppy strong blond ale about it (think Duvel).

The body is a yellow straw colour, with a thick white head. There are light fruit aromas of pear and apple, with grassy hops and a little spice. 

The beer exhibits a lovely balance – no single aspect jumps out, but rather the attributes work together to create a beer that can seem greater than the sum of its parts.  There is a good dose of banana and clove from the Belgian yeast, along with some bready malt.  The bitterness comes in midway through, working with the gentle spicing to produce a dry, lingering finish. 

It is very easy drinking for a beer of 8.5% ABV.  Surrounded by big hoppy, experiential beers it is sometimes pleasant to dial things back a notch and just enjoy an understated beer that works.

by Brouwerij Contreras

The Donker is an amber-brown beer with a creamy beige foam.

A sweet aroma suggests caramel, dark sugar, a little chocolate and slightly over-ripe dark fruits like prunes and figs.

The flavour is not so sweet as the nose suggest.  There is malt and fruit sweetness, tempered by a roasted malt bite and spicy yeast character.  As the beer warms you may catch a hint of tart fruit on the finish.

This is a smooth and well balanced dark ale, and seems to drink above its 6.5% ABV.

History of the Breweryr: one of Belgium’s less-known breweries, but with a long tradition.  Dating back to 1818 when a brewery was first established, it was brought by a member of the Contreras family in 1898. 

by Brouwerij De Leite

This small Belgian brewery is a collaboration between three friends, who met while attending a brewing course.  Their joint aspirations were realised in 2008 when they opened their brewery in the town of Ruddervoorde in West Flanders.

They have a fondness for the classic Belgian styles, and this beer is their interpretation of the ubiquitous Belgian Tripel which they introduced to the world in 2010.

The beer pours a slightly hazy orange colour with a big yeasty aroma, bready malts and a herbal, grassy note.

There is an early malt and fruit sweetness, a herbal spiciness with a dull sense of tropical fruit.  Then the hop bitterness takes over toward the back.  It dries things right out, with a firm, lingering bitterness.

by Brouwerij De Molen

This beer is a collaboration brew between De Molen and Sound Brewery from Washington State in the US (just below the Canadian border on the West Coast).

So what type of beer do you brew when you bring together the best brewery in The Netherlands with a US west coast brewery?  A typical german style dopplebock ,using smoked Bamberg malts may not be the first style you’d think of; but that’s what we have here.

From the dopplebock we can expect a big malty, reasonably sweet body.  With a bit of smokiness from the Bamberg malt.  And that’s exactly what we get.

Crack open that cap and you get the sweet sweet aroma of bacon!  It is both enticing and confusing coming from a beer if you haven’t had one like this before.

The flavour is at first sweet with dark fruits combining with caramel malts.  Then a dry earthy hop character joins in, as the smokiness comes to the fore.  The smoke isn’t over-the-top at all, and the sweetness seems to fight back as the beer finishes.  A very interesting creation, and a decent take on a very German style beer.

by Brouwerij De Molen

If you ever find yourself in The Netherlands in September, google De Molen’s famous beer festival Borefts.  Each year they hand select breweries to invite to their festival that runs for two days at the brewery.

Of course De Molen make many new beers just for the festival, and this beer is just that.  Made for last years festival we managed to get our hands on a few cartons of this beer, just for our beer club.

The name translates to ‘Rust and Rye’, which is one of the less-obscurely-named De Molen beers.  A rusty copper colour, and a good dose of rye in the malt bill.

At first it seems a perfectly drinkable beer without any one attribute jumping out.  A decent aroma, a little malt sweetness balanced by some bitterness and spiciness. 

But as the beer progresses it seems to build.  The body gets a little thicker with a fruity, slightly jammy sweetness.  Then a building dry rye spice cuts through to leave a pleasant lingering bitterness.

by Brouwerij De Molen

‘Day & Dew’ is a beer De Molen make only once a year, during April so it is ready for the European spring and summer months (or weeks if it’s a bad year!)

For what is essentially a fairly uncommercial brewery (if you can say that of Ratebeer’s 6th Best Brewery in the World for 2016!), they do make a marketing effort for this beer with special tap decals, posters and table talkers aplenty.  They are proud of this beer, and rightly so.   

It is a really well balanced IPA featuring a fruity combination of American hops – Chinook for bittering and then dry-hopped with Amarillo, Cascade, Simcoe and Columbus.  And then fresh Bergamot citrus fruit is added at the end of fermentation.

The result is a spicy tropical fruit cocktail of peach, grapefruit, orangeand pine, with a strong bergamot flavour (what gives Earl Grey tea its distinctive flavour), that adds a very slight tart/sour note to the mix.

by Brouwerij De Molen

A massive Imperial Stout, with loads of roasted malt, chocolate and coffee

by Brouwerij De Molen

We welcome our newest brewery to our wholesale portfolio – Brouwerij De Molen from The Netherlands.  Included in Ratebeer’s ‘Top 100 Brewers of the World’ last year, we can look forward to some world class brews in coming months.

First cab off the rank is their famous Vuur & Vlam (Fire & Flames).   

Each year, De Molen organises a beer festival called ‘Borefts’, where they invite a handful of similar artisanal brewers from Europe to share their favourite beers.  In 2010, they shared their recipe to this beer with the invitees, who all made their own version of the beer.

(Members may recall De Struise’s Ignis & Flamma from the Nov 2014 beer pack!)

The beer is a delicious American-style IPA.  Very hop-driven with Galena for bittering, late hopping with Chinook, Cascade, Simcoe and Amarillo and also dry-hopped with Cascade. 

But for all the fruity and resinous hop flavours, there is a lovely balance with a caramel malt body to carry the bitterness.

by Brouwerij De Molen

This beer was an interesting offering from De Molen. They are always very open about their beers, giving lots of details and background into the how’s and why’s of all their creations.  But this one was a little different, with simple notes explaining that there is a long story about this beer which they won’t go into; but they are very happy with the end result.

Little wonder then that the name translates to ‘explain in detail’!

For a little beer, there are lots of ingredients used.  And the beer falls somewhere between a pale ale and a saison/farmhouse ale.  I’m going to lean on the pale ale side of the fence for now.   Though it might change as the beer gets a little older.

There are a lot of hops mentioned on the ingredients list, with two bittering hops, three late hop additions and dry-hopping with Amarillo. For all that the beer isn’t overly bitter.  A little early fruit sweetness hints at orange citrus, peach, grapefruit as well as a grassy, herbal note.  

The light malt body and soft carbonation make for a more subdued mouthfeel than you might expect, with a little funky saison character from the Belle Saison yeast.

by Brouwerij De Molen

The first thing to note about this beer is that its a single hop beer featuring the Citra hop.

Single hop beers make for an interesting study in the character of a particular hop, but it doesn’t always work to have one hop doing the very different tasks of bittering, flavour and aroma.

I’ve tried a couple of Citra single hop beers before; most notably ‘Citra’ by Oakham Ales in the UK.  And this beer by De Molen is another example of a Citra single hop that works.

The beer is made as an American Pale Ale.  The Citra character comes through strong in the aroma, with citrus and tropical fruits. 

These flavours follow through in the taste as well, though it is not an overly bitter beer.  It has a very light mouthfeel, and is a very easy drinking beer.  A perfect session ale, and the reason it is one of De Molen’s best selling lower alcohol styles.

This is the last batch of this beer under the ‘Pale Ale Citra’ label.  It is now known as ‘Hop & Liefde’, which translates to Hop and Love.

by Brouwerij De Molen

Another Berliner Weisse that is just perfect for summer afternoons, so no surprise at the name.  

You may well have many Berliners over this summer, but this is likely the only one that features Minneola, which is an orange citrus fruit that is something like a cross between a grapefruit and a mandarin.

The beer is dry hopped with Simcoe, Mosaic and Citra hops (and Citra is even used as the bittering hop) so there is a real tropical fruitiness to this beer.  Aromas of orange, mandarin, tangerine and passionfruit follow through in the flavour.

There is a very light sourness, maybe even more of a fruit tartness than sour.  Super easy drinking, this beer really doesn’t give any impression of being alcoholic.  

I can really see myself having a few of these over summer. I only wish all the flavours were dialed up a notch or two.  Maybe I’ll suggest an imperial version for autumn!

by Brouwerij De Molen

While De Molen is more renowned for their big dark imperial stouts, porters and barrel-aged beers, they do turn their hand to some of the lighter styles as well.

The White Witch is De Molen’s take on a Belgian saison; with a twist.  This saison is dry-hopped with both Cascade and Amarillo hops.

The beer pours a hazy straw colour, with a foamy white head.  The nose is a mix of light saison funky yeast, and tropical fruit hops.

Early flavour is of sweet tropical fruits, and crisp malts.  There is an earthy minerality in the body, which comes through and lingers.  A real hop zing persists, giving prickly spices and fruit sweetness.

In the aftertaste, the minerality disappears before the long hop bitterness, with a very dry finish.  And interesting take on a beer style which is quickly becoming very broad indeed.

by Brouwerij De Molen

A barley wine with smoked malt and three varieties of chillies. Different but delicious!

by Brouwerij De Molen

The name translates as ‘Spring Hop’, so it is no surprise that this beer is was originally brewed as a seasonal offering in the spring time.

An interesting fact about this beer is that it is made with a bottom fermenting yeast (as opposed to a top fermenting yeast for ales).   So in reality this beer is an India Pale Lager.

The aroma is a mix of soft fruit notes and sweet malt.  This carries through into the flavour with orange citrus, apricot, faint pine and a little hint of darker stone fruit.  The light caramel malt backbone provides enough sweetness to balance the hop bitterness and create a really smooth, easy sipping beer.

Brewery fact: in 2011, De Molen was ranked 5th in the Ratebeer worlds best breweries list.  And it also rated 1st in the Ratebeer worlds best brew pub rankings.

by Brouwerij De Molen

‘Amerikaans is a light amber coloured bitter, with an American touch.’

English bitters are the quintessential session beer - with flavour. Characterised by a mild malt flavour and soft bitterness from Czech hops,they are made for drinking in the pub environment; and drinking a few. 

The American touch comes in the form of dry hopping with US hops Columbus and Amarillo, adding a fruity and floral aroma, with light citrus and grassy flavours.

The beer has been renamed Licht & Lustig, with the brewery wanting to keep the naming trend consistent through their range. 

So this is the last Amerikaans label we’ll see.  But we’ll have the beer back, with its new label, on our next container. 

by Brouwerij De Molen

The De Molen beers are generally just a bit different somehow, and the Winterhop is no exception.  Technically we’d have to label this beer as an India Pale Lager.

It is a deep amber coloured beer, with the use of a little caramel and chocolate malt.  And of course lots of hops – Magnum for bittering, late-hopped with Cascade and then dry-hopped with Simcoe and Citra.  Then a bottom fermenting yeast which is why this is a lager rather than an ale.

There is a strong tropical fruit aroma, with a fruity and pine resin flavour.  But there is also a malt backbone supporting all those hops.  A touch of sweetness and dry roast malt add another layer to the taste. 

The beer finishes quite dry, with a lingering bitterness.

by Brouwerij De Molen

‘On Top & The Best’ seems a good name for De Molen’s session ale.  It is an ale – rather than a lager – with a top-fermenting yeast. 

The beer is put in the ‘English-style Bitter’ box, but the hop profile could definitely nudge it toward an IPA.

As is customary for De Molen, the bittering hop is Sladek.   And their penchant for dry-hopping continues in this beer, with Amarillo being the chosen weapon from the hop arsenal.

The beer has an attractive orange body, with a fluffy white head.  The Amarillo dry hop gives an immediately enticing aroma of grapefruit and tangerine.

It is an easy-drinking bitter, with a light, zesty and very clean mouthfeel.  The beer is slightly fruity and bitter, drying out as it goes, to a pleasant and refreshing lingering bitterness.  

by Brouwerij De Molen

De Molen is well known for the big dark ales, and also the lighter pale ales and IPA’s.  But a great brewer can turn their hand to any style.  Heen (‘ee’ is pronounced ‘a’, as in hate) & Weer translates as ‘Back & Forth’, and is De Molen’s take on a Belgian Tripel style.

The Belgian yeast aromas are present, but there is also a big malt sweetness as some peppery spice.

