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Grottenbier Bruin 3.59 633

Grottenbier Bruin

Percentile
92
overall
Brewed by St. Bernard Brouwerij
Style: Abbey Dubbel

Watou, Belgium

bottled
common

on tap
available

Broad Distribution
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RatingsAverageScoreABVStyle PctlServe in
6333.59/5.03.59/5.06.7%91.6Trappist glass
Commercial Description:
Josh’s translation of the French description..."Aged in the caves of Kanne, where the exceptional climatic circumstances give it a unique aroma and flavour without equal." In the U.S., the label will read "Grotten Brown Belgian Cave-Aged Ale." ABV of 6.5% or 6.7% depending on bottles.
 Most Recent Top Raters Highest Ratings Who's Rated This?  
 kepano (239), Meudon, France
4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/58/104/516/20

Jul 19, 2008  
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)

taphandle (93), Texas, USA
4.1 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/58/104/517/20
Feb 5, 2010  
Dark brown with a light brown head. Aroma mostly of cheese, then malt and yeast. Malty taste with dark fruit and slightly tart. Yummy. Very highly carbonated. Quite a surprise - it’s a really good beer


 BeerChaser0078 (456), Melbourne, Australia
3.8 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/58/103/515/20
Jan 29, 2010  
Bottle. Looks great with a hazy, dark orangeish amber body and a creamy beige head that lasts a while. Nose is fruity and spicy with notes of raisins, grapes, plums, yeast, cinnamon and other spices. Flavour is quite similar but with a stronger malty caramel profile and more spice. Dry on the palate with very high carbonation and a lingering spicy finish. Really good dubbel, complex and compelling.


bogus (40), Zeist, Netherlands
3.5 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/103/57/103/515/20
Jan 24, 2010  
Pours dark brown with an off-white head. Aroma of plums Taste is smooth sweet fruits, with bits of bread. I like this one.


 thirdeye11 (979), Texas, USA
3.6 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/57/104/514/20
Jan 19, 2010  
( 750ml bottle) Pours a huge 2 finger tan colored head that crowns the beer nicely. The beer is a pretty plain brown color, but the beer has nice lacing. Smells of dried figs, but not a lot else. Not very complex, but enjoyable. There was another smell here too that I could not identify. Taste of dark fruits and Belgian yeast, one dimensional and better as it warms. Palette is creamy, well carbonated, and excellent as all St. Bernardus beers seem to be.


 TEJA (303), Stockholm, Sweden
4.2 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/104/58/103/518/20
Dec 30, 2009  
This is one of my favorite belgian beer. The beer is higlly carbonated but the white foam quickly goes down to a thinn lace. The color is dark orange and unfortunantly quite clovdy as there is live yeast in each bottle. The aroma is very belgian with spices and dried fruit and phenols. In the taste you find the fenols and fruits that gives quite a marvelous blend, smoth and full of taste. The body is medium to full, a real good sipping beer.


 baraciisch (156), USA
3.6 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/57/104/514/20
Dec 23, 2009  
Cloudy red brown in color... Yeasty malty aroma... Flavor is sweet and citrusy initially over a malty base, yeasty finish characteristic of a Belgian, very crisp and refreshing for a brown, kind of a fusion between a brown ale and a trippel... Pretty good.


stfrancis (30), Heffingen, Luxembourg
3.7 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/57/104/514/20
Dec 22, 2009  
Bottle. Pours dark brown, aroma contains plums and cherries. Tastes sweet, more fruit like apples. Good hop balance to the fruitiness, hints of oak. Decent but nothing to shout about.


 Quevillon (1558), Sainte-Thérèse, Quebec, Canada
3.5 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/103/57/103/515/20
Dec 21, 2009  
Drank a Brouhaha (Montreal) in 330 ml bottle, December 19, 2009. Caramel dark brown, no head. Aroma of sweet spicy caramel malt, with a touch of red fruits. Taste of malted caramel tobacco, notes of dried berries and an aftertaste of bitter herbs. Aged in the caves, strange but it works for this beer!



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