Glazen Toren Cuvée Angélique

750 ml. Opaque, darkish copper-brown with a creamy quarter inch of head that ices the glass. Aroma of toffee, raisin bread, musty dark fruit, and hints of tart cherry. Flavor is musty dark fruit, chocolate, toffee and toasted nut; all balanced well against a complex finish of more roast malt flavors, oak, some tart berry, funky leather and slight citrus. Medium-heavy body is mostly smooth and finishes surprisingly dry.

750 ml paper wrapped bottle from The Keg, in Clarksville, Indiana. Pours a mostly clear ruby body topped by an immense creamy ecru hued head even with a careful pour. Lavish sheets of lace drape the Duvel chalice. Aroma opens with fruity kiwi and strawberry, followed quickly by perfumey and floral hops. Spicy belgian yeastiness is also prominent, adding freshly cracked white peppercorns and dried coriander. Airy medium body seems lighter than it really is. Silky carbonation is almost utopian. Taste begins fruity with prominent melon and strawberry notes. Yeasty spiciness is unashamed, and grows bolder as this warms. White pepper and coriander... Floral hop bitterness is quite playful with the senses. Honey and caramel from the malt backbone add a pleasant balance. Finishes with a pastoral dry bitterness, much like a world class saison. Exceptional Belgian ale here, that seems to marry the better traits of several Belgian styles into an ideal whole. One of the better beverages I’ve enjoyed in recent memory.

75cl, from Geers Oostakker, complex brew, balanced, cloudy, good head, good brew

Bottle. Pours hazy orange with a bighead. Aroma is hoppy, but also a bit soapy. Flavour i also hoppy, but tastes a bit like dishwashing soap, and it is thin.