De Koninck

I first tried this beer while visiting my folks in Antwerp and feel in love with it. Outstanding colour, and excellent finish. Been enjoying the beer here in Toronto, but it isn’t quite as good as the beer they pour in Belgium. I am excited that the lCBO will now be carrying it so I can enjoy it home.

On draught.Copper-coloured with a smallish head (though I have seen it bigger before). Yeasty aroma together with hay hoppiness. Good toffee caramel and spicy fruit flavours. Clean dry finish. Medium body. Thirst-quencher Antwerp-style with a good character.

Bottle with Trine on Utrechtsestraat. Quality. One of my favorite beers. Very smooth and rich tasting. Fruity aroma with caramel taste. Divine for such a widely-available brew.

If I could only drink one beer for the rest of my life, it would be this one. It is perfectly balanced -- not too light, not too heavy. The combination of the malt flavor and the saaz hops makes it taste like the barley was just cut, and it has a nice, clean and dry finish. I’m not sure why it doesn’t rate better. This should replace Stella as the default Belgian draft beer -- drinking it out of a Bolleke is heavenly. Go to Antwerp, you can get it for under $2 a glass.

Bottle. Color: copper. Fruity and sulphous aroma. Flavor of biscuits and dried fruit. Nice balance between fruit, malts and hops.

On tap at the reef: A light copper golden color with a big fluffy white head. Enjoyed this belgian ale quite a bit, it was fruity malty, sugary sweet, a tiny bit metallic, with a crisp dry finish.

On tap. Dark golden, clear ale with a small, dense beige head. Fruity, sweet aroma with some hints of banana. Weak, fruity and malty aroma. Medium body and a nice bitterness in the finish. Nice aroma, disappointing flavor. (060715)

12 oz. bottle yields a deep coppery pour, medium light tan head that receded quickly. Roasty malt aroma with a bit of estery fruit character. Medium mouthfeel, bubbly carbonation. Burnt caramel, some rasin/plum lead to a slightly metallic, bitter finish. Undistinguished and almost one dimensional, I was not impressed.