De Proef Lunatique (Cuvee Diabolique)

Brewed by De Proefbrouwerij
Style: Abbey Tripel
Lochristi, Belgium

Hazy pale golden pour supporting a towering rocky head with fantastic retention and curtains of lacing. Aroma of citrus zest, coriander, straw and yeast. Nicely balanced flavors of crisp malt, spices, vanilla, more yeast and decent hop presence. I thought the mouthfeel was a bit thin but not watery and the finish was bright, quick and snappy. Yes, it’s hard not to compare this to Duvel in some way and the bottling and name practically beg you to do so. Is it as good as Duvel? Some might say so but I prefer Duvel; however, this is a good and interesting Tripel in its own right. Ironically, I think the overall reviews might be a tad higher if its name drew no associations with the iconic Duvel.

750 ml. corked & caged bottle. No freshness date seen. Poured out a very light golden yellow color, with a voluminous white head. The head is meringue like, and sticks around forever. Aromas are of spiced pears, certainly cardamom & coriander are present. Very carbonated, and effervescent. Flavors are of sweet malts, spices, and citrus. Earthy hops round out the flavors. Medium mouthfeel, kind of slick. Finishes with a citrus flavor to it. Not the best triple I ever had, but not terrible either.

The pleasing ritual behind the decanting of this (imitation) corked and caged 750 ml bottle provides a good metaphor for this ale. This beer practically reaches the Duvel mantle, but falls just short of the mark. Dispensing the ale itself reveals a satisfying, hazy golden yellow beer with a huge rocky white head that leaves superb lacing. The aroma is light grain and bready yeast with orange spice and alcohol peaking through as the beer warms to room temperature. A honey-sweet palate entry yields to an orange rind, clove and coriander tang in the mid-palate, followed by a simple and satisfying, dry hop and alcohol finish. Very good.

Pours a hazy light orange with a frothying bubbly head that dissipates fairly slow. The aroma is very complex and tart with hints of orange, honey and corriander but nothing really smacks you in the face. The body is med. light but mouth filling due to high CO2. The flavors is med. sweet, moderate spice with a wonderful candy-like orange tang acidity with some yeastiness which really doesn’t bother me...hey I’m a homebrewer. Yeast is a part of life...literally. The finish is very lightly bitter yet dry due to high attenuation. Very nice strong golden ale. I agree with Senior "Beerexpert" that this is not a knock-off of Duvel, however the marketing surely is.

I absolutely love this beer. People stating that it is a rip off of Duvel clearly have no idea what they are talking about.

Cloudy and bright yellow-gold. Lively carbonation; thinnish body. Yeasty-cakey malts. Snappy lemon and a little bitterness. Enjoyable, pleasant beer, but not overly complex ... and seemed a little too yeasty for my taste.

The beer emerges from the 750ml cork and caged brown bottle a somewhat beclouded light golden orange with a substantial bright creamy white head that evaporates leaving a tight girdle of lace to surround the glass. Nose is fruity, pineapple, tart tones of grapefruit, sweet malt to back it all up, a touch of yeast, quite complex to this old schnozzle, start is lightly sweet, grain presence noticeable, top is light to moderate in feel. Finish is stingingly acidic, the hops dynamic in their spiciness, severely dry. In its own way it reminds me of Duvel and maybe even Orval, a fine brew to start out a Saturday afternoon, I also have a bottle of Angelique in my new pint sized DBF, that is within arms reach of the computer. The old DBF is humming away in the garage, loaded with beer that is just in case the old Gusler gets snowed in! lol

Bottle - corked and caged. Autumn gold with a whispy and foamy white head. The aroma elicits ripe tangerines, yeast, sweet malts, and a dried flower bouquet. Taste brings the sweetness out a bit more along with light lemony notes, hints of orange marmalade, yeast, candy sugar, fresh flowers and light hoppiness. Not bad! Body is light-medium with lots of carbonation zeal and noticeable dryness. Finish is consumed in more sweetened malts, light citrus notes, light hop bitterness, minimal flowery flavors and yeast. Not bad, even if totally unoriginal.