Grottenbier Bruin

Brewed by St. Bernard Brouwerij
Style: Abbey Dubbel
Watou, Belgium

Serve in Trappist glass

This intriguing cave-aged brew pours a light chestnut brown with ruddy highlights and a large puffy beige head which laces beautifully in sheets and rings around the glass. Certainly complex, the nose is strikingly nutty, coincidentally suggesting candied chestnuts (marrons glacés), walnuts and plenty of hazelnuts. Genuine vanilla bean is in ample supply and very attractively highlighted by browned butter and salted-butter caramel. Perhaps I was synesthetically influenced by the description, but the nose had a damp, almost mossy spice component. Spice cake, prunes, raspberries and black pepper also lend to the complexity. The flavor continues to suggest hazelnuts, though rye bread and heavy yeast aspects are also dominant. The mouthfeel is exceptionally silky, reminiscent of a good cappuccino. Dried fruits become increasingly intense as the beer warms. Particularly apparent are dried pears, apricots and figs, each lending a vinous tone to this fascinating brew. A subtle but enjoyable earthy sourness lingers with the remaining malt bitterness. Well balanced, this an exciting, unique and eminently drinkable beer. A delicate and thoughtful effort that ages well and obviously garners my respect for Pierre Celis. (24/06/07, best by 21/11/08)

(0.33 l bottle at Kaisla on 2008-07-14) Dark brown. Hazy. Small white head. Yeasty and malty nose. Full and dryish palate with some carbonation. Rasin, malts, earth-like flavours and light bitterness, especially in aftertaste. Bit boring.

UPDATED: JUN 13, 2010 Tried on two occasions a few years apart. Pours deep muddy brown, medium head. Smell is very strong, horlicks-like malts, taste is again strong malt, also sweet, dark fruits, plums, spicy, earthy and a little dank farmyard like background. Very unusual and strong on the sweetness and malts but very enjoyable.

Bottled. Brown, beige head. Very perfumy, some honey in the nose mix. The taste is as pleasant, with a long nutty finish with bitter herbs.

Pours a healthy hazy copper brown with a huge head. Aroam of yeast and earth is pronounced. Taste of malts, yeast, some spice ans sweetness. Tastes more like a blonde than a brown.

Smelled yeasty, earthy, doughy. Deep amber with a nice, creamy, off-white head. Medium body weighty on the tongue. Malts were nice at first, but with time they’d unlock more depth. Wholesome, underbaked bread dough quality. Light funkiness was quite pleasant, along with some aromatic herbs and flowers. A mild bitterness cleaved off the mild sweetness nicely. I’ve had this beer in my fridge for a couple months but I kept putting it off because I didn’t think it had much to offer. Boy was I wrong.

Bottle, Belgian Belly, Manchester. Had drunk a few of these at Quinns over the years, but had forgotten just quite how good this is. Poured a coppery lightish brown with a fading off white head. The aroma is decidedly cave like, posessing a dank, earthy quality that is quite wonderful. There are so many hidden depths and layers to the flavour its hard to know where to start. Spices are right in there with a healthy dose of herb too, caramel and plum are there tussling with hazelnut too. Quality...gets better with each sip. I love the whole concept of cave beer; and this is certainly a bottle worth retreating to and finding solace in.

75cl bottle from Total Wine Tampa. Pours dark brown with a one finger whitish head. Aroma is brown sugar, maple syrup, spice and flowers. Taste is sweet, malty, complex earthiness, peat, cloves, and spices. Interesting and complex beer.