Achel Extra Bruin (de 3 Wijzen)

.75-liter bottle from Cheesy cheese shop, Prague (price: 230 Kč; locations around town, perhaps the biggest being at Letenské náměstí 6, Praha 7). Pours a beautiful golden amber with many visible particulates (4/5). Aroma brings up honey, leather, dirt and walnut husks, wet bark — sweetness in the front, earthiness in the back. (8/10). Ten minutes after pouring, a worm of foam has risen up and out the bottle top, now climbing out and slowly angling down the bottle neck. In the mouth, it’s sweet and nutty, rinsing to a clean tannic finish — really akin to a reduction, with concentrated, complex flavors appearing now several lonesome breaths after the last swallow (8/4). Did I forget to mention I did a full-bore, full-room spit-take with the first sip?

pours amber brown in coloration. Hints of fruit, apple raison, sherry. pleasant mouth feel with exquisite lingering taste

75cL bottle. Pours a medium, bright amber-brown color; off-white head with solid retention and creamy lacing; very nice pour. Enormous amounts of dried fruits (raisins, dates, prunes), intricate yeastiness, and dense Belgian sugars; intense, generous, focused nose; no show of alcohol. Full mouthfeel: sweet, intricate Belgian sugars and yeastiness, dried fruits (following the aroma), some vanilla and raisins and dates; intensely dense and drinkable and generous; smooth and creamy, with loads of dried fruits. Excellent, tasty, very satisfying stuff. Lengthy finish: creamy vanilla, dried fruits, and sweet caramel.

75cl, from De Hopduvel Gent, very complex, but too sweet, cloudy, good head, the best of the Achel-range, a topper!

aahh so here is the reason why a tasting session with the nyc crew down at the gingerman went very hazy. Nice firm head, cloudy golden color. Yeasty aroma, with some dough notes. Heavy finish.