Pauwel Kwak

Brewed by Brouwerij Bosteels
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Buggenhout, Belgium

11.2 ounce bottle - $4.99 at Total Wine & More in Kennesaw, Georgia. Before Before... L22DJ?! It’s been some years since I’ve had it at the Brick Store Pub, though I remember coming to the unyielding conclusion that the experience with the glass was far better than the beer contained within. Let’s see if that notion has changed for me! Hopefully, a Duvel glass will do the trick. Appearance: Lightly hazed, dark amber body with a head that starts full but quickly peters out into a thin, whitish layer of bubbles. Smell: Sweet-smelling, toasty caramel and toast with pleasant notes of peppery spices and fruits and a touch of wafting alcohol (but only a touch, mind you). Taste: Sweet caramel and a half handful of dark honey and sugar-dosed bread crusts. Hits a resilient stride of fruitiness, with tastes of tart pears, white peaches, and crisp apple. Then, a supple spiciness joins the fray. Some herbal, earthy touches precede a medium bitterness and healthy dose of yeast. Some warm alcoholic hints interrupt in the back half. Finishes semi-dry, warming, with some final hints of toasted candy and fruit. Mouthfeel: Medium-plus body. Moderate carbonation. Drinkability: Better than remember, though, and I hate to admit this, I have gotten sweeter with age. All in all, it’s sweet, warming, and generally agreeable, but I recommend serving it up in the proper Kwak glass.

served in the special Kwk, glass, drinking this beer becomes a happening, especially when the last part of the beer comes down out of the bowl underneath the glass with the characterestic "kwak" sound. The beer has a dark typical ’Saccharomyces cerevisiae’ taste but inmediately after this you taste the added rock candy. The already sweetish taste of this kind of yeast plus the candy results in a very sweet caramelly but also non-bittery belgian tripel-like flavour

bottle, clear amberish liquid with medium to small head. sweet malty dry, a tat bit too sweet for ale i’d say. But the special glass makes it very nice to drink (when drunk) in a bar. (only once did it splash in my face...)

A very unique brew. The alcohol doesn’t really come through making it very drinkable. Not sure if its true but a barman told me the name comes from the sound this drink is supposed to make when drunk from its yard-glass-style tulip.

The beer pours a cloudy reddish brown and a has a very large thick white head that lasted about half the glass. There’s a strange smell of sweet dirt, berries and some rooting wood in the back ground, very complex smell just not sure if I like it. It feels dry and thin in my mouth almost like I just ate a mouth full of flour, it’s not really that bad but its the only thing that’s coming to mind. Very strong alcohol flavor, as well as sweet berries, and nutty malts. The beer seems to get smoother and less alcoholy as it warms, more rich flavor to. Diffinatly not my favorite Belgian but still very drinkable, I will re-review this beer again with a warmer beer to see if it makes a big difference.

Pours a clear amber coler with moderate off-white head. Aroma is sweet malts and Belgian yeast. Flavor is candied fruit, raisins. Driy mouthfeel and very drinkable. A nice Belgian strong.

Poured an very nice amber color with full off-white head. Not sure if this is accurate but the aroma is of nutmeg initially and the initial sips. As this warms hops step up but malt plays a nice balancing role. Much better than I anticipated or recall. On tap at B. Cafe UWS, NYC

I thought the appearance is weak: no head at all, but that has certainly something do with the glass I poured it in (not the special Kwak glass where the head stays longer). the smell of alcohol was definitly overwhelming, and fruits. The taste was fortunately better than that. Fruity, sweet and less alcoholic than the smell. It’s a reasonably good beer and the presentation with the special glasses makes the experience even better. But not the best of its kind.