This follows through in the flavour.  An initial sweet malt hit offers brown sugar, ripe fruits and an alcohol warmth.  Then the bitterness works to balance the sweetness, much higher than a normal tripel.  Coriander and a little peppery bite aid the hop bite to produce a lingering bitter, spicy finish.

De Molen always describe their beer styles as ‘-ish’, acknowledging each beer is their interpretation.  Having sampled many Belgian Tripels, this one is a little different, but an interesting and enjoyable beer all the same.

by Brouwerij De Molen

Although more noted for their big dark stouts, De Molen often turn their hand to making lighter coloured beers.  And they are always experimenting with IPA’s.  

While these beers are not part of their core range, they are presented quite frequently.  There seems to be two distinct styles of double IPA’s – they are either heavy and sweet, or lighter and drier.

The Amarillo is one of the sweeter style DIPA’s.  It is very much a malt forward beer, heavily dry-hopped with Amarillo.  Quite a thick caramel malt body with over-ripe tropical fruit aroma and resinous, piney flavour.

Moving away from the American-style names, and back to the more traditional theme, this beer has now been renamed Storm & Bliksem.

by Brouwerij De Molen

We’ve featured several of the De Molen Pale Ales and IPA’s, but as the cooler weather closes in its time to feature some of their dark beers.

In the brewery’s own marketing material they describe this beer as “a very special brew compared to our normal ways. Unlike almost all our beers this is brewed completely according to the traditional way”.  No smoked malts, crazy ingredients, barrel-aging or dry-hopping.  Just a good solid traditional style porter – “the way it was supposed to be once!”

The romantic history of the Porter will describe it as a blend of beer styles, which became popular sustenance to the street porters of London.  The uglier truth is that the beer was a mix of the leftovers, and was all the common labourers could afford.  Either way, the style endured.

Made with chocolate and dark crystal malts, this porter offers a smooth rich mouthfeel, with flavours of chocolate, dark fruit, coffee and a woody hint.  It finishes with a soft, but sustained roasted bitterness.

by Brouwerij De Molen

It seems that Berliner Weisse and Gose are going to be Australia’s beers of this coming summer.  So not wanting to be left behind, we’ve organized a few from our European brewers.

The first is Achtung Berry from De Molen.  It is a Berliner Weisse with hibiscus flowers and blueberries. 

It pours the most beautiful deep crimson colour, looking for all money like a nice rose in the glass.  The berries and flowers make for a lovely aroma, with the background hint of funk and sour.

For our non-sour-loving members, this is your sour warning (albeit a little imbedded in the narrative!)  There is early sweetness from the berries, coming through almost like the slight tartness of  slightly under-ripe cherries.  The hibiscus flowers add a rose wine note as well.

The lactobacillus does kick in, though (to me at least) very gently at first.  It slowly grips the outside, back of the tongue and works it way around the gums for a pleasant lingering bite that encourages another taste of this beer.

by Brouwerij De Molen

The ‘Heaven & Earth’ is one of De Molen’s most iconic beers.  It is packed full of malt, including the most heavily peated malt in the world, sourced from the Bruichladdich distillery.  And if that wasn’t enough, the beer was then aged for 10 months in Bowmore Scotch Whisky barrels.

If you are a fan of roasty and peaty malts, and/or peaty whisky then you will be in heaven with this beer.  The aroma is strongly of those peated malts.  Peat, ash and smoke all jump out of the glass, and follow through in the flavour.

In behind this is a lovely thick malt body full of dark chocolate, molasses and a hint of licorice and coffee.  But then the smoke and peat fight back to finish rich and smooth, with a definite boozy edge.

As De Molen warn: ‘this beer isn’t for the fainthearted!’

by Brouwerij De Molen

De Molen aim to release a collaborative brew once every 4 weeks, and they do a pretty good job of fulfilling this intention.  For this collab they ventured a little further afield (metaphorically speaking) for a brewing partner and found Reketye Brewery from Hungary.

It must always be an interesting discussion between the brewers when they discuss the joint project and settle on a beer style.  No prizes for guessing the smoked malt was De Molen’s choice, and the smoked paprika powder chosen by the Hungarian brewers.

And it is a pretty interesting ingredient to include in a beer.  I don’t honestly think I’ve ever had another paprika beer before.  I mean, who would do that?

As always, the smoked beer will probably be either a love or hate job.  The smoked malts add a real bacon aroma to the beer.  In the flavour it comes through more as smoked darker meat.  The dopplebock has that lovely sweet malt body, with just a little hint of hop bitterness and spice.  The paprika takes a back seat, and I doubt I’d pick it as such without knowing it is in the beer.

And in true German style, the dopplebock name must end in ‘ator’!

by Brouwerij De Molen

This beer from De Molen is a little outside the box.  As they do, De Molen are non-committal as they describe this beer as being ‘Stout and Porter-ish’.  That leaves thing pretty open then!

To be a little more specific, this is a smoked stout combining English peat smoked malts and another smoked malt from Bamburg in Germany (the home of smoked malts).  This unlikely combination gave rise to the name.

In the words of the brewery: “Anyone who watched Faulty Towers knows how hard it is to create a lasting peace between the English and the Germans.  It cost us blood, sweat and tears but we are convinced we succeeded”.

The aroma is strongly of smoked malt, even smoked meats.  But allow the beer to warm and the flavour range is immense.  For all the smoky malt, there is a big dose of chocolate.  There is also dark berries, a woody character, something slightly vinuous as well as some hop bitterness.

There is a lot to this beer, and it may be a little divisive.  But let it warm, sip through the initial palette shock, and you will find a truly interesting beer.

by Brouwerij De Molen

De Molen almost always suggest their beers are leaning to a certain style without actually proclaiming they fit firmly in that box.  And the Licht & Lustig is no different, described by the brewery as ‘American Pale Ale-ish’.

The intention with this beer was to create a beer light in alcohol (for their portfolio at least), with a refreshing crisp and bitter taste.  A beer of which to have a few, or indeed the beer to start a tasty flight.

The beer is a bit of a cross between two distinct styles.  Firstly an English style bitter with a nice malty body and high level of bitterness.  And it also has elements of an American style Pale Ale, with the use of American hops.

Pils and caramel malt make for a decent malt backbone, which supports a good level of hop bitterness from the Sladek bittering hops.  The beer is then dry-hopped with a mix of Columbus and Amarillo hops for a lovely aroma and flavour of fresh tropical fruits.

The name of the beer translates as ‘Light and Lustful’, so drink with care!

by Brouwerij De Molen

A couple of the things De Molen are renowned for are big dark beers, and the use of smoked malts.   And this beer combines both of those attributes, as well as an interesting third feature.

In the words of the brewer: ‘No smoke without a fire, goes an old saying.  But although we had many smoke in several of our beers, there wasn’t a fire.  That’s why we decided to do something about it.  The result is this perfectly balanced beer with hints of smoke and an small fire on you tongue’.

Smokey beers are often quite divisive; its often a case of love them or hate them.  And chilli beers are very much the same.  So it was an interesting decision to mix these two, but an experiment that really works.

The ‘Smoke and Fire’ has an invitingly sweet chocolate body early, before the slightly peaty smoke checks in.  A subtle chilli kick is in the background, but as the beer progresses, the chilli builds slowly to provide a pleasant warmth in the rich, balanced aftertaste.

by Brouwerij De Molen

The name of this beer translates as ‘far & wide’, though the style has its origins not that far away.  It is an English Strong Ale, a style we don’t see that often; at least this far away from the source.

The style has been described as being ‘bigger than a pale ale, smaller than a barley wine’.  And we are referring to English styles here, so nothing too hoppy or bitter, the hero is the malt.

On the pour, this beer seems quite still.  But a small head will gently form over the bronze coloured body.  The aroma is of heavy malt giving sweet fruity notes.

The flavour follows with a big dose of caramel malt sweetness at the start.  The heavy body coats the tongue with a pleasant syrupy fruitiness, with hints of orange marmalade, dried fruits, rosewater and toffee.

It stops just short of being cloying, with a hint of hop bitterness and prickle from the carbonation almost coming in as an afterthought.  A beer to sip and enjoy, this would be cracking to have with Christmas cake or pudding.

by Brouwerij De Molen

This beer is one of the many one-off creations made by De Molen, where the brewers scratch their creative itch.  And it is something of a rarity to be offered such a ‘normal’ beer as a lager.

But then any brewer will always tell you brewing a good lager is one of the most challenging styles to tackle.  There isn’t a place to hide any imperfections or problems, as there are in the bigger, bolder styles.

Not that we’d expect to find any issues from this most accomplished brewery, and they’ve produced a really refreshing, crisp and tasty beer here.

Pils and caramel malts combine for a light grainy body with a slight sweetness up front giving way to a pleasant lingering bitterness. 

Cascade hops are used both for bittering and aroma, with the latter offering the pleasant tropical fruit aroma the comes out more as the beer warms slightly.

by Brouwerij De Molen

SitiS (Latin word for ‘thirst’) is the collaborative creation from De Molen and Swedish gypsy brewers Omnipollo.  This is the second iteration of the brew, after it was first produced midway through last year.

When you think of a collaboration between these two Euro brewing giants, you’d expect something heavy, dark and probably barrel-aged.  But they defied their instincts and decided to brew something light and fruity.

It is invitingly labelled as an Imperial Pineapple IPA.  It is NOT a NEIPA, although it is very hazy.

The ingredient list boasts the use of oats and wheat in the malt bill, late hop additions of Zeus and Citra, dry-hopping with Columbus and Citra also with corn flakes and of course pineapple.

This all makes for a light and crisp bodied beer, with a really juicy tropical fruit aroma.  The fruit juiciness does flow through into the flavour as much as the nose would suggest.  

There is a good level of bitterness, with an even more obvious tartness with strong hints of grapefruit which overpowers any pineapple character to some degree.  The beer finishes quite dry, bitter and tart.

by Brouwerij De Molen

Brouwerij De Molen make public their intention to create at least one new beer each month, and they do a mighty good job of achieving this objective.  This beer is one such new creation from January this year.

Never afraid to take on different styles of beer, this offering is best described as an American Strong Ale. It is one of those dumping bucket styles, where beers that don’t sit comfortably within an established style can be placed.  And of course the use of ‘American’ in the title subtly implies the use of extra hops, or higher alcohol.  Or in this case both.

This is a big beer, with a solid malt backbone.  An early fruity sweetness is offset by a pleasant hop bitterness.  There is lots of dried fruit in the flavour, like orange and peach, with a hint of strawberry.  Caramel malts give a lovely soft and full mouthfeel, with a pleasant hop bitterness.

The flavours linger with a warming alcohol presence for a long and satisfying aftertaste.  This is a big beer but deceptively drinkable.

by Brouwerij De Molen

This is one of the many beers from De Molen that rates a perfect ‘100’on Ratebeer, so we thought this would make a fitting finishing beer for the Christmas pack.

Described by the brewery as an Imperial Porter, it suggests that it is just a bigger bolder version of a normal porter.  Or maybe a supercharged version! 

So we can expect a beer which is a step up on a Baltic Porter, rich and dark, but without the bitter roasted malt character you get from a stout.

The beer glugs out of the bottle and the jet black body is very still.  It is bursting with rich aromas of sweet dark fruits and lots of chocolate.  Maybe even a faint hint of coffee.

It is rich and powerful, with a viscous, sticky mouthfeel.  Strong sweetness of chocolate, plums and licorice.  There is a slight roasted malt bitterness and the background hint of coffee, and then a whole bunch more that melds beautifully into a mouthful of indulgence.

by Brouwerij De Molen

In true De Molen style we have here a beer which is delicious, and a little hard to categorise.  As we’ve noted before, De Molen are not so bold as to proclaim there beer is a particular style, preferring to describe is as ‘ish’.

The name is a mouthful, though tellingly translates as ‘Beautiful & Ruthless’.  It is a fittingly paradoxical name for a beer with two faces.

This beer has the deep malty and fruity body of a quadrupel and at the same time a harder roasted malt bite of an imperial stout.   Big and rich in the aroma, the beer is a good deal drier and spicier than the nose suggests, with hints of dark chocolate and coffee.

We’ll nominally call it a quadrupel (because our website format requires a style), but its an interesting call.  Try asking for another one of these by name!

