Tag Archives: belgium

5 - Excellent (must buy), Beer Reviews, Belgian Strong Dark Ale, Belgium, Brouwerij Het Anker

Het Anker Gouden Carolus Cuvée Van De Keizer Blauw (Blue)

Sunday, 13 September 2015 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Brouwerij Het Anker
Country: Belgium
ABV: 11%
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale
Other Notes: Exclusively Belgian hops.

Brewer Description: (from website) Every year on the 24th of February, we celebrate the birth of Charles Quint. Therefore we brew a special beer in limited edition called Cuvée van de Keizer (‘Grand Cru of the Emperor’).

This exceptional beer is a special version of the Gouden Carolus Classic, with an enriched taste pallet and mysterious aromas added. The caramelised malts and its 11% Alc. Vol. give the Cuvée van de Keizer the warm roundness of wine together with the refreshing taste of beer.

It is imperially crowned with a cork so it can be preserved for a long period of time at a constant cellar temperature of 12° C (54°F). An imperial beer to cherish and enjoy in moderation.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.56
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.5

Intro: A 750ml corked and caged bottle. 2014 vintage with a best before date of 29th April 2024. Poured into a Chimay goblet.
Appearance: The beer poured a dark brown colour with a slightly less than one finger tan head which quickly settles to a nice thin creamy layer leaving spotty lacing.
Aroma: Strong aromas of caramel and toffee, also lots of dark fruits, plum, raisin, prunes, dates, fig with hints of butter.
Taste: On the sweet side with dark fruits dominating especially plum, raisin, fig and prunes. Caramel and toffee are in the background and hints of banana and bubblegum sweetness at the finish.
Mouthfeel: Smooth and creamy, light warmness, medium bodied, light carbonation.
Overall: A very good beer that is a must buy for me. Even at 11%, you don’t taste the alcohol. Great for a late night sipper. I’m going to age a few bottles and see what happens!

1 - Poor (never again), Beer Reviews, Belgian Pale Ale, Belgium, Brouwerij Van Honsebrouck N.V.

Kasteel Hoppy

Friday, 4 September 2015 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Brouwerij Van Honsebrouck N.V.
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6.5%
Style: Belgian Pale Ale

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Top fermented beer, contains barley malt.

My rating: 1
My beeradvocate.com rating: 1.92
My ratebeer.com rating: 1.9

Intro: A 330ml bottle with a best before date of November 2015 and poured into a Duvel tulip glass.
Appearance: The beer poured a clear golden colour with a one finger white head that dissipated quickly leaving a very thin soapy layer and some spotty lacing.
Aroma: Starts with caramel malt and fruity orange, lemon before turning grassy, pine and a metallic iron finish.
Taste: Metallic iron overpowers everything else. Other than that though, there is some light caramel malt sweetness at the beginning and then lots of floral and herbal bitterness that lasts long into the aftertaste.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with medium carbonation.
Overall: Ughhh, I like hops. But this… It started off all well and good with a nice pour. It actually looked tasty. But then it all went downhill with the aroma first and then even further with the taste. I just really did not enjoy the taste at all. This one was not for me. I don’t even want to categorise this under Belgian Pale Ale…

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Belgian Tripel, Belgium, Brouwerij Haacht NV

Tongerlo Prior Tripel

Sunday, 30 August 2015 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Brouwerij Haacht NV
Country: Belgium
ABV: 9%
Style: Belgian Tripel

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 and wheat malt.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.51
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.4

Intro: A 330ml bottle with a best before date of 10th October 2016 and poured into a Chimay goblet glass.
Appearance: The beer poured a clear deep golden colour with a fluffy two finger white head which lasts a long time and leaves stringy lacing.
Aroma: Mainly bready malts and unripe banana with hints of pear.
Taste: Flavour is strong with sweet banana, clove, honey and bready malts. There was also a hint of spicyness and the booze comes through towards the end.
Mouthfeel: Dry, medium bodied with good carbonation.
Overall: This was quite a nice tripel especially when comparing its price to other decent tripels.

1 - Poor (never again), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brouwerij Van Honsebrouck N.V., Fruit Beer

Bacchus Kriekenbier

Friday, 31 July 2015 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Brouwerij Van Honsebrouck N.V.
Country: Belgium
ABV: 5.8%
Style: Fruit Beer
Other Notes: 15% cherries, beer flavoured with cherries, beer with sugar and sweetener, contains barley malt and wheat.

Brewer Description: (from wrapping) Van Honsebrouck is a family owned brewery in West Flanders Belgium. It makes a range of beers including Bacchus, a beer in the local style of the region. This is the beer on which kriek is based, as well as framboise, a premium fruit beer for which Belgium is well known. Hand wrapped and presented in half champagne bottles, these are remarkable beers.

My rating: 1
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.17
My ratebeer.com rating: 2.8

Intro: A 375ml wrapped bottle with a best before date of 22nd May 2016 and poured into an oversized wine glass.
Appearance: The beer poured a clear deep ruby colour with a one finger very light pink head that dissipated slowly ending in patches of foam and nice lacing.
Aroma: Mainly sweet cherry and raspberry. Basically candy berry smells.
Taste: Sweet tart cherry, a little bit artificial but getting to the cough syrup flavours that I like so much.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with light to medium carbonation.
Overall: This was nice, although maybe a little on the sweet side. However unfortunately, according to the wrapping, it seems they add Stevia to the beer. I don’t use sugar substitute sweeteners in anything ever, and I don’t see why I need to start doing so in beers.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgian Witbier, Belgium, Brouwerij van Hoegaarden

Hoegaarden Original White Ale

Friday, 24 July 2015 kitch Leave a comment

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.

words of another dreamy traveller