Brewery: Brouwerij van Hoegaarden Country: Belgium ABV: 4.9% Style: Witbier
Brewer Description: (from website) 500 years of hard work went into making this beer that features the aroma of orange peel, coriander and herbs that the merry monks imported from sunny Curacao. Speaking of which: pouring Hoegaarden is just like letting the sun fall into your glass: light yellow and naturally murky. And the soft foam adds a cloudy finish. And then there’s the soft taste, light and slightly sweet and sour and with subtle citrus notes… ah, just go ahead and taste it instead of reading about it!
My rating: 4 My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.8 My ratebeer.com rating: 3.6
Intro: A 330ml bottle with a best before date of 2nd March 2016 and poured into a Hoegaarden pint glass. Appearance: The beer poured a hazy straw yellow with a one finger white head that dissipates slowly into a thin creamy layer with nice curtain like lacing. Aroma: Starts with wheat bready malt aromas before leading into some banana, honey, spice and bubblegum. Taste: Some breadiness at the beginning followed by banana, honey sweetness and a tinge or citrus orange and clove to finish. Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with medium to high carbonation. Overall: A good beer that is refreshing and quite tasty. Internationally, it is probably the most recogniseable and easily accessible witbier. In Hong Kong its price is very competitive as most good craft is at least double the price.
Brewery: Brouwerij Haacht NV Country: Belgium ABV: 6% Style: Belgian Pale Ale
Brewer Description: (from bottle) Abbey beer brewed with the approval of the Norbertins of Tongerlo. This beer was refermented in the bottle for a more refined aroma and a broader, richer taste palette. Contains barley malt.
My rating: 3 My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.3 My ratebeer.com rating: 3.3
Intro: A 330ml bottle with a best before end date of 4th June 2016 and poured into a D’Achouffe tulip glass. Appearance: It poured a slightly hazy copper colour with a huge three finger head. Most of it dissipated within a minute but it left some thick lacing on the glass. Aroma: Some slight funk at first followed by some fruity banana and apples, caramel and honey. There are also some bread, cracker malt aromas. Taste: Flavour is sweet banana and honey first, but there’s definitely candied sugar, bubblegum and caramel mixed in. Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, medium to high carbonation, sticky. Overall: This was not bad but perhaps slightly too sweet for me. Leffe is also a tad too sweet for me, but I still may prefer Leffe slightly more.
Brewery: Brouwerij St. Bernardus NV Country: Belgium ABV: 8% Style: Tripel
Brewer Description: (from website) St. Bernardus Tripel is a traditional abbey ale brewed in the classic “Triple” style of Belgium’s best Abbey Ales. It has a blond to pale amber color with a wonderful head, slightly sweet aroma and the orangey-grassy flavors of hops in the finish. Wonderfully drinkable and surprisingly light.
My rating: 3 My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.7 My ratebeer.com rating: 3.7
Intro: Bought this 330ml bottle from Bangkok, Thailand and took it back to Hong Kong in my suitcase as mostly can only find the Abt 12 quad version in Hong Kong. It has a best before date of 7th August 2016 and was poured into a Chimay goblet. Appearance: The beer poured a hazy murky dark gold colour with one finger creamy white head that has great retention but leaves a nice set of stringy lacing. Aroma: Mainly floral and citrus lemon and lime aromas along with some bready buscuit malt. Taste: Taste is sweet fruity pear and some caramelised banana, maybe even banana bread. The bready malts come through and the finish is slightly bitter and peppery. Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, medium to high carbonation and somewhat dry. Overall: This is a pretty good tripel but not my favourite. I still prefer the La Trappe and Westmalle versions more as this was less fruity overall.
Brewery: Brouwerij Duvel Moortgat NV Country: Belgium ABV: 8.5% Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale
Brewer Description: (from website) Duvel is a natural beer with a subtle bitterness, a refined flavour and a distinctive hop character. The unique brewing process, which takes 90 days, guarantees a pure character, delicate effervescence and a pleasant sweet taste of alcohol.
My rating: 3 My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.78 My ratebeer.com rating: 3.8
Intro: A 330ml bottle dated best before November 2015 and poured into a Duvel tulip glass. Appearance: The beer poured a slightly hazy golden straw yellow colour with maybe just under a two finger creamy white head that dissipated slowly leaving nice stringy lacing. Aroma: Main aromas of citrus lemon and banana with slight funk followed by some lighter grassy and flowery smells. Taste: Starts with bitter, tart and slightly sour citrus lemon, pear and apple followed by banana and honey sweetness. Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with high carbonation and a dry finish. Overall: Overall this was not a bad beer. But if I was to compare to others in this style, off the top of my head I do prefer both Delirium Tremens and La Chouffe before Duvel and unfortunately for Duvel, both of them are as widely available in Hong Kong.
Brewery: S.A. Bières de Chimay Country: Belgium ABV: 7% Style: Dubbel Other Notes: Trappist beer. Ale is brewed at Scourmont Abbey
Brewer Description: (from bottle) The <> logo certifies that this ale is brewed in a Trappist Abbey and that the majority of sales income is intended for social aid. Chimay Red will win you over with its fruity taste accompanied by a slight bitterness.
My rating: 5 My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.64 My ratebeer.com rating: 4.5
Intro: This was a 330ml bottle that was dated best before end of 2018 and poured into a Chimay goblet. Appearance: It pours a very hazy brown colour with a very nice thick cream coloured two finger head that dissipates very slowly but when it does, leaves a nice curtain lacing. Aroma: Aromas are fruity, mainly of dark fruits like plum, cherry, and fig. There is also some pear, apple and candied sugar and a hint of nuttiness. Taste: Fruity cherry and plum upfront with hints of banana and pear. There’s also some light malt caramel and bready sweetness followed by a nice light bitter finish. Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Smooth creamy and slightly sticky. Overall: Admittedly, I used to think that this was just ok but I’ve grown to enjoy this beer the more I drink it. When I first tried it maybe ten years ago, Chimay Blue was far and away better and so I mostly bought that. However, clearly my taste changed and the last few years Chimay Red became one of my staple beers.
words of another dreamy traveller 