Corsendonk Pater (Abbey Brown Ale)

cask @ houten clara, antwerp. Great beer and great restaurant (highly recommended). Fruits, malts and nuts dominate the aroma and taste. Finish of dusty chocolate. Nice full body. A regular in my rota.

Spritzy, brown with a slight aroma of cheese or fermented fruit. It’s very light in the mouth. Sweet and malty flavor.

Bottle. Dark brown colour with a average beige head. Aroma and flavour of chocolate, fruit, spice, malt and caramel.

Pours deep brown with tan highlights and a spritzy cap. Notes are subdued initially do to cold serving temp, but some chocolate and raisan came through as it warmed. The body is much more chocolate, with some tart cherries and smokiness taboot. The yeast seems pretty insignificant here, but that’s ok because the malt profile is great.

One of those perfect beers for me. It’s my favorite of the Trappist Monk beers. It’s a bit on the expensive side, so it’s hard to stock up on it. But every once in a while it’s a treat to have it.

Bottle at the Hopdevil in Zagreb
After the lovely tripel, I expected a lot from this. It poured a dark red-black colour with a medium to big thick off-white head. The nose is faint. Too faint, which is even more disappointing because it’s actually quite nice, malty, fruity, somewhat vinuous. Shame you really have to concentrate to catch it. The taste retains some of the characteristics of the nose. Like the fact that it’s too faint for it’s own good. Caramel, malt, some metal, regurgitated coffee with cocoa sprinkled in, weak hopiness and weak alcohol. Not bad, but failed to impress me. Needs a lot more body. I’m not a particularly big fan of the style but this did nothing to gain it more respect from me. Sure, the subtle flavours are sometimes nice, but if some sublety is all it has...

Appearance: Dark brown body with a very creamy-looking off-white head. Smell: Enticing malty aroma of chocolate, red grapes, spices, and a slight yeastiness. Taste: Plenty of malt sweetness with rich, full flavors of chocolate fudge and toffee. Light floral bitterness. Smokiness and the fruity taste of port wine lurking in the background. Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Immensely smooth with a very soft carbonation. Drinkability: Look, this beer had me jumping up and down and juggling bananas. Would a BAD BEER be able to do that?

I’ve had this beer numerous times, but never rated it. Pours dark brown with strong head and medium carbonation. Great flavor, somewhat roasty and spicy. One of my favorites!