4.2 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20UPDATED: OCT 27, 2007 Rating the 2005. Pulled the cork slowly and carefully, like from a bottle of vintage champagne ... without eruption. Somehow this seems better than a mere 4.5 ... I guess this beer is more than just the sum of its parts. Beautiful reddish brown, with a small tan head that slowly vanishes, leaving lacing behind. Great nose of chocolate and toffee. Taste is sweet — a big full mouth of chocolate and toffee and maple sugar, with fresh figs and earthy fruitiness, with a little bitterness to offset the sweetness, and a tad too much unhidden alcohol, like a barelywine, for perfection. Mouth is just a litte too cloying to be perfect ... not enough carbonation to offset the thick sweetness. OK, I’ve told you why it’s not perfect. But it sure is great! // Great, yes. But after retasting I need to recalibrate slightly.
3.6 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
2011 version. Dark brown pour with slight reddish hint. Massive and lasting thick head, and sweet aroma of malt and ripe fruits. Taste reflects the aroma, but is even more intense with raisin, plums, sweet carmel. I find it intensely sweet to the point of being overdone. Finish is lingering sweet malt with all the flavor notes in tact. Looks like this one gets aged a lot, and I can see why.
4.5 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 18/20
In a 750 ml bottle, sounds great when popped, lots of aroma in the pour, cherries, apple, blackberry, blueberry, sweet caramel malt, rich Christmas pudding. A slow sipping fine Belgian ale, the abv is well hidden. Very sweet, tasty and delicious.
4.4 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 18/20
750 ml bottle, vintage 2012, at home, all alone. Poured into a tulip glass. ABV 11%.
Great appearance, with a very deep ruby colour on the body, even more beuatiful when the light happes to pass through it. On top of it a two fingers tall head, beige in colour, with good retention and medium lacing left around the glass.
The aroma is to die for! Very wine-y, lots of black grapes, less caramel, sugars, spices. Trully excellent!
Wow, what a taste! Also very wine-like, brings to mind the greek mavrodaphne (or mavrodafni) wines. Alcohol very well hidden, no way I could tell this is 11% if I hadn’t see it on the bottle. Again, some sugars, some spices, a little bit of prunes too.
Nice thickness on the body, with the carbonation being as much as it is needed.
Overall this is a great beer, it’s hard to believe that is so widely available and in a such a low price as well. I would give it a perfect score but I think I’ll reserve that for the bottle I have from 2000.
3.8 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
Pours dark brown with medium head. Aroma is hot and sweet. Flavor is candied fruit and sugar, again with the heat. Like the best fruit cake you’ve ever had. Great beer.
3.4 AROMA 5/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 15/20
aroma, alcohol, maybe some notes of bread. fine maple color, the head is thin, sweet beer with a slight bitter aftertaste with long body,. fine soft carbonation.
4.2 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 15/20
Sweetness really hits you on the nose and hints of the full body. Taste is plums and almost licorice like. Yum
4.9 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 10/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 20/20
My favorite... Great lacing and taste... Color is great... Nothing bad to say.... Love it
4.2 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 18/20
Hard to describe this beer because it was different than anything I’ve had including other Belgians. Bit in a good way, it was amazing. Alcohol was well masked. I remember it being dark with red, head that doesn’t last. Well balanced and very complex. A whole array of malt and fruit flavors melded together.
3 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 2/5 OVERALL 12/20
75cl bottle from dranken Geers in Oostakker. Bottle date 2013. Dark brown body with beige head. Aroma of smoke and roasted malts. Taste of drop, caramel and drop. The previous year was less "smoked" what i prefered. ***
4.1 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
75cl bottle. Dark brown with small to medium, ivory head. Nose : toffee, vanilla, red fruits, dried raisins, dates. Milk chocolate. Sip : smooth and oily. Decent carbonation. Sweet and fruity with very well balanced complex aromas. Really good .
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