And there’s more:  We recently received the first Bourbon barrel-aged version of this beer.  We’ve made a few available in the ‘Extra Beers’ section.

by Brouwerij De Molen

An attractive branded glass from Brouwerij De Molen

by Brouwerij de Musketiers

Troubadour Blond is one of our favourite beers, so when we learned that the boys had made adry-hopped blond, we were excited.  Then they explained that the beer was only for the American market, but after a little pleading we managed to get some.

There is an inviting aroma of fruity and grassy hops.  This follows through in the taste, initially fruity though giving in to hop bitterness and yeast spice for a drier in the finish.  The alcohol is higher than the normal blond, so the Troubadour brewers refer to this beer style as a ‘double blond’. 

Antigoon was a mythical giant, who controlled a river in Antwerp, exacting tolls from those crossing the river.  For any who couldn’t pay, he would chop off a hand and throw it in the river.  One day a Roman soldier named Silvius Brabo slew the giant, cutting off his head and hand.  The Brabo Statue stands in front of the city hall, and depicts this event; said to be the origin of the name Antwerp. ‘Hand and Wearpan’ (which in old English meant to throw).

by Brouwerij de Musketiers

Once a year, the Troubadour boys make a single batch special edition of their flagship Troubadour Magma,  The first three years saw a simple change in the dry-hop, until yeast experimenation began with the 2014 special edition.

2015 sees the yeast focus continue.  At each of the three fermentation stages - main fermentation, lagering and bottle fermentation - a Brettanomyces yeast strain is added.

The result is a beer which is unrecognisable from the original.  We've included fresh Magma in this pack for the interesting comparison.  It just goes to show the significant role yeast plays in a beer!

The aroma is very fruity with grapefruit, mandarin and peach notes, and the Bretty funk laying over it all.  This follows through in the flavour which is more tart than sour.  

Lots of crisp, sharp citric flavours, a little more sweetness of tropical fruit and of course the musty, funky Brettanomyces character presenting right through.  The beer is really quite refreshing, and not something non-sour drinkers should be fearful of.

Overall I think it is an interesting, complex creation.  It takes a little getting used to, but when your palette has done its best of reconciling what is going on with this beer, it is beautifully refreshing.  And way too easy to drink for 9.8%!

by Brouwerij de Musketiers

Troubadour Speciale is a copper coloured ale in the ‘Special Belge’ style.  It is a reinvention of the typical Belgian amber session ales of the past, but with more character and flavour.

It has a malty and slightly spicy first taste.  The body is light with a touch of caramel, with mild hop bitterness; reminiscent of an English Ale.  The finish is crisp and dry, with a pleasant slightly bitter aftertaste.

Speciale is the perfect drink for a warm summer afternoon.  At 5.7% ABV, it is a step up on Belgium’s traditional amber ales – think Pale or Dekoninck – in both alcohol and flavour.  The Speciale Belge style is a past favourite, that

Beer Style: the Speciale Belge style is a tradition for Belgium, though a style which had all-but disappeared in recent times.  With the international popularity of good beer increasing all the time, Belgium’s brewers have reinvented the style to appeal to current tastes.  This is now a style appearing on more and more brewery beer lists.

by Brouwerij de Musketiers

Troubadour Magma is the flagship beer for Brouwerij de Musketieres.  It is a delicious beer that combines the body of a Belgian tripel with the hopping of a US West Coast IPA, using an obscene amount of Simcoe hop.

If you haven’t had the pleasure, you really should – we’ll make Magma available on the ‘Extra Beers’ page this month).

Each year the boys get a little creative and swap one element of the recipe around.  In the past they’ve used different hops or yeast, but 2016 was the first time they’ve changed the malt bill.

Maris Otter is a premium malt, popular amongst home brewers and commercial breweries crafting premium ales.

This version of Magma seems to have a lighter, crisper body.  It makes for a dangerously easy drinking Belgian IPA with a lovely tropical fruit character and bitterness balanced perfectly to the premium malt backbone.

by Brouwerij de Musketiers

The Troubadour 250ml tasting glass

by brouwerij Drie Fonteinen

Drie Fonteinen is known for the amazing Lambic beers they produce.  But those beers take time, so it makes sense that the lambic brewers supplement their sour stocks with some more traditional beer.

And a sour porter is about as traditional as it gets for Armand at the 3F brewery.  (Well that’s not quite true, as he makes a blond and also a lager too.)

A normal porter is made, using the yeast from the Beersel Blond beer.  It is then refermented in the bottle using a lambic yeast  which includes a Brettanomyces strain.

The result is a dark beer with an inviting smell of roasted malt, chocolate, dark stone fruits and yeast.  The flavour combines these attributes so that the beer is very porterish, with justthe subtle character of the lambic yeast.

by Brouwerij Emelisse/Slot-Oostende

Way back in July 2014, when Kees Bubberman (Brouwerij Kees) and John De Vries (now at De Molen) were manning the tanks at Emelisse, we included the Black IPA in our beer club packs.  Now its called BIPA!

Many changes since then, with the brewery being sold and all the beers now being made by the new owners at the Slot-Oostende brewery.  Possibly my favourite of the old Emelisse beers was the Black IPA, so it was with some consternation learning that the recipe of this beer had been changed.

The main difference to my senses is a real roastiness in the newer version versus a much fruiter (it was almost tropical) nature to the old version.

This beer has a much more noble hop character and a quite restrained hop bitterness.  There is a lot more roastiness there though, with hints of coffee, burnt toast, charcoal and a little licorice.  

It is pretty well balanced, with the slightest hint of alcohol.  There is a little bitter chocolate, slightly spicy and very dry finish. 

by Brouwerij Emelisse/Slot-Oostende

It has been a while since we’ve had a beer from Emelisse, but let me assure you it has been worth the wait.

Dopplebocks are a style I really enjoy, and when a great brewer makes a supercharged version, it is something to get excited about.

As with many big malty beers, fresh is not best.  Often the beer tastes a little too fresh and unbalanced, but time will soften things down and bring all the attributes together.  We’ve been sitting on these since last year, and they are now tasting great. 

This is a malt bomb, so lots of sweet caramel and burnt sugar in the aroma.  Also some dried stonefruit and a hint of madeira.

Big sweetness up front with caramel, molasses, toffee, raisins and prunes.  There is a soft hop bite lingering somewhere in the background, along with some gentle spice. 

The age has taken care of the early sticky mouthfeel, and it is now a good deal lighter in the body than it was.  It would suit aging for longer, but how strong is your willpower??

by Brouwerij Emelisse/Slot-Oostende

This was the first new beer to be introduced since Brewmaster Kees Bubberman passed the duties on to his understudy John De Vries.

Driven by the desires of the export market, this low-ABV ‘session ale’ is now a permanent member of the Emelisse product range.

At 3.5%, it falls into our ‘mid strength’ category; a style that is attracting increasingly more focus from craft brewers.  For many years in Australia, XXXX Gold has dominated this market segment.  But now there are options – with flavour.

From the brewery notes, this beer is ‘brewed with pale malt, rye and oats, and hopped with Chinook, Cascade and Columbus. 

As you’d expect for a mid-strength beer, the body is fairly light.  Fruity hop bitterness dominates, with hints of grapefruit and lemon citrus, peach and a floral character.  There is a light marmalade sweetness in the body, and a dry lingering bitterness.

by Brouwerij Emelisse/Slot-Oostende

On a chilly night in, settle by the fireplace and grab this bottle of Emelisse Winterbier for company.

It isn’t the prettiest looking beer in the glass, having a murky brown body.  But don’t judge a book by its cover.  

The aroma is sweet, fruity and spiced.  Caramel, raisins, candi sugar, molasses give a sweetness to the dark roasty malts. 

The sweetness presents early as an invitation to enjoy the layers of flavours to come.  As the beer warms, the full range of flavours develop.  Sweet caramel roasted malts and over-ripe stone fruit is joined by burned toffee, licorice, a nuttiness and peppery spice.

The beer finishes quite dry, with a long spicy, bitter aftertaste. Defintely a beer to sip and savour.

by Brouwerij Emelisse/Slot-Oostende

The name is a little ambiguous, as this is a lot more American Pale Ale than Belgian style Blond.

It has a lovely golden orange body, with a big white head.  The aroma is pleasantly fruity and floral.

The taste is fresh and fruity, with notes of grapefruit and peaches.  Also lots of fresh grass and pine.  Crisp light malt and a forward hop bitterness make for a very refreshing pale ale.

by Brouwerij Emelisse/Slot-Oostende

This beer is one of the showpieces in the Emelisse standard range.  A rich and luxurious Imperial Stout, infused with coffee beans from Italy.

For the coffee afficienados the coffee used is a blend of 90% Arabica and 10% Robusta.

It has a dark brown, almost black body, with an off-white foam through which escapes the inviting aroma of roasted malts, dried fruits, a little chocolate and of course coffee.

The first thing you notice about the beer is that it truly is an imperial stout.  Lots of deep, rich chocolate, roasted malt and dark fruit flavours.  The coffee is present, but in the background adding a dry spiciness.  There is no sharp astringency that you can find with some coffee beers.

Enjoy the evolution of the flavours in this beer as it warms.  Gentle hints of coffee remain in the long, rich and warming aftertaste.

by Brouwerij Emelisse/Slot-Oostende

As the name suggests, this beer is dessert in a bottle.  It is part of the ‘Innovation Series’ from Emelisse, which unfortunately means it is not produced all that often.

It is an Imperial Stout at heart, with the addition of lactose, which aids the thick, smooth mouthfeel and also the awesome aroma.

A very dark brown, almost black body, with a beige foam.  The nose is simply ‘wow’!  Thick vanilla bean, chocolate, caramel, butterscotch and toffee.

These characteristics follow through in the taste as well.  It is sweet, as expected, with all the attributes above.  But there is also the stout lying at the heart of the beer.  A strong roasted bitterness cuts through to balance out this sweetness.  Somewhere there is the 8.0% ABV, but that is a mere sideshow.

A really thick mouthfeel and long, lingering aftertaste make this beer a real treat to substitute for dessert, or finish off a night.

A Fact: I called in to the brewery during my last trip to Europe, and it was brew day for the Crème Brulee Stout.  I witnessed this batch being made!

by Brouwerij Emelisse/Slot-Oostende

As we know, the Emelisse label was sold a while back and now the Slot-Oostende brewery produce all the Emelisse beers from their brewery in the Dutch town of Goes.

One of the things we really looked forward to were the White Label creations of Kees and John.  These were the truly special beers – various styles (but mostly Russian Imperial Stouts or Barley Wines) all aged in barrels of different designations and origins.  

So it was with much anticipation when we were offered the first round of new White Labels from the new brewery.   The first in the quarter was a blend of a fruity Saison and a Dopplebock aged in various red wine barrels, and then blended together.

It is quite a light-bodied beer for aging in barrels, and the beer has taken on quite a strong barrel character with solid red wine and woody flavours.  There is also flavours of red stone fruits, which offers an initial degree of sweetness giving way to a dry, lingering finish.  Not a bad start for the new guys!

by Brouwerij Emelisse/Slot-Oostende

I think Porter is something of an under-done style in Australia.  Thankfully Europe – and particularly the UK – are very well-stocked.  The Emelisse Porter came as something of a surprise, but a very welcome one.

It pours a very dark brown, and immediately gives off aromas of rich dark malt, brown sugar, chocolate and a hint of coffee.

Allow the beer to warm to bring out all the aromas and flavours.  You’ll be rewarded with an indulgent mouthful of creamy dark roasted malt flavours, chocolate and coffee and dark stone fruit.  There is also a little earthy hop bitterness, without any astringency in the roasted malt character.

It seems to drink above the 7.0% ABV; great news if you have another!

by Brouwerij Emelisse/Slot-Oostende

This is another of the ‘Innovation Series’, which means we grab them whenever we can!

Made using 20% rye malt and 10% smoked malt, this beer is first and foremost an IPA with Simcoe and Cascade hops providing a citrus and grassy aroma.

There is malt and fruit sweetness at first, then being joined by a dry spiciness and solid bitterness.  The smoked malt hides in the background, but does come through gently toward the finish.

Lots to explore in this beer, and made the more interesting by keeping the atributes subtle rather than being smacked between the eyes.

by Brouwerij Emelisse/Slot-Oostende

I must admit that dubbels/bruins are not my preferred style of beer.  I can’t remember the last time I chose one over a saison, blond or tripel.  But the Emelisse Brewery has been knocking it out of the park with all their beers, so figured their dubbel was worth a look.

