Grottenbier Bruin

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

Date: 8/1/09 Beer info: Bottled in brown 330ml bottle 6.5% abv BB 17 06 11 Sampling Notes: Served chilled in chalice. Bit of a gush. Murky brown body with small tight offwhite foam. Toasty bread malt nose, reminisant of rye, bit of brown sugar and spice. Carbonation is somewhat low, thick oily texture, drying sensation leaves mouth a bit chalky. There isn’t a great deal to the body, some grain toasty malt, bit of mollasses, odd woody spice, hint of dried fruit. Finishes dry, reasonably bitter. Not a particularly characterful Belgian dark ale, don’t really have much to say about it at all really...

Bottled as Grotten Brown . Pours dark w/medium head. Yeast, fruits etc, taste is spice and some bitterness, overall pretty well done. another quality offering from Watou.

Bottle 0,33 l. Brown, beigish head. Nose is fruity, some yeast, dust. Flavor is malty, spicy, intensely bitter in a strange way. I don’t know if it’s just the image of caves, but it does feel kind of sandy or rocky with all the dryness.

75 cl bottle at Hopheads´ tasting 30.01.09 (Trygve). Amber/brown color, foamy off-white head. Aroma is fruit, yeast, spices and malt. Flavor is sweet malty, spicy, yeast and hops that gives a fine bitterness.

Bottle. Ripe fruits and malt in aroma. Clear dark amber colour with a red hint. LArge beige head. Sweet flavour of plums, cherries and roasted malt. Moderate carbonation.

Sipped on this gentle bruin belgian during our first big snow storm of 2009. Sparkling amber~brown body with copper highlights. Billowing, rocky tan head that takes it’s time to simmer down. Thick/heavy lacing surrounds the entire glass. Delicate aromas of multi-grain bread, bran cereal, brown sugar, and ginger bread. These scents are mellow and pleasantly intermingled. Mild body that is malty and sweet. Drinks smooth and calm. The flavors are very malt forward and have a nice earthiness. Biscuits, dark grains, honey and light molasses balanced out by a gritty sugar effect. Mild yeast elements play a role with fruity flavors. Calm and relaxing brew that resonates with the senses.

Brown sugar, cereal malt, bubblegum, plums and tomatoes in the curiously intriguing, musty aroma. Hazy amber-brown body is topped by a generous and long lasting off white head that coats the sides of the glass with lacing. Musty flavour is somewhat sweet but has an underlying tartness and quite a pronounced bitterness that I don’t usually associate with the style. Soapy and floral in the aftertaste. Medium body with quite strong effervescence. An interesting beer to say the least but the flavours just don’t come together for me. Tulip glass. Cellar temperature. Bottle (Best Before End of 2005) purchased through Bieropholie Sep-05.

Bottle. Dark blackish coloured beer with a strong head. The aroma is yeasty and malty, and the flavour is rich, malty and lightly bitter and spiced. Overall a reasonable beer.