Hoegaarden Verboden Vrucht

Brewed by Brouwerij Hoegaarden (InBev)
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Hoegaarden, Belgium

Drank under the name Le Fruit Défendu, bottle of 330 ml at Pub St. Alexander in Quebec City September 24, 2009. Muddy brown caramel, good head. Aroma of berries and spicy malt. Taste of spicy dry malt, notes of ripe fruit, finish slightly tart and dry, slightly bitter. Nothing exeptional simply pleasant!

Bottle, 330ml. Pours a greatly appealing fruity copper colour, with a truly sumptuous head that endures. Sweet, malty aroma, and hoppy tang on the tongue. Medium body, but not remarkable.

Bottle 330ml. This one is a great trip. It has a deep fruity aroma, with apple (appropriately), and also fruits of the forest. Flavour is sweet throughout, with balancing bitterness coming at the end for a long spectacular finish. Mouthfeel is a bit watery, with medium body. Colour is dark red, with particles from the bottle conditioning, the head lasts all the way.

Bottle. Pours a nice shiny copper colour with a decent beige head and heaps of flaky sediment. Nose features toffee, malt, rum and raisins. The flavour, as well as the features of the aroma, has pronounced notes of brown sugar, ginger, sultanas, molasses and berries. Noticeable hop presence which I found unusual for this type of beer, as well as the light mouthfeel, although the high carbonation comes as no surprise. Overall this is a great beer, easy to drink in hot or cold months, although the alcohol really sneaks up on you.

bottle at le Pub St Alexandre hazy light brown with a huge beige had. Nice aroma of caramel, dark ripe fruit, and some alcohol. Flavour is rich, and satisfying. Some great caramel flavors mixed with some more fruit. A great beer.

330ml bottle (Cracked Kettle, Amsterdam)
Rich reddy brown, brief head. Sweet malty aroma, touch of caramel. Big belgian body - heavy on the sweet medium-roast malts, but an even bigger hoppy bite. Noble hops, at that, leaving a pleasant biting bitter finish, which lasts for a really long time. Better than average belgian strong ale, but lacking a wow.

Bottle at Inn Side Out in Hong Kong. The first I’d heard of the beer, I’m pretty sure its unavailable in north east US. Once opened, massive amounts of bubbly foam rushed out of the bottle and continued overflow well into the tasting. Mouth and nose are similiar- Pleasantly strong notes of dough, esters, dark fruits and belgian spice. Unfortunately harsh alcohol notes are incredibly dominate and throws off the balance, taste and the entire offering. This usually doesn’t get to me but it did here. Respectable but dissapointing.

Bottle. Great beer! Cloudy amber colour with nice frothy head. Nice fruity aromas with spicey notes. Strong taste of alcohol, but doesn’t take away from enjoying this one.