Grottenbier Bruin

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

330 ml bottle @ Bishops Arms in Jonkoping, Sweden. Pours hazy brown deep red. Head is begie. It has a very beautiful appearance in the proper glass. Aroma is loaded with strawberry, sweet malt, rubber, caramel. It´s little winous but not sour. The mouthfeel is little bubbly and big. Taste is from burnt sugar, syrup, dark berrys and caramel malt. St. Bernard Brouwerij delivers another fine brew!!

Dark brown with an orange hue. Nice froathy head. Flavor is full of figs and other fruits. Lingers nicely on the palate. Good Brew

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)

[Sampled several times some years ago, 2003/04.] Has its own flavor of caramel, yeast, spices, hops and much more. A very complex beer, which was one of my favorites and could be it again, if I shouldn’t taste all beer in the world. Fresh and with a high drinkability!

Big white cream head topping wine-red hazy body. Aroma is jelly of wild berries. Big taste that’s one great lump of stale hops, old wood, and something musty; aftertaste is mostly bitterness and stale hops. Strangely soft and watery mouthfeel. Really dominated by the hops, but it takes a while to taste it. Good, but not the revelation I’d been led to expect.

I’ve had the regular grotten bruin, but I guess this is a special edition which I found at the local lee’s discount liquor. Very similar to the other, but more well rounded and mellow, with a lot of complexity in the flavor and aftertaste. Definitely worth trying if you have the chance.
Earlier Rating: 8/2/2005 Total Score: 4.7
This one caught my eye ’cause it had my last name Valkenburg on the bottle.. apparently there’s lots of caves there-and good ale. I’ve not quite tasted anything like this before, it has a few flavors in it that I couldn’t quite place, but definitely a very pleasurable drink if you can get your hands on it! Yes, the CO2 is rather high, so you have to wait for the head to subside.. which is the only downside.

750 ml bottle poured a cloudy brown with a small amber head. Aromas of bubblegum, fruitiness and a hint of spices. Palate was light, crisp and smooth. Flavors of fruittiness, spices and a hint of toffee with a dry semi-sweet finish.

Having this one on draft at Bodega Brew Pub downtown La Crosse, Wisconsin. Poured with and nice head with plenty of lace. Brownish color with some amber and cherry highlights. Malty body but not too thick. Some sweet/tartness. Dark fruits, toffee, and some yeasty flavors predominate. Very nice. Good finish.