It pours a reddish-brown colour, with a creamy head.  Lots of inviting aromas in this beer: sweet caramel malt, Belgian candy, raisins, yeast.

The flavour is sweet early on with the caramel malt, dark stone fruit, Belgian candy sugar, and rich bready malt tempting you in.  The rich flavour is then joined by some spicy notes and hop bitterness. 

Despite the rich flavour, the beer really dries out as it progresses, which adds another element to the profile.

As the autumn weather rolls in, I reckon this will be a perfect beer to take a little chill out of a later afternoon beer in the back yard.

by Brouwerij Emelisse/Slot-Oostende

This is one of the newest beers produced by Emelisse.  Following the departure of Kees Bubberman to establish his own brewery, assistant brewer John stepped up to the head brewer role. 

An English Bitter is the quintessential session beer, though normally associated with cask conditioned ales.  Typically low ABV, with a dominant malt and slightly fruity body and medium level of bitterness, they are the staple beers for most English beer drinkers.

Emelisse’s take on this is pretty true to style.  A nice bitter sweet caramel malt body, a little fruity with a stronger hop bitterness than normal. 

As intended, this is a very easy drinking beer.  Flavoursome enough to keep the tastebuds interested, but gentle and sessionable.

Admirers of the Emelisse beers will notice the label for this beer is a break from their normal style.  The brewery recently underwent a rebranding process, so look out for the first of the new labels on bottles in the coming months.

by Brouwerij Het Nest

It must be the month for long beer names I think.  Another beer from Hobbybrouwerij Het Nest to give hope to all budding home brewers with aspirations of turning commercial.

If you don’t know the story if these guys, they are a beer collective who decided to brew some beers on the 10th Anniversary of their club.  And they were pretty successful, now gypsy brewing batches of their different beers quite regularly.

This beer is a special brew.  The Schuppenboer Tripel is a great beer in itself, and the Grand Cru version is brewed based on the same recipe, but increased for an ABV of 10%.  The Grand Cru was in fact the beer we were going to get, but we found the Cognac barrel aged version was available.  And its hard to turn down a limited edition barrel aged beer; of course!

A big malty body of the Belgian tripel, with good spicing from the yeast and the addition of coriander and Cascade hops.

I don’t get a lot of barrel character from this, but it is a really smooth beer for such a heavy-hitting tripel.

by Brouwerij het Uiltje

Another collaborative brew from Uiltje, this time with their friends Moor Beer Co; an English brewery based in Bristol that has been operating since 2007.

The beer owes its creation to a birthday celebration.  Beer Temple is a bar in Amsterdam that focusses on American and US-style beers.  They asked their friends at Uiltje to brew a special beer to celebrate their 5th birthday.  And this is what they came up with, back in 2014.  (The bar has recently celebrated their 10th birthday in September this year, and Uiltje made a Big Fat 10 beer!)

Of course the beer is a West Coast US style double IPA.  And in keeping with the 5th birthday theme, it features 5 big American Hops.  Simcoe, Chinook, Citra, Amarillo and Columbus hops were the lupulin weapons of choice. 

The flavour offers orange, grapefruit, pineapple peach and pine notes to compliment the slightly caramel malty body, which stays dry and bitter and is dangerously smooth drinking.

The beer was so popular it became the house beer of Bier Temple Bar (as well as another couple of bars in The Netherlands), so is a regular in the portfolio.

by Brouwerij het Uiltje

First made in 2016, this beer has been ‘re-engineered’ more than once over that time, (as well as going from bottles to cans) but still retains the status as being the hoppiest of Uiltje’s core range beers.

The good doctor is an imperial IPA that contains most of the hop varieties you’ve ever heard of: Cascade, Simcoe, Mosaic, Nelson-Sauvin, Chinook, Amarillo, Centennial and Citra.  No wonder then that it has an inviting tropical fruit aroma full of pineapple, grapefruit, mango and pine.

A solid caramel malt base provides the backbone for all those hops.  There is a sweetness to the malt, such that all those hops – as well as the considerable ABV – are covered off really well.

This will be one of those big IPA’s that lend themselves to becoming something of a barley wine as the hops drop off.  But for now, the hops are doing their job.  Enjoy this very tasty, really well balanced offering from Uiltje.

by Brouwerij het Uiltje

We received out first delivery from Uiltje brewey last month, and we featured the Fizzy Bubblech in the March 19 beer club pack. If it didn’t contravene our self-imposed rules, I would have put this beer in last months pack as well.  But we had to wait til now to include this beer for you as well.

Just like the first Uiltje beer, this beer comes in a 440ml can which is the fashion for the limited edition or one off beers. Which is just as well, as it means a little more of this delicious beer to enjoy.

The Moose on the Loose is a 6% north east style hazy IPA. It is full of tropical and stone fruit flavours thanks to the use of the Idaho #7 hops packed into each can. Passionfruit, mango, pineapple, grapefruit citrus, piney resin and a grassy note all compete for attention.

It doesn’t have a big body, so it feels quite light in the mouth but balanced with the very moderate hop bitterness.  The finish is reasonable dry with more of a tart bitterness that invites the next sip.

by Brouwerij Huyghe

The Delirium beers from Brouwerij Huyghe would have to be one of the most iconic of all the Belgian beers.  The pink pachyderms adorning the blue label and white bottle have been a feature of any well-stocked Belgian beer fridge for many years.

In fact the Delirium label celebrated its 25th anniversary back in 2014.  To celebrate, the brewers at Huyghe decided to make a special beer – as you do when you’re a world renowned brewery.

It was something of a surprise that the beer they chose to celebrate with was a Belgian IPA.  Although given the high proportion of Belgian beer that goes to the US, and therefore the influence American importers have on the breweries, maybe there were a few suggestions from abroad.  I just thought it may be something a little more traditionally Belgian.

Nevertheless, Delirium’s Argentum is a very solid Belgian IPA.  It has something of the Delirium Tremens about the taste, with earthy Belgian hop flavours which are subtle but there.  A grainy malt body with some caramel sweetness to offset the hop bitterness, and a spicy finish.  Belgian IPA or not, it’s a tasty beer.

by Brouwerij Kees

Our mate Kees Bubberman has just started packaging all his beers into cans, and the Hazy Sunrise is one of the first we’ve received. (You might be getting another style in your December packs!)

The beer is labelled as a ‘New England IPA’, though I’d be much happier in calling it a ‘hazy IPA’.  But what’s a bandwagon for if not jumping on at the first chance?

It is mildly hazy, with a big foamy white head through which the lovely tropical aromas of the Citra, Mosaic and Loral hops filter through.  The early fruit sweetness is quickly balanced and then overtaken with a solid hop bitterness. Held against some of the North American NEIPA’s I’ve had the good fortune to taste, I couldn’t call this ‘tropical juice’ though.

It is the sustained level of bitterness that really makes me not want to call this beer a NEIPA.  Much like many of the Australian versions, the perceived bitterness is too forward.  That said, it is a lovely beer to drink in its own right.

And most importantly, (some Australian breweries please take note) no bags of flour were drowned in the making of this NEIPA!

by Brouwerij Kees

As we’ve said before, Kees Bubberman is a creative.  So sometimes you have to delve a little deeper than what’s written on the label to know what you are about to drink.

This beer is based on an original English recipe from 1750 for a Russian Imperial Stout – the the famed style favourited by Catherine the Great around that time.

The one obvious claim on the label is that this beer is ‘black and sticky’.

In truth this beer blurs the lines between what we would now classify as an Imperial Porter and a Russian Imperial Stout.  It is pitch black with a heavy roasted malt body.  Loads of bitter chocolate with some coffee and a hint of wood smoke.

Low carbonation adds to the silky smooth mouthfeel.  As the beer dries out the roasty malt is joined by a spicy bitterness for a satisfying aftertaste which lingers for ages.

by Brouwerij Kees

Kees Bubberman enjoys making beers that are a little bit different.  The former brewmaster of the Emelisse brewery, he left to start his own brewery early in 2015.

He describes himself as a ‘creative’, always looking to design a new recipe, and make something interesting and fun.  So it is no surprise that his double IPA has a little something extra.

The Double Rye IPA pours a hazy dark orange, with a thin head.   The hop assault is powered by generous additions of Citra, Simcoe and Cascade, producing an inviting aroma.

The rye provides a nice spiciness balancing the tropical and citrus fruit sweetness.  For a big beer, the body is quite light with a constant bitterness holding through and into the aftertaste.

by Brouwerij Kees

Formerly the brewmaster as Emelisse, Kees Bubberman is now brewing under his own label.  First to try is the East India Porter. 

It is an uncommon style name for the beer, though one that was very common in the 19th Century.   In fact it was Porter, more than Pale Ale, that was more commonly exported to India during that period.  This despite the great stories around Pale Ale and the evolution of today’s IPA’s.

So in true, historical style this beer is a hoppy porter. 

There is strong dark roasted malt aroma, with hints of coffee and chocolate. 

The chocolate is less pronounced in the flavour, with the dark malt and coffee notes dominating.  The hop bitterness is light and subtle, and adds a delicate spice character to the lingering roasted bitter finish.

by Brouwerij Kees

A Barley Wine is a treat for the malt lovers, offering a big, thick, sticky malt body.  A traditional English style would have low hop bitterness.  Often a beer for the sweet-tooth, they are a prefect dessert beer to sit on and sip at the end of the night.

As seems to happen, the US takes a traditional style and adds a US touch.  That is, US hops.  So the American style Barley Wine is a big malty body with a fruitier and punchier edge to the hop character.

Kees! American style Barley Wine uses Cascade and Citra hop.

The result is a dark reddish-brown beer with a dense body.  The aroma is full of bready malts and over-ripe fruits.  The taste is full of caramel malts, dark dried fruits, a touch of citrus and earthy bitterness.

The finish is long and semi-sweet.  It is a beer that will evolve as it warms up, so one to sip and savour.

by Brouwerij Kees

Kees Bubberman continues to brew his tasty creations from his new facility in Middleburg, in The Netherlands.  This one is perfect for the European summer, and it goes alright any time of year over here.

Pale Ale Citra is a tasty little beer of 4.6% ABV.  And who isn’t a fan of Citra hops?  It has to be my favourite of all the hops.

For the home brewers, the beer uses Maris Otter and Cara Munich malts for a solid biscuit and caramel malt backbone.  Just enough to support the big doses of Citra and Summit hops.  (No – this beer is not a single hop.)

The beer is then dry-hopped with Citra to ensure it is bursting with loads of lemon citrus, fresh cut grass, tropical fruits and a little resinous pine.

The beer finishes quite dry, with a definite lingering bitterness. 

by Brouwerij Kees

This is another interesting and clever creation from Kees.  He calls it his chocolate strawberry milk stout. 

The beer is an oatmeal chocolate stout at its base, but with kilos upon kilos of fresh whole strawberries added.

In the aroma, the strawberries are very strong at first though they seem to subside as the beer warms and the stout characters take over.

A rich sweet chocolate flavour greets the tongue, with the developing roasted malt bitterness building toward the back palate.  The strawberry is more subdued in the flavour, though certainly present in the background.

There is heaps of flavour packed into the 6% body, and the flavours seem to compliment each other rather than being disjointed or artificial.  Kind of like the early evening build-up to tackling Kees’ Caramel Fudge Stout!

by Brouwerij Kees

You may remember Emelisse Crème Brulee Stout from several years ago.  It was a favourite of ours - and many others.  Sadly, Emelisse no longer produce this beer, and former brewer Kees Bubberman moved to open his own brewery.

The good news is Kees has brewed something just as special.  He had to brew a different beer to make it his own, so chose to make it bigger and richer.  It truly is dessert in a glass, but remains a big, bold imperial stout as well.

Remove the cap and the sweet fudge aroma bursts out of the bottle.  Chocolate, vanilla and a little burnt sugar.  The flavour follows suit with the addition of the roasted malts and the slightest hint of coffee. 

The body is rich and smooth, but somehow not that thick and sticky, with some hop bitterness adding balance to the sweet malt body.  A very clever beer!

And guess what?:  Kees has just laid down a full batch of the Caramel Fudge Stout filled into Bourbon barrels.  We can’t wait til they are ready later this year!

by Brouwerij Kees

For such a creative brewer, Kees doesn’t seem to have too many staples in his portfolio; rather choosing to create and experiment whenever possible.

