Category Archives: Belgium

Dupont Saison Dupont Cuvée Dry Hopping 2016

Brewery: Brasserie Dupont
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6.5%
Style: Belgian Saison
Other Notes: Dry hopped with Brewers Gold

Brewer Description: (from website) Saison Dry Hopping was first brewed in 2010. In line with the Dupont tradition, this is a top-fermented blond beer, refermented in the bottle. The special feature of this beer, which is produced in limited quantities, is that the hops used for the “dry hopping” are different every year. This year, three distinctive hop varieties were selected. For the dry hopping, brews were made from the “Brewers Gold” variety, grown in Germany. The result is a coppery, blond beer, dry and refreshing with sustained bitterness. The use of Brewers Gold in dry hopping intensifies the fruity notes (mainly white fruits and citrus) and gives the beer a perfume of fresh hops. Our selection of yeasts gives the beer very specific aromas and flavours. The genuine bottle refermentation, which may be extended by a long period in your cellar, produces a complex and highly aromatic beer.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.07
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 375ml corked and caged bottle, 2016 cork with a best before date of July 2019. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku.
Appearance: It was a hazy golden orange colour with a two finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly and left nice lacing.
Aroma: Sweet juicy mandarin, orange, lemon, grass, yeast and pepper spice.
Taste: Follows the aroma closely with citrusy mandarin, orange, lemon, hay, grass, yeast and pepper spice. Starts sweet, ends lightly bitter.
Mouthfeel: Dry, light to medium bodied with high carbonation.
Overall: Another great, easily drinkable Saison from Dupont.

Dupont Avec les Bons Voeux

Brewery: Brasserie Dupont
Country: Belgium
ABV: 9.5%
Style: Belgian Saison

Brewer Description: (from website) The Bons Voeux is a blond top fermentation beer with refermentation in the bottle. Since 1970, the brewery has been brewing a special beer to give as a new years present to their best clients. The name of this beer “Avec les bons Voeux de la Brasserie Dupont” means “With the best wishes of the Brewery Dupont.” Because of the increasing success, they started to commercialise this “cadeau” but kept the name. Although the demands were considerable, only a small quantity was brewed, so they had to make a reservation list, even months before new year. This Bons Voeux is coppery blond, has very fine hop aromas and tastes bitter, fruity and mild. Our selection of yeasts, in combination with a long during riping process, on a “dry hopping” base, are creating a typical and complex aroma and taste. A real refermentation in the bottle, which will continue for a long time in your cellar, result in a harmonious and well-balanced beer, full of unexpected and complex aromas.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.29
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 375ml corked and caged bottle, 2016 cork, with a best before date of October 2021. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: It was a hazy golden straw orange colour with a just under two finger white head that had pretty good retention and left nice lacing.
Aroma: Peach, honey, lemon, banana and clove with some pepper and herbally notes.
Taste: Honey, lemon, banana, clove, grass, pepper spice and yeast.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate to high carbonation.
Overall: A very nice cross between a Saison and a Tripel. It’s got the nice classic Belgian beer characteristics and the 9.5% ABV is surprisingly well hidden.

St. Bernardus Pater 6

Brewery: Brouwerij St. Bernardus NV
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6.7%
Style: Belgian Dubbel

Brewer Description: (from website) St. Bernardus Pater 6 is a traditional abbey style dubbel, chestnut in color, very fruity with notes of melon and very fresh banana, finishing with slight bitterness.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.64
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.6

Intro: A 330ml bottle with a best before date of 8th February 2018. Poured into a Chimay goblet.
Appearance: It was a dark brown-reddish colour with a very nice creamy two finger beige head that slowly dissipates to a thin but self-replenishing layer while leaving nice lacing.
Aroma: Dark fruits, plum, fig, raisins and apple with hints of caramel.
Taste: Similar to the aroma with dark fruit, plum, fig, raisins and prunes with some banana, light caramel and hints of nuttiness.
Mouthfeel: Medium to light bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: The dark fruit is there, but it disappeared quite fast. Other than that, it was easy to drink, but not nearly as good as one of my favourite Dubbel’s like Westmalle Dubbel.

De Troch Chapeau Framboise

Brewery: Brouwerij De Troch
Country: Belgium
ABV: 3.5%
Style: Belgian Lambic (Fruit Sweetened)
Other Notes: 20% raspberries. Also known as De Troch Framboise Lambic

Brewer Description: (from lambic.info) Chapeau Framboise is a sweetened lambic with natural raspberry juice flavor added and natural sweeteners.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.44
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.3

Intro: A 375ml bottle with a best before date of 30th December 2017. Poured into a Cantillon ballon glass.
Appearance: A clear brownish colour with a slight red tint and a just less than one finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly while leaving some sparse lacing.
Aroma: Sweet raspberry jam and grape juice.
Taste: Similar to the aroma, it was very sweet, on the verge of being too sweet for me. Lots of raspberry jam, with hints of grape juice and apple.
Mouthfeel: Light bodied with moderate to light carbonation.
Overall: The aromas are nice, but its taste is on the verge of being too sweet in my opinion. Don’t think I can drink more than one small bottle in a single sitting.

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3 Fonteinen Hommage

Brewery: Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6%
Style: Belgian Lambic (Fruit)
Other Notes: Batch #3. 30% Pajottenland raspberries and 5% sour cherries

Brewer Description: (from bottle) A blend of lambic beers brewed at 3 Fonteinen, with an addition of 30% whole fresh raspberries from the fabled Pajottenland and 5% sour cherries. This unfiltered beer will enjoy a spontaneous refermentation in the bottle. No artificial colors or flavor enhancers are added. Lambic is brewed only from 60% barley malt, 40% unmalted wheat, hops and water.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.62
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.5

Intro: A 750ml corked and caged bottle, bottled on 30th June 2015, and best before 30th June 2025. Poured into a Cantillon ballon glass.
Appearance: A hazy deep ruby red colour with a thin pinkish head that faded fairly quickly and left only sparse to no lacing.
Aroma: Strong cherry tartness with jammy fruit sweetness and oak. There are hints of raspberries, lemon zest and light funk.
Taste: Sour, tart, cherry, raspberry, oak, lemon zest and vinegar with a touch of funkiness.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: This was just great. Surprisingly the cherry was much more prominent than the raspberries and the funkiness was less than expected but, this was still extremely drinkable, tasty and enjoyable. On my must buy list.

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