Lozen Boer

Brewed by De Proefbrouwerij
Style: Abt/Quadrupel
Lochristi, Belgium

750ml bottle. Dark cloudy plum brown colored body. Sweet nut and maple nose, some tobacco and sweet toffee, some mild milk chocolate and some dried dark fruit. Flavor is strange: sweet dates and nuts at first, sweetening even more over the middle, and becoming sharp and tangy towards the end, finishing with an almost gritty texture. Not very deep, somewhat thin, and on the sweet side, but I enjoy the nutty date flavors and I generally like the yeast, even though as a whole it doesn’t really develop into anything great.

Poured a hazy copper color with an off-white head. Caramel and sweet malt with some yeasty esters make up the flavor and the aroma. Mildly bitter finish with some good warmth to it.

Bottle. Hazy dark amber colour with large creamy light brown fully lasting head. Fruity aroma. Sweet bitter flavor. Oily palate.

Pours clear amber into a Trappist glass. Off-white head with excellent retention sheets as it slowly recedes. Fig and prune aromas. Sweet dried apricot and pit fruit upfront with a dry, lasting caramel finish. Becomes cloying.

Aromas that are quite similar to a fruity rum waft to my nose as I pour this beer. It is topped by a frothy, initially three-finger thick, tan colored head that slowly recedes with a textured, lace inducing, varied, rocky surface. The beer is an opaque, dark, concentrated amber color that shows a lightly hazy, cranberry hue when held up to the light. Quite alcoholic smelling, definite seems rum infused with its mix of rich fruit and malt notes. A mix of peppery-higher alcohols, prunes, figs, sweet molasses soaked brown sugar, ginger and clove. A substantial concentrated malt character towards the middle and finish seems to walk hand-in-hand with a slightly stale, almost old malt extract like mustiness. An interesting aroma, in the end the aroma smells significantly of a mix of concentrated fruit and spicy higher alcohol notes, but seems to be lacking a richness and finesse that I would like.

Significantly drier than I was expecting, but it still has a significant fruit sweetness to it. The higher alcohols are also quite noticeable in the flavor; they provide a spicy, slightly hot, peppery finish to this brew. The higher alcohols are slightly balanced by a deep fruitiness that reminds me of Dr. Pepper or the mythical prune juice soda. Flavors of raisins, prunes, cloves, a touch of molasses, a touch of plum like tartness and some interesting cola like cardamom notes. Malt notes of caramel, brown sugar, hints of cocoa and substantial toasted grain.

This just seems to fall flat some how; it is a touch thin and even a bit washed out for something labeled as an Abt. Really though I think this is too spicy, too full of higher alcohols for the residual malt character to deal with effectively. If there was more malt here, more body, I think the extra spiciness would work quite well.

Purchased: <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Places/ShowPlace.asp? Liquors, Tucson, AZ

Heavy hoppy aroma. Huge initial apperance. Good lacing. Clear, red brown body. Heavy bitter initial flavor. Medium palate.

Bottle. Nice head with excellent duration. Color is dark amber. Aroma and taste are malt, hops, fruits and maybe some honey.

Bottle. Creamy lightbrown excellent fully lasting head. Red amber colour. Moderate malty and hoppy aroma. Very nice. Moderate bitter flavor. Fruity esters dominated by alcohol. Long OK finish. Creamy palate. Not so good Abt.