But his Farmhouse IPA quickly found a permanent place in the portfolio.  And for that I’m pretty thankful as I really like this beer.

It is a lively little number, so be careful with the pour which reveals a hazy golden orange body giving a fruity and malty aroma with a background of ‘barnyard’ funk.

The beer is very much an IPA, showing a little early malt sweetness, quickly overtaken by a firm hop bitterness and some gentle spicing from the French saison yeast.

The high level of carbonation and super dry finish make this a real thirst-quencher, and one that you can sip away on through the afternoon.

by Brouwerij Kees

By number of beer styles, Kees is third on our list of brewers featured in our monthly beer packs, behind only De Molen and Emelisse.  Although let’s not forget that Kees was himself responsible for many of those Emelisse beers before moving on to his own brewery.

So another month, another new beer from one of our most creative brewers.   The beer is a tip of the hat to the fruity and bitter IPA’s from America’s west coast.  Although I think this is a lot more balanced – with less hop aromatic – than a true US west coast style. 

Thanks to the generous use of American hops – Citra, Mosaic and Simcoe - the aroma is full of tropical fruits like orange, grapefruit and pineapple with hints of pine and grass. 

There is a good hit of sweet malt, which balances out the quite high level of bitterness as well as providing a weight to the body of the beer.  On the finish, fruit characters fight back with the aid of good carbonation, to leave a pleasant lingering bitterness.

Not quite a true west coast IPA in my opinion, but a delicious beer nonetheless, which somewhat belies the substantial alcohol level.  Watch out!

by Brouwerij Kees

Here’s another interesting creation from our mate Kees Bubberman, which surely harks back to his days as a chef. A beer which includes pineapple, coriander and szechuan peppers.

This style is loosely known as a milkshake IPA, and uses lactose to achieve a smooth(y!) creamy mouthfeel.  

The pineapple is most dominant, both in the aroma and the taste.  After a few sips, you get the hint of the peppers in the background. It might be just psychological in that you know it’s there, but I reckon there’s a little more zing in the hop bitterness.  hough I really don’t get much in the way of coriander.

Despite the creamy feel on the tongue, the beer finishes really quite dry and prickly.  

Ingredients more akin to an Asian curry perhaps but I think this beer really works.

by Brouwerij Kees

The ever-versatile Kees created a new beer in January that he’s called ‘It’s A Blond!’  And as usual, it was a beer that is anything but true to a style guideline.

A look through the list of ingredients shows the use of Pils and Munchener malts.  Amarillo hops are the lupuline choice.  There is also coriander and mango added.  And this is all fermented with the famously spicy and complex yeast from the Trappist Monks at Westmalle.

Its almost as if these ingredients were thrown together, and the result was something of a surprise.  A bit like not know the sex of your baby – oh wow, this one’s a blond!

I took me quite a few sips to start wrapping my head around what this beer was.  There is the sweetness of the mango, with the fruitiness adding to the caramel malt body resulting in a heavier, stickier mouthfeel than expected.  The hops are there, though they come in quite late, but linger in the aftertaste.  

It wasn’t quite what I was expecting, though is certainly an interesting beer.

by Brouwerij Kees

This is the newest beer in Kees’ core range, replacing the Double Rye IPA (which was a fantastic beer I might add). So I was very keen to try this beer when they arrived.

Many judgements of an IPA start as soon as the can/bottle is opened, with the expectation of that tropical fruity aroma flooding out of the portal.  This beer is a little shy in the aroma, and it wasn’t until poured and with nose stuck deeply in the glass I started to catch the fruit bowl aroma.

Mosaic, Simcoe and Loral (you may remember this hop when it was still experimental hop HBC 291 used in the 2016 version of Duvel’s Tripel Hop?) provide the orange citrus, pineapple, mango and pine.

The beer pours fairly still, though some late ‘Guinness’ settling does create a head.  I was expecting the beer to have low carbonation, but it doesn’t taste that way. There is a prickly spiciness to the yeast – think Westmalle Tripel, and this lifts the flavours as well.

A quick check of the ingredients reveals Belgian candi sugar is used, further pressing the claims of having a little bit of tripel about it.  By no means a classic West Coast style IPA, but an interesting hybrid that is damn tasty.

by Brouwerij Kees

Barrel Project is the rather appropriate name chosen by Kees for his special beers aged in barrels.  He started doing this back in 2015 when he began brewing beers under his own label.

Invariably the beers chosen are the bigger, stronger beer styles – imperial stouts and barley wines being the norm.  But it was nice to pick up this beer which is a Scotch Ale, which may also be called a Wee Heavy, aged for eight months in Bowmore Whiskey barrels.

It has a sweet roasted malt aroma, with a little fruit against the background of the whiskey barrel.  Early sweetness in the flavour is of toasted malt, raisins and a touch of chocolate.  The peat of the whiskey slides in behind to provide a smokiness that slowly becomes more evident.

There is no obvious bitterness, rather the peaty smoke performs the balancing act, without ever getting too peaty. Definitely one for the whiskey fans, but not something to be put off by if you aren’t.

by Brouwerij Kees

I’m starting to really look forward to these barrel project releases from Kees.

Every month, he is releasing a barrel aged treat.  Typically, Imperial Stout and Barley Wines lend themselves really well to barrel aging, particularly if the barrel previously held whiskey, bourbon or rum.  But every so often, our very creative made from Middelburg comes up with something just a little different.

This is an imperial saison of 9.5%, aged for 6 months in Buffalo Trace bourbon barrels.  When I read that listing on his email, I wanted one then and there.  But we patiently waited a few months, and now we can share them with you.

I guess the first thing I noticed was that is wasn’t very saison-y!  There is a really solid malt body to this beer, that made me think of an English barley wine.  And it is pretty obvious that it has spent time in a bourbon barrel, but that’s not a bad thing.

After a few sips, the saison character seemed to become more prominent.  While the body is heavy, it is smooth (there are oats in the malt bill) and it finishes drier than you’d initially think.  There is some light funkiness, even a little tartness to the aftertaste.  And a bit of vanilla.  It is an interesting and pretty tasty project.  Defintely one of out the box!

by Brouwerij Malheur

Malheur is made by Brewery Malheur (formerly Brewery De Landtsheer), a small family brewery operating in the small town of Buggenhout.  (Keen Belgian beer fans will know this is also the home town of  Brewery Bosteels - famous for Tripel Karmeliet, Kwak and Deus Brut des Flanders)

As with many Belgian brewing families, they have a long brewing history which dates back as far as 1773.  But this current brewery was reopened in 1997.  

The Malheur 12 is the jewel in the brewery crown.  A magnificent quadrupel of 12% ABV, which opens with a sweet and spicy body.  Plums, raisins, caramel, burnt sugar and chocolate combine with an interesting spice mix of nutmeg and clove.  It then adds an earthy, spicy yeast flavour cut through with a much more bitter hop presence than normal quads.  It is dangerously drinkable for the alcohol content.  Be warned!!

The beer was awarded 'World's Best Dark Beer' at the World Beer Awards in 2013 and again in 2014.  Fair recognition for this delicious beer.

About the brewery:  The word Malheur translates to 'misfortune', which is hardly a word I'd use to describe any of their beers.  They are one of two breweries (the other being Bosteels, just up the road) to make true champagne-style beers!

by Brouwerij Malheur

Brouwerij Malheur resides in the town of Buggenhout, just a few miles down the road from Brouwerij Bosteels; which has been in the news recently due to its sale to AB-Inbev (which is just so sad).   Fortunately Malheur remains a family brewery, and long may it continue that way.

The Malheur 10 is classified as a Belgian Strong Blond Ale, though I think it shares more than a few characteristics with a Belgian Tripel.

It pours a beautiful golden colour, and the aroma is of Belgian yeast with a little tropical fruit and bready malt.

There is an initial fruit sweetness from the crisp malt, which is joined by some hop bitterness and peppery spice from the yeast.  Despite the 10% alcohol, the beer is quite light-bodied, and really quite dry.  An extremely easy-drinking double-digit beer; if that is possible.

by Brouwerij Palm (Swinkels Family Brewers)

Belgium (and Europe in general) has a strong tradition of Christmas beers (‘Kerstebiers’ in Flemish).  Many breweries have a winter seasonal offering but the Anthony Martin group claim that it was Gordon Xmas Ale that started this tradition.

Whoever was responsible, they can take great credit for the tradition of delicious dark, spicy brews that are eagerly anticipated as the temperatures drop and the European winter closes in.

Gordon Xmas Ale is a dark red beer with a thick creamy head.  The nose is an inviting mix of dark ripe stone fruit, caramel malt and spices of clove, nutmeg, cinnamon and coriander.

A full-bodied beer with a rich fruity malt sweetness, yet a light mouthfeel sharpened by the hops and spices.  The alcohol provides a real warmth to the lingering aftertaste.

Sit back in a comfy chair, by the fireplace, and allow this beer to warm a little to fully appreciate all it has to offer.

by Brouwerij Palm (Swinkels Family Brewers)

Enjoy your Brugge Tripel from the official glass

by Brouwerij Palm (Swinkels Family Brewers)

The beautiful Cornet glass

by Brouwerij Palm (Swinkels Family Brewers)

A lovely stemmed goblet from Palm

by Brouwerij Van Viven

The Viven Brewery was officially launched in 1999 by Willy De Lobel, a homebrewer who turned his recipes into reality.  Renting time on the brewing equipment of the renowned De Proef Brouwerij, he brewed a Blond (the ‘Chapel of Viven’) and a Bruin (the ‘Monastery of Viven).

In 2003, the brewery was sold to Tony Traen, son of the local drinks distributor.  Tony tweaked the recipes of the old beers and in 2010 introduced a few new creations, with the beer still being brewed at De Proef Brouwerij.

The really exciting news came at the start of 2015, when Tony established his own small brewery in the beautiful little village of Damme.  Just a quick 10 minute bicycle ride along a scenic canal, small farms and even a windmill - if you ever find yourself in Bruges, a small diversion to Damme is well worth the effort.

The beer is a tasty Belgian dubbel style, pouring a ruby-brown colour with a sweetish aroma.  The flavour is prunes, figs and raisins, with burned sugar and a slight hint of chocolate and even licorice.  But not as sweet as the aroma suggest, with the beer quite dry and a hint of acidity.

by Brouwerij Van Viven

This beer takes a step away from the US-style hopping of the Viven Imperial IPA, and back to a more traditional European feel.

The beer is made using hops from Germany (Merkur Hoppe), New Zealand (Nelson Sauvin) and the United States (Citra), so it isn’t short on hop characteristics with a fruity aroma of lemon and grapefruit.

The flavour is a little earthier than the aroma suggests, though there is still some citrus fruit sweetness with the grainy malt body.  The beer is really quite dry, which exaggerates the spicy prickle on the finish.

This beer was intended to represent an older style European IPA, presenting a more sessionable beer; if you can call a beer of 7% sessionable!

by Brouwerij Verhaeghe

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 Brouwerij Verhaeghe

Sour beer alert!!

Vichtenaar is an Oud Bruin style ale that is brewed by the same Flemish family brewery that produces the somewhat more well-known Duchesse de Bourgogne.

One of the last old-Flemish sour red/brown ales matured in oak casks (for a least 8 months), Vichtenaar has been in production for many decades while the Duchesse has only been brewed since the 1990’s.  Vichtenaar is an unblended cask aged beer, whereas Duchesse is 2+ year old barrels blended with 8 month old barrels.

Vichtenaar pours a deep rich ruby red bordering on bronze. It has a strong oak and red wine vinegar nose. Medium bodied and quite acidic, there is some sweetness up front, vanilla, oak, balsamic vinegar and sour cherries; it has a nice tart finish.

An excellent example of a rare yet increasingly popular style of beer, this little beauty is sure to be very popular with our fans of sour beer!

by Brouwerij Wolf

Another new, small Belgian brewery to add to our sampling list.  In 2008, brewer Peter Van der Borght was joined by three friends, and they formed the Lupus Brewery.  The name was later changed to Wolf Brewery.

Starting with borrowed time at other breweries, they soon moved into their own premises with their own equipment; complete with tasting room and café.  Though they still brew some of their beers in the nearby Het Anker brewery (which is famed for the Gouden Carolus range of beers).

The Carte Blanche is one of the newest addition to their range, introduced in 2014, and it was our favourite. 

