Judas

Brewed by Alken-Maes (Heineken)
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Jumet, Belgium

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

Zuerst schmeckt dieses Bier fruchtig, schnelle schlägt es aber in in eine typische herbe um. Zum Ende hin wirkt es kurz säuerlich, man merkt den Alkoholgehalt. Hab schon besseres getrunken. Test vom 18.6.2005, Gebinde: Glasflasche Noten: 9,9,6,6,12,9 - 8,25

Dark blonde, small diminishing head. No yeast in the bottle. Aroma is sweet, caramel, candy and peaches. Full bodied taste, reasonable bitter, complex, a bit to the sweet side, more than expected. Taste also has almonds and some candy.

Judas is well balanced in both aroma as in taste. Colour is clear gold with a nice settling head. I didn’t had it in it’s original glass, so appearance is hard for me to judge. Aroma has biscuits, some pepper, yeast and other spices. Taste has some nuts, like almonds or walnuts, orange peel and some yeastiness. Loads of carbonation with a dry, carbonated finish. Good find

I poured a 500ml can into a oversize wine glass.

Appearance: Dark gold, slightly hazy body. Forms a large, bright white, frothy head. Fantastic lacing down the glass. Good retention. Constant carbonation visible throughout.

Aroma: Banana cream pie, light spices and flowers.

Taste: Take all those banana-like flavors you tend to get in Belgian strong pale ales and subtract the spice and sweeten it up and that’s what you get here. Belgian yeast strains tend to make for banana-like flavors, but in this case it’s more refined, almost sugary, and slightly floral. Alcohol creates for a stronger, more energetic palate, giving the beer a slight rum-like taste. Very mild bitterness, hops are not prominent here. Malts give it a sourdough-like flavor as well. Quite tasty, although not particularly complex.

Mouthfeel: Full-bodied for sure. Literally feels thick in the mouth, but not sticky or syrupy.

Drinkability: For an 8.5% ABV beer, Judas is surprisingly smooth and drinkable. Palate is not overly-sweetened, nor is it a peppery sensation in the mouth. A beer to drink for the taste, the proportionate drinkability is a pleasant bonus.

Overall, one of the most unique strong Belgian blondes I’ve encountered and a fun beer to drink.

33cl bottle. Golden yellow beer with a good head - the lace hangs around virtually for the whole beer. The nose has aromas of spices and flowers and a base note of hay. The taste confirms the spice and flowers and this combination gives a vanilla custard note in the middle section and confectionery just after. The palate is hefty, there is a creamy if perhaps clumsy texture and there is a fairly clean finish. Overall a good version of a blonde tripel.

Ancient bottle gifted by Kees, probably about 20 years old. Poured a slightly cloudy brown with almost no head, yet still gassy. Aromas of old dead wood plus a little toffee and alcohol. The palate is toast, tart orange, nutmeg, peppery hops, a little burnt caramel, then a tart and dry-bitter aftertaste, with nutmeg-flavoured afterburps! Interesting for the age.

Golden, with a not too big white head that lasts more than expected. The aroma is sweet and fruity, softer than other belgian ales, but quite pleaseant. The taste is fruity, with orange peel and some alcohol, and the aftertaste is dry, with some pleaseant peach. Quite tasty but refreshing as well. Nice.

Bottle from Bier Tempel, Brussels. Sweet flowery aroma. Hazy yellow brown colour, not much head. Strong sweet malty alcohol flavour. Lingering aftertaste. Too strong for me.