Grottenbier Bruin

Nice well-balanced brown Belgian ale. Complex and sweet. A pretty unique beer. I want this again.

Poured a dark reddish brown with a long lasting white head and lots of lacing. Nutty and woody aroma. For only 6.5% alcohol, the falvor has a lot of alcohol in the flavor, which is not all that complex. Everything is subtle and muted, although enjoyable.

Bottle conditioned. Original De Smedt version (best before 10 10 02) Deep chestnut red, excellent off white head and moderate condition. Superbly complex aromas of winterspices and woody rodenbach type tartness mingled with some aged oxidation notes, sweet and quite thin in the mouth but the oxidation and gentle spiciness still impress. Some fruity citrus notes develop with time along with a touch of chocolate and yeast. Finish is fairly short with hints of orange and gentle spices. Far superior than the St Bernardus version, although a few years aging may have contributed to that. St Bernardus version (8-4-7-3-14) Deep chestnut red, good white head and moderate condition. Spicy clove and orange peel aromas that develop a slight phenolic edge. Slightly tart in the mouth with more clovey phenols, a little like a cold mulled wine. Dry and short in the finish.

On tap. Poured a brown color with an averaged sized off white head. Aromas of nuts, prunes and raisins. Yeasty tastes with a slight bitter finish.

Brown with a slightly reddish tint. The head is small and lacing lingers through the whole glass. Malty, yeasty aroma. The flavor is wood dominant, yeasty, with hints of malt. Slight hop presence on the end. Overall its slightly disappointing, but a better cared for bottle should prove worth trying again...at least I’m hoping it’s a sub-par bottle. 5/4/5/3/12 8/20/05 Tried this again. Better than the first bottle. This time it had a more sherry-like, syrupy flavor. Thin mouthfeel and interesting. Hard to figure out.

Reddish brown appearance, moderate head formation. Sweet malty, sugary aroma, some dark fruits and woodiness. Medium bodied, fizzy palate. Fruity intro, turns to a caramelly sweet sugary middle with a coffee dryness and mild bitterness in the finish.

Brown with tan head. Yeasty, sweet aroma. Drier and not as full bodied as I would have liked. Not bad, but not memorable either.

had high hopes for this one given celis’ belgian roots - but it was pretty yeasty and a little over conditioned - mid brown color and this flavor profile - high alcohol content