It has a lovely full malt body, sweet up front with both fruit and grain.  The spicy yeast character then kicks in, along with a good hop bitterness from the five different hops used in this beer.

Really interesting, and a little unexpected – the flavours seems to complete on the tongue, without any one aspect winning out in full.  It took a couple of tastes to get used to this one, but it was intriguing.  Medium-high carbonation adds to the sensation, with a dry bitter finish. 

by Browar Maltgarden

Until we started ordering beer from Maltgarden at the start of 2021 I had no idea what a ‘Fruited Pudding Sour’ was, but I ordered some thinking what’s the worst that can happen?  Turns out they are a brilliantly different style of sour!

Keen Maltgarden fans may recognise a similarity in the naming of this beer to one we’ve had in the past.  Pool Party Fantasy was a fruited smoothie sour with white guava, passionfruit, lime and coconut. Basically a beer version of a Pina Colada.  

For this beer those same ingredients have been given the ‘super smoothie’ treatment.  This beer is thick, our enjoyment has gone from fantasy to ecstasy! It pours like mango nectar, and you’ll probably notice some separation of the beer as it comes out of the can.  A wafting aroma of tropical fruits – passionfruit, guava, peach – along with a citrus note and some coconut.

As expected this follows through in the flavour.  Lots of fruit sweetness, sticky and full like nectar, soft and creamy from the lactose with more of a tartness than true sourness.  It really is an interesting style, I’m not sure I’d want to of these back to back, but a beer that is very clever and most enjoyable.

by De Dochter van de Korenaar

This is one of the new brews from Ronald at Dochter van de Korenaar.

Typically for this brewery, it is a beer that doesn’t really fall into any established style category.  As described by the brewer, it is an ‘internationally styled wheat India Pale Ale!’

It pours a glowing orange, and gives off a tropical fruit aroma of mango, grapefruit, pineapple.  There is also a definite malt component.

The wheat gives this beer a smooth, light and crisp mouthfeel.   The tropical fruit flavours are strong, for an early sweetness.  But it doesn’t take long for the hop bitterness to join in.  Citrus and grassy hop bitterness balances nicely against the tropical fruit sweetness.  The beer finishes dry, with a lingering bitterness.

More awards: Zythos is an annual beer festival held especially for the smaller breweries, and an event where breweries often debut new beers or present experimental brews.  Crime Passionnel was voted ‘Number 1 Beer of Zythos Festival’ in 2014.

by De Dochter van de Korenaar

We always enjoy a new creation from the good ‘Dochter’, and one of his newest is Beau Monde.  A dry-hopped saison with bitter orange added.

The pour reveals a lovely orange, hazy body and gives up the tell-tale farmhouse aromas of funk and spice.

Taste is fruity early on, apricot and white grape, with strong citrus from the bitter orange, and a nice grainy malt body.  The bitterness slowly wraps around the tongue and asserts itself, aided by the prickly spicing from the yeast and a high carbonation.

The beer dries out really quickly, so that slightly sweet malt body balances beautifully the bitter orange citrus, spicy farmhouse yeast and the hop bitterness.

Part way through this beer, it made me think of Orval.  It’s a very different beer, but it can’t be a bad thing to pique such a memory.  And it is 6.2% ABV as well!

by De Dochter van de Korenaar

This beer is from a brewer who is rapidly gaining international recognition. The interestingly named De Dochter van de Korenaar brewery is producing some great beers.

Embrasse pours deep amber brown, with red tinges when held to the light. It is topped by a creamy, light tan head that lasts to the very end. The nose suggests dry bready malts, ripe dark cherries and a slightly smoky, astringent streak.

The layers of flavours make this a fantastically complex beer. A strong malt base supports the fruit flavours, along with the slight tart edge. As the beer warms the smokiness develops a little. This beer will keep developing for many years.

by De Dochter van de Korenaar

From our favourite little Belgian brewery located over the Dutch border comes this tasty little beer.  Not content with brewing a normal stout, Ronald has created a smoked vanilla stout.

At heart it is a sweet milk stout, and the beer starts off quite subdued.  It is quite light-bodied, with an early sweetness of chocolate with hint of roasted malt. 

Slowly the Oak Smoked Wheat Malt unveils itself, along with the whole Madagascar and Reunion vanilla beans.  These add another layer of complexity to the beer with hints of coffee, wood and smoke.  The vanilla is a little more restrained, though surely in there as you look for it.

The beer finishes much drier than the aroma would suggest, with a little hop bitterness making this a very interesting but ultimately drinkable beer.

by De Dochter van de Korenaar

We really appreciate that many of our brewers are creative – never content with just brewing their range, there always seems to be a new beer in the portfolio or a new seasonal of special beer.

The Sans Pardon is one of the newer creations from Ronald at De Dochter van de Korenaar (The Daughter of the ‘Ear of Corn’).  It is a very fine imperial stout, with the added benefit that it is available year round.  There is no bad time for a great imperial stout.

An interesting feature of this beer is that it contains Rooibos.  This ingredient is sometimes called ‘Red Bush Tea’, and is known for having many health benefits such as being high in antioxiadants and caffeine-free.

Lots of rich dark chocolate with just hints of dark fruits and coffee.  The body is a little sharper than a traditional ‘thick’ imperial stout body, but this seems to balance the mouthfeel making the beer a little lighter and drier.  I honestly don’t know if this is the effect of the Rooibos, but if I can advocate the health benefits to my Nutritional Therapist wife, then this beer is a winner!

by De Dochter van de Korenaar

Dochter van de Korenaar choose names for their beers that are reflective of their nature.  So we were more than intrigued to try this beer.

Extase was introduced at the 2013 Zythos Festival.  It was chosen as the ‘Consumer’s Choice’ beer of the festival.  It is a Belgian double IPA, brewed with 14 different hops.  Hops are continually added during the brewing process, and the beer is also dry-hopped.

It has a delicious aroma, but good luck with sniffing out the various hops!

My first taste delivered a surprising sweetness from the solid malt backbone.  As with all Belgian IPA’s, the hop character is more subdued with an earthy character.  It took a couple of sips to get my head away from an American style DIPA, and focus on the more subtle flavour profile of this beer.

The brewer notes that it is a beer with stratification, because of all the hops.  So there is flavour evolution and change, as the beer warms and develops.

by De Dochter van de Korenaar

A couple of months ago we included Dochter van de Korenaar’s Sans Pardon Imperial Stout.  We move to the other extreme now and have their pale ale La Frontière. 

It is marketed as an American Pale Ale, but we all know that the Belgian’s are generally more delicate with the hop additions than the US brewers.  So I’d call class this beer more as a Belgian Pale Ale.

It’s a simple little pale ale, with no tricks or additions of any sort.  It pours a darkish orange colour, slightly hazy as it is not filtered.  There is a fruity aroma hinting at melons, mango and orange citrus.

The flavour is an easy combination of grainy malt, a fresh fruity and grass aspect and moderate bitterness.

It really isn’t an American Pale Ale, but a very well-balanced, easy-drinking first beer to kick off our monthly pack.

by De Dolle Brouwers

The brewery name translates to ‘The Mad Brewers’, and meeting brewer Kris Herteleer you do notice he is slightly eccentric.  (I wish a had a picture to share of the bright blue and speckled pastel shoes he was wearing during our recent visit to the brewery!)

Arabier is one of the two main beers from De Dolle (the other being Oerbier).  It is a Belgian Pale Ale, but is really so much more.

A golden yellow body supports a billowing white head (beware – you will need to poor this beer carefully).  Typical Belgian yeast aromas come pouring out of the glass, along with earthy hops.

It is a heavily-hopped beer (65 IBU), with dry-hopping using flower Nugget hops from nearby Poperinge.  The high carbonation is something brewer Kris believes helps make this beer special.

Lovely citrus and tropical fruits, clean, crisp malt backbone, strong hop bitterness and a little undercurrent of something in the background that is attributed to the open copper koelschip; which is a step in the production of all De Dolle’s beers.

by De Dolle Brouwers

Stille Nacht is the Christmas seasonal offering from the renowned De Dolle Brewers. It is only made once a year, but is certainly worth the wait. It pours a cloudy golden orange, with a fluffy white head that lasts and lasts. The nose is full of sweetness, light fruits and spices.

The flavour is amazing. Sweetness is at the fore, along with a strong malty backbone. Apricots, peaches and honey, along with clove, nutmeg and a gentle tingle from the Belgian yeast. Despite the sweetness, the beer is well balanced, and leaves a long, rich aftertaste.

This is one of the highest density beers brewed in Belgium. As such the beer is thick and heavy – definitely a sipper to sit back and savour. It also cellars very well for over a decade.

by De Dolle Brouwers

I was going to start by saying that this is one of my favourite beers from De Dolle, but a mental roll-call of the portfolio made me realise there isn’t one that is not a favourite.  All different, but all so good. 

The name translates as ‘Mad Bitch’, which is quite amusing when you learn the origin of the beer.  Brewer Chris proudly proclaims that this beer was made for his wife, who is represented by the caricature on the label.

Just as well then that this is a fantastic beer.  A Belgian Tripel by style, but quite unique among the gaggle of tripels Belgium offers.

It has quite a heavy body for a tripel, thanks to a big pale malt bill and the addition of pale candi sugar.  There is also lots of Belgian yeast character, with banana, coriander and other peppery spice notes.  The sweetness comes across as caramel malt, orange peel, brown sugar and a little stewed fruit.

There is a lot going on, and this is a big beer.  But it hides the ABV dangerously well.  A seriously good beer, from a seriously good (not to mention brave) brewer!

by De Halve Maan Brouwerij

Straffe Hendrik literally translates as ‘Strong Hendrik’ (Henry in Dutch).  The beer name was first developed in 1981, and is in recognition of the family heritage.  For five generations, the sons were named Henry.

With the strong family tie, it may come as a surprise that the label was sold to another brewery in the late 1980’s.  It wasn’t until 2008 that the label was reacquired, and brought back to its true home.

A 9% Tripel and an 11% Quadrupel are brewed under this label.  In 2014, in keeping with the international trend of brewing innovation, Brettanomyces (wild) yeast was added to the normal Straffe Hendrik Tripel.

The tripel is a delicious brew in its own right, but once a year, it is refermented with the wild Brett. yeast.  It is then cellared for an additional three months maturation.  As the hop bitterness subsides, the wild yeast will develop fruity and flowery notes, an intriguing farmhouse aroma and even a vinuous hint.

Released 24 April, this beer has now had a little time to evolve. 

by De Halve Maan Brouwerij

For those who have been to Bruges, I’m betting a fair percentage have enjoyed touring the De Halve Maan brewery, pretty close to the centre of the town.   It has all the historical character of an olden day brewery, yet it keeps apace of innovation – it now pumps its beer underground from the brewery outside the walls of Bruges to save the trucks coming in to the city to collect it!

The brewery is well-known for the Brugse Zot beer – a Blonde and a Dubbel, but the Straffe Hendrik label targets a slightly different segment of the market with their 9% Tripel and 11% Quadrupel beers.  

And then there is the Straffe Hendrik Wild, which is a once-a-year creation using the Tripel as the base and then refermenting with a wild yeast strain.  This beer then conditions for at least three months – much longer than the standard beer – to allow the wild yeast sufficient time to take hold and evolve.

We end up with lovely tripel, with a strong yeast character which is also lightly funky.  Cellaring this beer will pay dividends, but we won’t blame you for tasting it now.

by De Struise Brouwers

This beer is a Christmas seasonal offering from the renowned De Struise Brouwers. Classed as a strong pale ale; it is a very unique beer. It pours a slightly hazy, light copper colour with athick creamy off-white head. The aroma is a wonderfully delicious combination of ripe summer fruits, floral and grassy hops, sweet bready malts and soft spices.

The flavour comes in waves. There is prominent sweetness, like ripe bananas and apricots, as well as brown sugar or caramel. The spices and hops bite through this sweetness, and a strong malt backbone results in a creamy, full taste that ends with a peppery dryness.

This beer ages very well, and can continue to develop flavour and complexity for several years.

by De Struise Brouwers

Its been a while since we’ve had a Struise beer in our packs, so high time we rectify that.  And the wait has been well and truly worth it with this beauty.

The beer owes its name to a Benedictine Monk (of course) by the name of St Aimé, who defended the less-fortunate from the ruling tyrants.  Belgium only has one parish to patron St Amatus, and it happens to be in Oostvleteren.  Also home of the Struise ‘schoolhouse’ brewery.

