Alvinne Balthazar

Brewed by Picobrouwerij Alvinne
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Moen, Belgium

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

Malt and holiday spice aroma. Moderate balanced taste with a nice spice finish. Reminds me a bit of a pumpkin ale. Good for a holiday.

Started off really not liking this but it mellowe after it’d stood for a while. Murky auburn brown with a medium yellow brown head. Aroma was a little odd at first, can certainly pick up the psices, cardamom, nail varnish, marzipan, marmite, turkish delight. Found it a little too busy. Flavour is a little herbal, dandelion & burdock, ginger. Can’t say I didn’t like it, would drink it again. Just a little odd.

Bottled. Cloudy redbrown color, thick brownish head. Aroma is spicy, caramel malty, raisin, cardamom, candy. Bit sugary taste, sweet, alcohol, spicy, good caramel malty body. Bit sticky palate.

Poured with a smallish tan head that quickly subsided and no lace. Color is a cloudy amber, red, brown with sediment. Aroma is caramel, resin, citrus, soy sauce. Flavor is like aroma, a little tangy and salty. Body is ok and so is carbonation. Finish is on the bitter side. Nothing special.

Bottle at home. Hazy red-brown with a large beige head, some lacings. Aroma moderate malty (roasted, brown sugar, dark fruits and heavily spiced w. cardamum, coriander, ginger), moderate hoppy. Flavor moderate sweet and bitter, heavily spiced, to much in my opinion. Body with lots of alcohol and high carbonated.

(bottle) pours a dark ruby colour with a barely stable beige head. aroma of brown sugar and hop spices, some chocolate, light char and yeast. flavour is mostly roasted malts and herbal hops, with a dry grainy alcoholic finish. medium body with fizzy carbonation.

Gusher. It filled my house w/ brown foam a sweet spicy aroma. Very cloudy brown w/ a head of large bubbles speckled w/ brown particulates that must have been disturbed by the eruptive opening. Nose is a mild banana yeastiness punctuated w/ a bit of tartness and a whole lot of spice. Taste is rich and spice cake-like, w/ some chocolate and tart cherry notes. Overall quite dry but somehow almost sticky w/ the slight sweetness that is there. Interesting. Medium bodied w/ prickly carbonation that seems little underdone (normally gushers are a bit flat, I’ve found). Finishes w/ a lingering tart fruit taste and a bit of bitterness along w/ some alcohol burn. Overall, not a bad brew but I think this bottle might have been turning the corner.

Pours a dark red brown color with a nice beige head. Aroma of yeast, herbs and spices. Flavors of roasted malts, caramels, hints of coffee, some citrus, hints of liquor and liquorice, light ginger and spices. Good carbonation, little sweet and bitter, little creamy finish.