De la Senne/Allagash Very Spéciale Belge

Brewed by Brasserie de la Senne
Style: Belgian Ale
Brussels, Belgium

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

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Bottle from The Davis Beer Shoppe in Davis, CA. Pours amber gold with a slight creamy off-white head. Aroma is freshly herby. Med body. Flavor is stone fruit, herbs and a hint of yeast. It is not sweet. It is quite bitter. It is just great to drink. Finishes herby bitter. In this case that’s very good. Then it goes a bit like incense floral. Nice stuff.

Cloudy orange body, big white head. Intense floral hoppy aroma with grapefruit, lemon, orange, honey, yeast, caramel. Great balanced flavour with grapefruit, apple, cereal, dry grassy bitter finish. Excellent.

Anima belga e profumo americano. Beverina, frizzantina e di ottima beva. Erbacea e citrica grazie alle doti del Nuggets e del Centennial. Come detto, si fa bere che è un piacere.

In short: A floral-hoppy doughy/yeasty pale Belgian ale with a very dry finish. Good
How: Bottle 330ml. Consumed fresh a few weeks after purchase (3 months after first rating)
The look: Cloudy amber body topped by a medium white head that quickly recedes to a small layer of foam
In long: Nose is very floral with a mix of garden flowers, scented green herbaceous plants as well as some green pine-needles. Taste has bready malts, carrot muffin (I’m not kidding!), cookie dough, flowers, dry grass, dry herbal spiciness (thyme and such). Bitterness level is medium and really not aggressive. The finish is very dry, with something of a floury character that sucks the mouth totally dry. Original creation here, certainly not boring, but although I liked the beer I found a single 330ml bottle to be enough. That’s my opinion, and I don’t mean to brag but I’m getting very good at adding unnecessary sentences at the of my ratings.

My Bottom Line:
Floral hop explosions unearth peppery, spicy bitterness in this simple, but highly engaging hoppy quencher.

Further Personal Perceptions:
-A veil of foam tops the nearly clear honeyed golden.
-Plump cereals don’t contribute a lot of flavor but do support the hops well.
-The soft effervescence makes for a very drinkable mouthfeel.
-This could be a bit drier for my tastes.
-A very nice brew, but I’ll take their Taras Boulba over this.

Bottle.

Bottle from Domus Birrae. Nice citrus hops nose, lemon and lemon zest, a bit of candy, peach, stone fruit, dough. Deep gold, clear, with a high, fine head. Hop dominated flavor, light bready malt and honey match it well, with zest, grass, some white grape. Yeast spiciness. Peppery finish moderately bitter and dirty.  Easy drinking. Clean and dry. Good, but not remarkable.             

Bouteilles de 33 cl. Merci David ! Arômes assez intenses de houblon américain très résineux et fruité. Robe dorée assez foncée, peu de mousse et effervescence moyenne. En bouche, le houblon typiquement américain est accompagné par un malt légèrement sucré rappelant le sucre d’orge et le caramel clair. La levure est à l’arrière-plan, mais contribue tout de même quelques phénols épicés. Amertume résineuse et poivrée assez intense en finale. Intéressant.

From a bottle poured an amber color with a good amount of head. Malty hoppy flavor with a quick finish.

Botella de 330ml.Copa Túlipa.Saboreada en oct´11.Color amarillo dorado.Velada.Corona blanca,cremosa y persistente.Aromas de resinas,madera,especias y corteza de pan.Entrada muy seca de lúpulo.Por suerte, las maltas aportan un paladar aterciopelado y suave. Intermedio de piel de limón y cilantro.Cuerpo medio-lígero y carbonatación bastante alta. Astringencia alta pese a las notas malteadas del final. Pino en el retrogusto. 330ml bottle.Tulip glass.Enjoyed on oct´11.Golden yellow.Hazy.White creamy lasting crown. Resiny,woody,spicy,bready aromas.Very dry hoppy upfront. Helpfully malts provides a soft velvet palate.Lemon zest & coriander in the middle.Medium-light body,quite high carbonation.High astringency no matter malty note finish.Piney aftertaste.

Bottle. This pours a dingy cloudy orange with a white layer of lasting foam. The nose is yeast and fruit. Oranges and more citrus. The flavor comes across is bitter on the first sip. It is peppery, too. It also offers lots of fruit and yeast. The bitterness remains big throughout. It must be from hops and they seem to only add bitterness. Except for the huge bitterness this is a classic Belgian. For me a little less bitter would be good but this was interesting and tasty.

bottle at Farmers Cabinet, Philly. copper orange pour. Fruity dry bitterness, orvalish dryness & yeast. Earthy bitterness, Orange zest. Pretty solid & balanced. Nice beer