And interestingly, the artwork is by Carlo Grootaert, who is one of the owners of Struise.  Anyone who has visited Struise will know Carlo as the genial host, plying you with tasty samples from their 30-tap tasting room system.

But back to the beer.

It’s a beautiful dark Belgian quadrupel, which has been aged for 3 years in Woodforde Reserve Bourbon barrels.

Rich and smooth, there is chocolate and dark stone fruit, caramel malt and caramelised sugars, a little nuttiness, then finding a little bitterness and more dark chocolate.  The barrel aging gives an additional sweetness and lots of length to the aftertaste, with just a hint of sweet boozy liqueur.

by De Struise Brouwers

The boys from Struise are best known for their big bold dark ales, such as Pannepot or the Black Damnation series of 13% Russian Imperial Stouts.  But this is the beer from which it all began.

Back in 2001, brewing from their ostrich farm, the first beer they released as professional brewers was the Struise Witte.  It may seem a very ‘safe’ debut, but in typical Struise style it is a little bit different.

It looks like a normal witbier, and has the typical yeasty and citrusy aroma of a Belgian wit.  

The beer is refreshing, though has a fuller body and a bigger hit of orange zest.  The hops also seem a little more pronounced, with an earthy minerality combining with the yeast for a dry, spicy finish. 

by De Struise Brouwers

Tsjeeses is pronounced as something in between ‘cheeses’ and ‘Jesus’ – the cheeky play on words, and slightly risqué characature is very much intended.  It is Struise’s much-loved winter seasonal offering.  A few years back, it started life as a much lighter-coloured beer, but over the years has been getting progressively more amber in colour.

The base beer is a lovely strong blond/amber ale, with cane sugar and spiced add to the mix.  And then the lucky batches are aged in either bourbon or port barrels for a good soaking.  So this is the 2014 Bourbon barrel version.

As mentioned, the beer pours a dark blonde to amber colour, giving an inviting aroma of caramel malt, dried stone fruits, banana and a good dose of bourbon.

The flavour reveals much the same in the heavy malt, slightly sticky body.  There is sweetness of caramel and brown sugar, lots of fruit flavours from figs and dates, to dried apricot and peach.  A slight woody character sits in behind the sweet, warming bourbon notes.

This is a sipper, allow it to warm up a little and it will evolve of time.  A suitably cheery offering to welcome in the festive season; and a suitably fine beer to close out our beer club for 2017.  Merry Christmas!!

by De Struise Brouwers

A Blond Christmas beer is not a common style exactly, but Belgium is the home of Christmas beers and there are a few about the place.  But I reckon this is my favourite by far!

An inviting dark orange colour, with a clean white foam.  Lots to explore in the aroma, with Belgian yeast character, caramel malt and some interesting spicing.

Big rich flavours of caramel malt, some over-ripe tropical fruits and Belgian candy.  Then joining in are the Christmas spices – nutmeg, coriander, cinnamon an allspice.  As the beer develops, it dries out late, with a satisfying slightly earthy/minerally bitterness. 

Interesting Story: When the Tsjeeses beer first arrived in the US, the shipment was stopped by Customs.  The US authorities did not think the original label (the one to the left) was appropriate.  Photoshop to the rescue, with green sunglasses added plus a certain item removed from the mouth, and all was good again!

by De Struise Brouwers

We had to have a Christmas beer in our December pack, but none of our 2016 beers arrived in time.  Luckily we were able to get some more of the Struise Tsjeeses 2015.

We look forward to our Christmas beers every year, though we never get to receive them before Christmas.   Luckily these beers keep really well, and probably present even better the following year.

Tsjeeses is a 10% strong blonde spiced ale, lagered for 8 months on different stone fruits.  They present early, with hints of apricot, peach and plum, and a little citrus tartness.  The body is rich and thick, and hides the ABV so well.  It’s a beer you could enjoy any time of year.

If you enjoy the Tsjeeses, take a look at our ‘Extra Beers’ page and you’ll see the Tsjeeses Reserva’s from 2013 aged in Port barrels or Bourbon barrels.

We’ve had these available before, and ‘found’ and extra carton hidden away.  They were indeed a happy discovery which we’ll happily share!

Merry Christmas!!

by De Struise Brouwers

Something a little different from De Struise is the Struise Rosse.  

It pours quite a dark, hazy amber colour with a small head that quickly disappears.  It has quite a sweet woody aroma of malts and a little Belgian candi sugar.

There is alot more to this beer than is immediately evident.

The beer is not as sweet as the nose suggests.  A big mouthful of sweet malts, caramel and raisins greets the front palette.  There is a woody or nutty aspect, and an earthy hop character.   The beer dries out quickly, and finishes with a lingering bitterness and even a slight tartness from somewhere.

There is a rumour that this beer was the result of a brewing mistake.  If that is the case, it was one that happily worked out well as this beer has been replicated each year since 2007.

by De Struise Brouwers

pours a lovely copper-amber colour, and the dry-hopping presents an inviting bouquet of tropical fruit aromas. 

The beer is less hoppy than maybe expected, with the caramel malt body offsetting some of the hop bitterness.  Fruit flavours aplenty with grapefruit, melon, pineapple, apricot, and also a piney note.

Balance is the word for this beer, being a perfect marriage of fruit and malt sweetness with hop bitterness.

History of the Beer: Brouwerij De Molen in the Netherlands holds an annual beer fest (Borefts), where they invite their favourite brewers.  For the 2nd festival, he asked brewers to brew an interpretation of his Vuur & Vlam beer; and this is Struise’s.

by Ganstaller Brau

This beer from Ganstaller took me a little by surprise when I first sampled it.  A cursory glance at the label only picked up the ‘schwarze’ in the name, so thinking it would be a nice German dark lager, I wasn’t at all prepared for the aroma and flavour assault that followed.

A little more thorough investigation revealed that this beer was an Imperial Stout Lager, which seems rather a unique style.   Maybe a Baltic Porter would be a more commonly used label.  Definitely with a lager yeast, but I think this beer has more of the roasted malt character associated with imperial stouts.

The beer pours a very dark brown, with a visibly thick body and very little head.  The aroma is a rich mix of chocolate, molasses, roasted malts and a hint of licorice.

There is a strong roasted malt backbone, with less chocolate than the aroma suggests.  Dark ripe stonefruit, dried fruits, a little licorice and just the slightest hints of coffee.  And a sort of salty minerality, which breaks through.

Whatever label you choose to apply (and I’m sticking with imperial stout) this beer is really delicious, very smooth and rounded and beautifully balanced.

by Ganstaller Brau

This is the newest addition to the Ganstaller range, from creative brewer Andreas and his daughter, Daniele. 

Germany has the second most craft breweries per capita (16 per million population), with an average annual consumption of 104.1 litres per year.  And the area of Franconia in Bavaria has the highest density of any city in the world, with four breweries for only 1,352 people!

So if this Franconian brewery wants to introduce a new beer – and a lager at that – it needs a point of difference.

Commandarin is an unfiltered pale lager, dry hopped with a combination of Comet & Mandarina Bavaria hops.

The aroma gives up the nature of the hops, with a fruity nose of lemon, mandarin, peach and stone fruit.

The beer has a light grainy body with a little caramel malt sweetness, coupled with a citrus and flowery character that is not as obvious as in the aroma.  It finishes reasonably dry given the initial taste, with a pleasant lingering bitterness.

by Ganstaller Brau

This is essentially a strong bock (lager) beer, or Dopplebock style.  And its made using at least 50% wheat malt (which is a requirement by German law for using the name Weizenbier).

And there is a fascinating naming convention for German Dopplebocks that means most end in ‘ator’.  The name comes from the Paulaner monks of who brewed the very first dopplebock.  They were allowed to drink beer during their time of fasting, so decided to brew a stronger beer with more body to help get through the fast.

They named their dopplebock ‘Salvator’, which was copied by many other breweries.  Later the name was registered, so the other breweries decided to keep the names similar by creating name ending in ‘ator’.  There are over 200 different registered beer names ending in ‘ator’ in Germany!

The beer will pour very still, but wait a few seconds and a Guinness-like settling will create a small head.  There is a sweet malty body, hints of banana and pear, bready malt and a little wood character.  The hops jump in as well and give a nice prickle to mouthfeel and break up the sticky mouth character.

A really interesting beer that will take a few sips to get your head around, but a beer that I’m sure you’ll ultimately enjoy.

by Ganstaller Brau

Germany has a terrific beer culture, characterised by the seemingly endless numbers of small local breweries, satisfying the thirst of beer drinkers in the local village and not much further.  Tasty hefeweizens, malty dopplebocks and clean crisp lagers are in abundance.

But thanks to the Reinheitsgebot, there isn’t as much diversity in German beers as there is in other beer-loving nations.  And that is one of the reasons we so love the beers of Ganstaller.  They comply with the German Purity Law, but are certainly not the run-of-the-mill styles.

So to the Rauch Royal.  The name hints at the fact it uses smoked malts, and I guess royal just implies its pretty good.  It is probably the most interesting beer we’ve had to date from Ganstaller – a smoked Imperial India Pale Lager.

There is a bit to get your head around with that, but just sip and enjoy it for what it is.  The smokiness is there, but certainly not in a confronting way.  There is a big malt body carrying all the flavours, there is a nice fruity sweetness with almost a hint of honey.  Then the beer dries out with a firm bitterness thanks to the dry-hopping.

To fit all the above in one beer, and manage to keep everything in balance is a pretty neat trick.

by HuisBrouwerij Sint Canarus

One of my favourite places to visit in Belgium is Brouwerij Sint Canarus.  Dr Canarus proudly proclaims his brewery as the biggest and best in Gottem.  It is a small village in the country side, so while it doesn’t have a lot of competition for title, it is one of the most beautiful for sure.

Tripels are to Belgian brewers what a Pale Ale is to Australian craft breweries.  A tripel is the first style most brewers produce, and the work horse which both generates an income and helps establish the brewery in the market place.

The Sint Canarus Tripel is the flagship beer for Dr Canarus.  Walk into his brewery bar on a Sunday morning, and this is the beer you will be greeted with; along with a big smile and a story that takes a little consideration as to it being fact or fiction.

The beer is a golden colour, with a sturdy white foam.  A full aroma of tropical fruits and Belgian yeast, prepares you for a beer with nice balance between sweet, spice and bitterness, and a dry finish.

by Inglorious Brew Stars

The story behind this beer and brewery is a good one, as is often the case.

Twin brothers Erwin and Benny were showing a keen enough interest in beer to warrant their wives signing them up to a homebrewing course run by none other than our friend Davy at Brouwerij Alvinne.

So in September 2012, the twin brothers made their first steps toward becoming brewers.  Less than two years later, with just their fifth brew the boys won the award for ‘Best Hobby Beer’ at the Belgo-Dutch Low Countries Brouwland Beer Competition.

The prize was the chance to brew a commercial quantity at Brouwerij Anders, and distribution in one of Belgium’s beer outlet chains.  Buoyed by the reception of the beer in the marketplace, Inglorious Brew Stars officially commenced operations in late 2014.

The beer they have to thank for their success is a beautiful dark quadrupel with an inviting aroma of roasted malts, caramelised sugar, bitter chocolate and hints of coffee.  These all follow through in the flavour, with the sweet lingering addition raisins, prunes and figs, and a hint of woodiness.  It is quite a complex, lasting flavour with just a hint of alcohol warmth giving away the high ABV. 

by Kaapse Brouwers

If you google ‘Kaapse Maria’ chances are you’ll end up on a page for a small beer and wine bar/café in Rotterdam.  And that’s fair enough – it is a cool little café just off the beaten path in Rotterdam, specializing in craft beer and organic wines.

The bar boasts 25 taps of both local and international beer.  And their house beer is none other than Kaapse Brouwers Maria Vermont Pale Ale.

It is the first time I’ve had a pale ale in this style, so can only really compare it to the NEIPA’s that are flooding the market both here and abroad.  It pours a suitably hazy, slightly dull straw colour, with enough aromatic hops for a pleasant fruity flavour.

As you’d expect, the bitterness is quite muted, with just a little upfront that disappears as the beer progresses.  A slightly sweet malt body, more of that tropical fruit juice flavour and just enough bitterness to dry things out.

Such an easy beer to drink, so don’t leave this one sitting too long in your beer fridge.  It is ready to go!

