Hopduvel Bosaardbei

Formerly brewed at Brouwerij Van Steenberge
Style: Fruit Beer
Ertvelde, Belgium

Serve in Flute

Some kind of Vintage@Kulminator, seriously aged: bosaardbei in the name means wild strawberry which is what they used, I assume, heavy on yeast, slightly pronounced alcohol, lower on sugar (probably a result of the aging), mild, dusty, old wild strawberries, tastes kind of old & dusty

Seriously aged sample Head immediately vanishing from fully hazy amber beer with a pinkish/greyish sheen. End of bottle comes creeping out. Outspoken Madeira nose, with walnuts, vomit and fruitester. Walnutty, old wood, again fruity notes. Sweet, but certainly not cloying, the CO² gives a good balance. A fruity sweetness lingers into the aftertaste as from softice, strawberry flavoured. Very carbonated, light but ending somehow sticky. A one-off kept available no doubt too long. Despite its name, no strawberries were ever added, let alone little scarlets.

@ Kulminator, Antwerp. Aged version. Blond and hazy beer. Very fruity aroma. Madeira flavor. Not bad.

Kulminator, aged version. Dark hazy orange coloured. Small creamy white head. Strange aroma, hints of strawberries but also some touches of cheese? Full body. Finish is yeasty, strange, little fruity. Not too bad considered its age, but nothing overwhelming.

(Bottle 25 cl) Another Bios beer from a De Hopduvel recipe - an indeed a very unusual fruit beer. The label explains that it is the only bottle fermented fruit beer. And with the yeast chewing through all the sugars it is less sweet but with a stronger alcohol than usual for fruit beers. "Should be enjoyed as a refined rosé" the label claims. Well, I don’t really know. Vague pink colour, small pink head. Strawberries don’t really leave much flavour in beer, and this is no exception. It’s basically just a strong, blond ale with a faint flavour of the strawberries and a rather sharp bitterness. Points for trying but not for the outcome. 120598