De la Senne Equinox Winter Beer

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

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

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33cl bottle. Labeled ’Zwarte Piet’. Appearance: pours a rather black beer, big stable off white head. Nose: coffee, chocolate. Taste: lots of chocolate, somewhat bitter, some spices, little sweet, bit smoked even, but not that much. Some hops noticeable as well. Nice beer, too bad they don’t blend with cantillon anymore, would have liked to taste that!

Tap. Plum and date fruits. Toasted hazlenut and brown sugar. okay beer.

5/15/2013. Unsure what I am really drinking thanks to 'rebranding' and multiple label swaps. 330ml bottle. 2012. Zwarte Piet. Deep, dark amber pour. Whatever this beer is, it's awesome. The aroma is dominated by chocolate, bitter-sweet coco powder, iced coffee, toasted nuts and hints of dark fruit. Aroma is great, with many complex layers! Thin head remained thought the time in glass. Flavors follow suite... Creamy mouthfeel, medium-medium-plus body, followed by a long, balanced, roasted bitterness. Powerful, concentrated flavors, with a lighter body. Layers of mildly bitter coffee, roasted nuts, ash, dark fruit. Bitter coco drives the long finish. Fantastic length!!! DRY! This beer is PACKED full of flavor!! Flavors stay on the palate for minutes. No complaints, aside from the poor marketing by the brewery regarding being blended with Cantillon. --- tasted while on a long journey to understand the world around me...

Bottled. Courtesy of barlebier. Pitch dark with a tallish head. Complex, deeply inviting nose. Leathery components showing up- both arising from the roasted malt profile and the yeast strain. Interesting. Thanks a lot bartlebier!

@zbf13. Dark brown colour. Sweet dark malt and dark fruits aromas and taste.

330 ml bottle labeled Zwarte Piet. Pours a dark brown mahogany with huge head that settles quickly. Aromas of chocolate biscuits, dark fruits, and roasted malts. Rich flavors of malts, light chocolate, and raisins/prunes. Dry light bitter finish. Quite carbonated.

Bottle labeled Zwarte Piet, from Etre Gourmet. Pours dark brown with an enourmous light tanned head. Aroma of chocolate, roast and caramel. Taste is moderate sweet caramel, roasted malts, well hidden alcohol. Nice overall.

33cl bottle pours a near opaque black/brown with a lofty tan head. Smell is some spice, roasted malt, dark fruit and a hint of licorice. Taste is the same with some chocolate notes ending dry with a touch of char and bitterness on the end. The body is medium and the beer is slippery with less then medium carbonation. A bit too much char and bitterness hanging on for me though the mouthfeel is great.

Bottle, 33cl as "Zwarte Piet". From Geers. Pours dark brown to black. Tanned head. Malty nose, but hop also. Biscuit & munich aroma. Small percentage of roast malts lingers, but the whole is balanced and a bit fruity. Quite flat and not really complex, but a good brew.

33cl bottle as De la Senne Zwarte Piet 2012. Somebody please modify this separate entry, as it neither contains Cantillon (or any other) geuze, nor is called Equinox? - more of a smooth stout with a Belgian fruity yeast attitude and a decent bitter hopping, which De la Senne makes you appreciate over overpowering caramel sweetness even in a stout. Some roast, but no bitter burn. Great mouthfeel, not a sipper but one you have to watch out not chugging down at 8,2ABV. Great TinTin en Afrique-style politically incorrect label. Is there a matching Sinterklaas Triple coming up?