Have I had this beer before?  You may well have tried a beer of the same name, but this is a completely different recipe to the wood-infused pale ale.

by Kaapse Brouwers

Winter in Australia brings out all things ‘Christmas in Juiy’, so it would be remiss of us not to include a Christmas beer in our July pacl.  This beer is the winter seasonal offering from our friends at Kaapse Brouwers in Rotterdam.

The cold nights call for more robust beers with stronger flavours and a warming touch of alcohol.  And that is exactly what we get with this beer.

And it comes with some recommendation – it was voted ‘Best Winter Beer 2017’ in The Netherlands Winterbier Festival.  Now that's a festival I wouldn't mind attending one year!

The beer is rich and smooth, with a big dark roasty caramel malt body, brown sugar, dried fruits, Christmas cake spices like clove, cinnamon, licorice and a subtle hint of smoke. A gentle alcohol warmth to suit the season, and a lingering dry earthy finish.

For lovers of dark spiced beers, this is just the trick to open and let warm up while sitting by the fireplace.    If you aren’t such a fan of the spices, try nibbling on a piece of dark chocolate while you sip this beer, and it will soften up those spice characters.

by L’Abbaye Notre-Dame de Scourmont

It pours a dark amber to brown colour, with a khaki head.  The aroma is an enticing mix of sweet bready malt, dried dark stone fruits, Belgian candy and strong Belgian yeast characteristics.

The flavour is full and rich.  All the elements noticed in the aroma come thorugh in the taste.  A really luxurious sweetness of malts, fruits and candy, though without being cloying at all.  Spicing helps balance out the sweetness, and there is a little warmth on the finish. 

The Monks recommend a serving temperature of 10-12 degrees celcius to get the best out of this beer.  We recommend you follow their advice – they’ve been brewing for more than 150 years, so they should know what they are talking about!!

Did you know?: the Chimay Blue was originally brewed as a Christmas beer, hence the vintage year reference on the labels. 

by Mokke Bier

If you ever find yourself looking for a good restaurant, or even just a place to enjoy a beer in Leura in the Blue Mountains, you could do a lot worse than stopping in at Flemish Flavours.  It is a Belgian restaurant owned and operated by Belgian chef Wim and his wife Claire.

Not content with serving up some of the Belgian classics at his restaurant, Wim along with his cousin-by-marriage (whose name is also Wim), took over the Belgian beer label Mokke Bier which commenced operations in 2015.

Their first beer is the Blond, which presents as a normal Belgian blond with a slightly sweet malt body with coriander and citrus. It goes a little off-piste with the hint of added honey, then a subtle but gently building hint of saison funk.

At first I thought this to be a pretty standard Belgian Blond, a little on the sweeter side thanks in part to the addition of the honey. It was as the beer warmed a little that the flavours became more pronounced and I started getting the background hits of the barnyard yeast character.

It finishes reasonably dry with a lingering citrus and hop bitterness, and the subtle yeast character inviting you back for another taste.

by Partizan Brewing

We’ve been talking to Andy from Partizan Brewing for a few years now.  He is one of London’s leading craft brewers, with a very small brewery located under a railway arch for the aboveground train line from London Bridge. 

There is a great walk of about 1.25 miles from Bermondsey station back into London Bridge, following the above ground line.  It takes in 5 different breweries, a fantastic bottle shop (called Bottle Shop!), and a multitude of artisan bakers, cheese makers, charcuterie shops, coffee roasters, etc.

Andy has been hesitant to send any beer to Australia, not so much because of the distance, but rather that he doesn’t need to export to sell all his beer.  But he liked the idea of our monthly beer club, so he agreed to send a small amount our way, just for our beer club.

It took a little more convincing him to send a pale ale, and we agreed to put it straight into our next pack.  So here is the Partizan Brewing Pale.

A new pale ale first released in October 2016, this beer is crisp and dry, with just a little sweetness and a pleasant grassy, citrusy bitterness.

by Stewart Brewing (UK)

This beer is a collaboration between Stewart Brewing (UK) and De Molen.  We obviously got this through De Molen, though Stewart Brewing get the major label credit for this beer.

They are a brewery based in Edinburgh, Scotland, and have been doing their thing since 2004.  I always enjoy the collaborations; its like our brewers introducing us to new breweries we may not otherwise have ever noticed!

Bottled November 2016, the beer is described on the label as a Belgian Double IPA.  I’m happy with the Double IPA descriptor, though don’t get too much of the Belgian characteristic.

The tropical fruit aroma punches your nostrils as soon as you remove the bottle cap.  It has a thick, rich caramel malt body, with the lovely doses of tropical fruit sweetness mixed in.  Think mango, pineapple, peach and grapefruit. 

It is very fruity, with just enough hop bitterness to ensure the sweetness isn’t overwhelming.  Despite the fruitiness, the hops are bitter and earthy.  More an English style hopping than Belgian, but sup tasty nonetheless.

by The Redchurch Brewery (UK)

This beer is part of Redchurch’s ‘Wild Series’, an evolving range of beers brewed with wild yeasts, mixed and bacterial fermentation and wild and foraged ingredients. 

It is a program we are very much looking forward to, and if you think they aren’t serious consider this.  They’ve just finished building a brand new production brewery on the outskirts of London, which will leave the original brewery in London’s East End as a full experimentation brewery.  That’s pretty exciting news indeed.

This beer was the first in their Wild Series, and is their take on a Berliner Weisse.  Traditionally a low ABV beer of about 3%, it is basically a white, lightly sour beer with its origins in Northern Germany dating back to the 16th-Century.

In a nutshell, a perfectly refreshing little beer, ideal for the warmer days, or an aperitif at night.

And that’s pretty much what we’ve got here from Redchurch.  It’s a little higher in alcohol, with a definite citrus hint in the flavour.  Only lightly sour, this is a perfect introduction to those not yet a fan of sours, while it holds just enough intrigue for those who are.

by The Redchurch Brewery (UK)

The first of the Redchurch beers – the Bethnal Pale Ale – was well received, so we’ll jump straight in with another. 

Continuing the East End naming theme, the Great Eastern India Pale Ale pays homage to the Great Eastern, an historically famous iron sailing ship built in Millwall (on the Thames a couple of miles down the road from Bethnal Green).  Launched in 1858, she was the largest ship ever built at the time.

Built specifically for long journeys, she was intended for travel to Australia without the need for refueling.  Unfortunately damaged on her ill-fated maiden voyage, this ship never made it to Australia.

Luckily though, Redchurch’s Great Eastern IPA did!

The beer greets you with a huge tropical fruit aroma.  Centennial, Chinook and Columbus hops combine with all-English caramel malts to provide a crisp but sweet malt backbone which is overtaken by the assertive bitterness.  A lovely light and dry IPA, that seems uncomplicated but delicious.

by The Redchurch Brewery (UK)

Our first UK brewery is one that is close to our hearts.  The Redchurch Brewery resides in a railway arch, near Bethnal Green Station in the heart of London’s East End. 

Having lived in Bethnal Green for several years, we know this area well.  

Unfortunately for us Redchurch only started in 2011 – we left in 2009.  The affinity remained and a visit to the tap room on a return trip to London confirmed what we’d been told – they make great beer!

Their small core range consists of Pale Ales, an IPA and a couple of stouts.  They are also getting into both sour and wild ales, producing some great experimental brews on occasion.

The first beer to share has to be the Bethnal Pale Ale.  An American style Pale Ale with English malts and American hops.  It has a bold fruity aroma from all the late addition and dry-hopping. 

Peach and grapefruit plus a little caramel malt provide a sweetness, which is balanced by citric and grassy hop bitterness.  The finish is long, dry and refreshingly bitter.

by Trappistenbrouwerij De Kievit

Zundert was the 9th official Authentic Trappist Monastery, located in the town of Zundert (funnily enough) in The Netherlands.

The Monastery was founded in 1899 by monks from the Koeningshoeven (La Trappe) Monastery, also in The Netherlands.  It took some time for the monastery to commence brewing operations though, with the brewery officially opened on 6th December 2013.

They currently produce just one style of beer.  Zundert is a classic Belgian tripel style.  It pours a lovely amber colour, and has all the hallmark tripel aromas – orange citrus, melon, caramel malt, light spices and of course the typical Belgian yeast characteristics.

The beer is slightly heavier in body, with an early sticky fruit sweetness.  The combination of citrus and light peppery spice lighten the mouthfeel as the beer progresses. 

by White Pony Microbirrificio

Another beer from the White Pony brewery; and it’s a pretty big beer.

Early on, this brewery was criticised for making only big sweet beers, like quadrupels and barleywines.  This beer was a response to that criticism, and of course things have moved on from here.

The ‘Black Blood’ is a big bold dark brown to black beer, with a strong aroma of roasted malts and coffee with a hint of sour smokiness.

Happily this follows through into the flavour.  Strong roasted malts and coffee again, supported by a dose of hops with a real earthy minerality.  There are also hints of smoky woodiness, leather, licorice and even a little fruity sweetness deep down.

It is a lot more stoutish than IPA-ish, but it seems to work.  Allow it to warm a little to bring out all the flavours.

by White Pony Microbirrificio

This beer sees the offerings from White Pony return to true form, by way of a massive 14% Imperial Stout. 

First point to note – don’t drink this beer and attempt to drive any time soon.  It is a DUI in a bottle!

It really is a big beer, pouring very dark brown to black without seeming to have the viscosity you might expect from such a beast.  There is dark chocolate, heavily roasted malt, a little coffee, dried fruits like figs and raisins and enough of a Belgian yeast character to know where this beer was brewed.  

If I have one criticism of this beer, it somehow feels a little thin-bodied; which isn’t something you’d normally say about a 14% behemoth.  The flavours are really well balanced, and the big alcohol is really well disguised.

Fun Fact:  while food and beer matching has become a feature of many websites, in truly eclectic style White Pony must be the only brewery to suggest a music pairing for their beers. The suggestion for this beer is ‘In Flames’ by the Jester Race.  (Nope, me neither – but give it a go while tasting this beer!)

by White Pony Microbirrificio

This is another beer from the White Pony brewery – a young Italian gypsy brewer who brews many of his beers in some of Belgium’s microbreweries.

He has a passion for high gravity beers, many in the Belgian style.  This beer is described as a Belgian-style Barley Wine.  A beer that crosses the divide between a traditional English-style barley wine and a Belgian quadrupel.

The beer has a dark brown body, with aromas of boozy raisins and toffee.  This carries through into the flavour.  An initial sweet caramel malt hit with roasty hints and dried red stone fruits.  There is a spicy characteristic to the Trappist yeast, and a stronger hop bitterness than is normal for either a barley wine or quadrupel. 

For a big beer, it is amazingly dry, and finishes with the little spicy prickle.

It tends more toward being a barley wine, as it doesn’t quite have the depth of body that a Belgian quad does.  Either way, it is an enjoyable and interesting beer.

by White Pony Microbirrificio

We’ve come to expect interesting, out-of-the-box beers from White Pony, and this beer is no different.  They brew many of their beers in Belgium, though they don’t have a monogamous relationship with any one brewery.  This particular beer is brewed at the Fort Lapin brewery, just north of Brugse town centre.

The label had me intrigued from the start.  Luckily Stu who works with us is a massive basketball player and fan, so he explained the meaning of the name. 

According to the Urban Dictionary, it is a basketball term for ‘when a person crosses over or changes directions very quickly, getting another player so off balance that they fall over’.  Now the label makes sense!

Barley wines are normally big, rich malt bombs, and that is the base of this beer.  The use of rye adds an interesting spiciness that cuts through the sweet fruits and caramel malt.  American hops add another dimension, with a nice hop bitterness coming in late.

by White Pony Microbirrificio

Little Italian microbrewery White Pony continues to show their love of brewing big, bold flavoursome beers  - and whacky beer names - with this Strong Scotch Ale.

As usual for this brewery, this beer isn’t exactly to style.  Made using crystal and roasted malts, with American hops.  And as it is brewed in a small Belgian brewery, there is a Belgian yeast twist. 

This beer has a big caramel malt body, with roasted malt, brown sugar, dark fruit, toffee and hints of coffee.  There is a low level of hop bitterness; just enough to balance the malt which is the hero of this beer.

Despite the dominant malt body, the beer is not cloying, finishing quite dry with a warming aftertaste.