Grottenbier Bruin

Bottle. Chestnut thin beige head. Yeasty, spicey. Caramel and yeast in mouth with a lemony finish which is odd for a beer of this colour. Toasty toffee aroma. Some hop. Full in mouth. Excellent malt in mouth with hop/yeast finish. Good beer.

Petites bulles très fines. Brun très foncé. Mousse abondante qui colle sur les parois du verre. Odeur de cerises. Herbacé (?). Très ronde en bouche. Très peu d’arrière-goût, sèche. Goût d’alcool présent en bouche.

Bottle: Poured a muddy brown color ale with a medium head with pretty good retention. Aroma of caramel malt and slightly funky Belgian yeast is quite evident. Caramel malt with some spices dominated the taste at first and then the yeast signature shows up with a slightly funky feel. Body is quite full but could have been fuller and carbonation is perfect. IMHO, a bit more alcohol and body would do wonder for this beer.

Holds a thick off white head….classy. Dark maroon / brown, quite cloudy. Nose is quite typical of the style, earthy malts, some sweetness, slightly stewed. Lacks depth for top marks. Similar palate, competent with more earthy, slightly savoury malts, low / nil hop impact (as expected). Medium palate weight, just needs to be ‘one louder’ as Nigel would say!

(Draft. 03/3006) Estery. Molassas aromas. Deep, clear garnet. Thin, off-white head that dissipated quickly to a very thin film (could be a poor pour). Roasty flavors. Some notes of clove and spice. Astringent. Slightly sour. Medium bodied. Some stickiness.

750ml bottle: This one pours a cloudy, coppery-brown color. There was a big, fluffy off-white head on mine. It hung around for a little while. The aroma is nice. It is somewhat bready, with hints of fruits. Some spices, including cloves start to come up as it warms a bit. The taste is actually a touch peppery when it hits your tongue. Also a touch dry. It does contain nice notes of some dark fruits, as well as a toffee malt taste. This is quite nice.

I sampled the U.S.-labeled “Grotten Brown Belgian Cave-Aged Ale,” in a 750 ml corked and caged bottle. This ale is punchy, effervescent and rosewood in color with an opaque body. The pour also leaves a splendid, large, tight off-white head that left remarkable lacing. The aroma is earthy like a damp autumn forest, with spices like clove, dark dried fruit and discernable alcohol complements. This ale is dry and effervescent through and through, but a sweet, dark malt backbone grows more apparent as the beer warms to room temperature. Mid-palate flavors include the aforementioned clove, but also essences of raisin, prune and sour cherry. The finish is sharp, dry, and long-lasting, perhaps owing to hop bittering but also a heightened alcohol content.

Cloudy brown with fluffy, inviting head. Aroma is strong — spicy clove and nutmeg and wood with just a hint of metal. The flavor is equally big — clove, apple, cherry and wood. There is a slight peppery taste as well. The mouthfeel is fizzy with a short to moderate finish that presents a subtle tartness. Different and tasty and pleasant. Would not hesitate buying again.