La Botteresse Brune

Brewed by Brasserie Artisanale La Botteresse de Sur-les-Bois
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Saint-Georges (Sur-les-Bois), Belgium

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

Date: January 16, 2011
Mode: Bottle
Source: Brusin Ales, Asheville NC
Appearance: opaque dark brown, creamy beige head
Aroma: sweet spicy aroma, fruity esters, a touch of fruity tartness
Flavor: rich malt flavor, fruity sweetness, lots of ripe dark fruits, light balancing fruity tartness, just a hint of bitterness
Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 14/20
Rating: 3.5/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: *** /4

Murky brown pour with one finger of creamy beach sand tan head. Really interesting nose with lots of sweet and pie spices and a lot of sweet phenols and fruity esters. Lightly caramelly with some raisin. Flavor is fine, lightly cidery with green apple skins and lots of spice with some pumpkin meat/gourd flavor. Light body and low carbonation.

Outstanding Belgian small batch - Full flavor brune with just the right amount of sweetness and you would never know you are drinking almost 10 % alcohol.

Creamy coloured head not large mild to medium carbonation dark brown pour murky aromas sugar dark fruit yeast candy flavours candy taste sweet yeast prune grape that is dark sweet brune some alcohol port taste finish sugary sweet dark fruit alcohol grape taste okay bruin

0.33L bottle brought home from Brussels, labelled as ’’Sur-les-Bois Biére Brune’’. Ouch, a gusher! The remaining liquid pours a nice looking dark ruby, with a low coarse-bubbled beige head. Rich aroma of dark dried fruits. Caramel tones, some alcohol too, and a whiff of almonds/marzipan. Taste on the sweet side. Lots of dark dried fruits and candy-sugary malt sweetness. Also some yeast tones, and a spicy touch. A little more than medium full. Oily to sticky texture. Short, sweet and warming finish. Not outstanding, but a reliable Belgian.

Bottle from Beer Temple. Dark amber body with medium oily head. Nose of sweet malts and fruits. Taste is also malts, caramel, toffee and nice fruits. Nice sweet and oily texture. Pretty good in a buttery way.

From the bottle at the Bilbo Baggins Stilwater/12% Imports dinner on Friday November 12, 2010. Served in a wine glass. First off, I love the artwork and the representative of 12% had a nice story behind it. Pours a nice crimson brown color with a bit of plum coloring in there as well. Half-finger off-white head without any lacing. The nose is cherry with a little bit of light fruit. Some noticeable alcohol in there as well. There is a slight spice with a bit of what I picked out as juniper, though after being told could recognize it as slight pine and spruce. The taste is really interesting with a bit of spicy spruce as well as light black licorice and a bit of caramel. Nice pine notes. The spice pervades the body, which is medium and pretty nice. Quite interesting and fairly tasty, but not something I’d want all that much of. Serving type: bottle Reviewed on: 11-14-2010

Pours chestnut brown with a thin beige head. Aroma is sweet and malty with heavy raisins and raspberries. Flavor is very sweet and a tad sour. Medium body with a great mouthfeel. Rolls around the tongue.