Malmgård Ceci n’est pas une Belge

Brewed by Malmgårdin Panimo - Malmgard Brewery
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Malmgård, Finland

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

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Sweet and Belgian inspired but without the complexity of some of the Belgian masters. Nevertheless a very tasty and successful finnish beer with Belgian yeast

Dark bronze colour. Hazy. Small creamy head. Smell of grain. Aroma of alcohol, tar and smoke. Very sweet. Fruity.

Interesting aroma has fruits and berries, salty licorice, spices..nice! Color is beautiful deep ruby red, head short and fast. Taste is belgian beer like as promised, nuanced and powerful, medium body, soft feel, alcohol also in flavor but not unpleasant burning but rather warmth, herbs, soft carbonation, nice tasty finish. Good one, was happily surprised even tough this is one great brewer in Finland.

Bottle sampled at the brewery. The correct name is ’Ceci n’est pas un Belge’ or ’This is not a Belgian’, which a kind of clue. Made in Finland using an American yeast, no spice and a more typically Finnish than Belgian hop recipe. It is not designed to be a small-spice-good-big-spice-better North American also ran. It is more sophisticated than that, standing out from a generally interesting range.

UPDATED: NOV 4, 2012
50 cl bottle @ Gastropub Nordic, BBE 12.06.2013
Aroma is fruity and sugary with a feeling of belgian yeast. Flavour is sugary with belgian yeast. Feels like a sweet candy - also a feeling of an aged belgian ale. Nice.

50cl bottle. Pours cloudy, copper color. Aroma is fruity and spicy, quite yeasty. Flavour is slightly sweet, with hints of raisin and plums. Alcohol well hidden, still quite warm finish, bit sour also. Really liked this one.

Good Finnish beer, not as good as the best of the "real belges", still enjoyable and refreshing.

Bottle @ Helmi Grilli, Helsinki. Pours a hazy auburn with a large, yellowish brown head. Aroma is dried fruits, spiciness, yeast. Tried to pour without the yeast, but apparently the bottle had been disturbed before it was brought to us. Taste is fruit esthery, spicy, peppery, yeasty, quite sweet with caramel. Palate is somewhat carbonated and full. Pretty alright though maybe a bit too sweet and underwhelming.

UPDATED: NOV 24, 2012
50 cl bottle. BBE 09.10.2014.
A lot fruitier than on previous tasting, quite yeasty and spicy too. Not as balanced as this used to be.

50 cl bottle @ Gastropub Nordic, Tampere. BBE 12.06.2013.
Pours cloudy amber color with small head. Aroma of ripe fruits, sweetish caramel malts, mild toffee and some mild sour belgian yeast. The flavor is pretty much the same with more ripe fruits. Nice.
5435

Bottle 50 cl from Doorstep Brew. Sampled with friends on December 27, 2012
My bottle was marked 8% ABV.
Clear copper to brown color, tan head. Sweet, fruity, berry grainy scent. Berry, sweet taste. Smooth mouthfeel, medium low bitterness.