Piraat 10.5%

Pours a deep amber with a decent sized of white head. Aroma of banana, alchohol. Taste is the same with some other things in there I can’t quite put my finger on it. Not my style, but nice complexity.

Strong alcohol, apricot aromas. Dull amber with floating debris. Alcohol is hidden pretty well, sweetness upfront, more apricot, a little banana, figs and a slightly bitter finish. It’s a little thick but not too much.

From bottle. Pours a dark apricot, with a nice Belgian-style head. Aroma of dark fruit, malt, and sourdough bread. Mouthfeel is full-bodied with prickly carbonation. Flavor was too forward for me: it had nice fruit notes, but what struck me as odd was the mid-palate and finish, which were overwhelmed by a certain sourdough-alcohol-bitter flavor. Perhaps my bottle was bad, but this flavor did not fit my description of a delicious Belgian strong ale. Pound for pound, I prefer Gulden Draak, Duvel or Chimay.

I think this is a great Belgian ale. The aroma is spicy and a bit honeysuckle/fruit like. It has a lovely burnt orange hue with a frothy white head. The flavor is yeast spice with notes of caraway, nutmeg, and maybe some ginger to start followed by mellow honey and apple. Kind of like a bigger, meaner brother to Orval.

33cl, from De Hopduvel Gent, complex brew, cloudy, good head, good brew, but not a topper