Alternatief Bittere Waarheid (Bitter Truth)

Brouwerij Het Alternatief
Brewed at Picobrouwerij Alvinne
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Izegem, Belgium

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

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$6.99 11.2 oz bottle from City Beer. Pours with a hazy golden body and a very large, fluffy white head. Aromas of banana, vanilla, grain, caramel, citrus, sort of a musty scent that I get from triples, a bit of orange and grassy notes from hops. Flavors of alcohol, a husky pilsner graininess (possibly a tiny hint of DMS), grassy, candi sugar, yeasty. Slightly salty finish, maybe a touch of (non-sour bug) acidity. Dry. Slightly musty. Pretty decent. Not what I’d call a Tripel IPA as the label suggests.

@ ZBF 2012. Clear blond coloured beer wih small white head and no carbonation. Hopped floral aroma. Full sparkling palate. Finish is bitter hopped dry.

#1317 bottle; nose is quite sweet lemon, mellow apple, hay, feel is mediumfat, carb is mediumlow, taste is sweet, broad alcohol, rosehip, celery, then sweet corn, later elderflower

Appearance: pours the color of straw, settling into a slightly hazy orange under a tight white head which fades into a thin collar bordering an almost full head.
Nose: dry straw, husked hay and grains, and lemon pith. Dusty in the back – sawdust. Nutty in the middle. Chamois and dried herbs.
Palate: intriguing. Sweet middle with lemon bread. Crusts along the sides and dries the palate almost immediately. Herbal breath – sage and rosemary – also in the back. Dried hops creates the herbal and dried hop cones, pellets too. Sweet grass in the middle – lemon and orange skins with lots of pith. Lemoncello. Delicate complexity grows as it warms up.
Final Thoughts: loved it. A wholly Belgian take on the IPA. I loved it personally. Of the earth, of the seasons, and of humility. Further proof of my love for Belgium and Belgian beers.

11.2 oz stubby bottle (labeled as a Belgian Tripel IPA) and served in Bells Tulip: Poured very slowly for two reasons: 1) Lots of yeastie floaties and muck on the bottom of the bottle and 2) Huge over carbonated frothy head would not allow to pour much quicker. Still ended up with a slightly hazy golden hue (and some floaties) that had very nice lace upon the glass. The aroma has notes of pils and aromatic malts, grassy and slightly citric hops, hint of clove, Belgium yeast esters and dish soap. The taste is more towards a Belgian Golden Ale than a DIPA but you do get some nice bitterness on the finish to balance out the layer of wet sloppy graininess. A tad overdone tea baggy astringency noted on the sides of the tongue. Some apple and grapefruit tones along with clove. The mouth feel is quite sprite and as stated at the beginning, over carbonated and distracting. The bitter truth is that is simply an okay brew than is not an outstanding Strong Ale nor an outstanding DIPA.

Name: Bitter Truth
Date: August 26, 2011
Mode: Bottle
Source: Hop City, Atlanta
Appearance: cloudy orange, dense frothy white head, drippy lace
Aroma: sweet and fruity aroma, sweet esters, peach and orange, light spicyness
Flavor: sweet fruity flavor, candied fruit, light earthyness, hint of spicyness, light bitter finish
Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 13/20
Rating: 3.2/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **+ /4

330ml bottle pours a hazy golden color with a big white head and some nice lacing on side of glass. Aroma is grainy with some yeast as well. Taste is malty sweet with some citrus and a modest hoppy bitterness in the finish. This is a nicely balanced strong ale which hides the alcohol really well.

Squat bottle from Frank Smith’s. Upon opening, this bottle gushed more than Anne Heche in a sorority house. Pours turbid orange with minimal head. Nose is orange marmalade, malt, hops,. Tastes somewhat sweet, floral, with mild hops, funky florals, citrus fruit, and a sweet finish. Well hidden alcohol here.

A clear yellow colored beer, with a thick white head. The aroma is not pleasant, stable smell. The taste is much better, bitter dry, some fruits with alcohol. The aftertaste is very bitter.

Darker blond coloured beer with average carbonation and a large white head. Light hoppy aroma with herby hints. Full palate. Finish is bitter malty, sharper with some hop bitter hints. Slightly alcoholic. Medium.

Bottle, bought @ Alvinne Beershop.
Hazy pale orange with a staying, small, creamy, white head. Nice grassy aroma, light brett funk, vinious, some honey, crisp malts. High carbonation, prickly and fresh with good creaminess. Flavour is elegant, very hoppy, grassy, again some funk, resin, light piney. Good elegant bitterness with sublime lingering dryness in the finish. Lovely.