Piraat 10.5%

Brewed by Brouwerij Van Steenberge
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Ertvelde, Belgium

Poured into a snifter a dark yellow with a nice but small head. It is smooth and fruity but the alcohol does come though.

33cl bottle. Dark gold, clear, with lasting foam. Apple, pear, and spicy hops in the aroma. Alcoholic and sweet, with some pear and tangy yeast snap. Medium bodied with ample carbonation. Decent drinkability, but I feel that this would be a lot better if it was toned down a couple percentages.

Very good beer for 10.5 ABV, very smooth and very drinkable. Excellent balance of light colored fruits of apricot, peaches from the yeast and some sweet malts, sourdough and a little must along for the ride, goes down very well, just a noticable perceptible tinge of alcohol. Finish is smoooooth and velvety and some sweetness hits the spot, and semi dry.

750 from Total Wine Clearwater, courtesy of JimmieG. It pours a clear amber-gold with a white pillowy head. Sugary bread, apple, and an almost berry sweetness come out in the aroma. The flavor is sweet with a sugary-bubble-gum-like finish. Excellent golden ale.

Draft @ redlight redlight. Pours a golden with a cream head, tons of lacing on the glass. Spicy, malty sweet, with a faint aroma of grapes, some candi sugar on the nose. In flavor, spicy, some malty sweetness, a little alcohol and more candi sugar. Slightly drying finish, smooth, low carb in the mouth. Pretty tasty.

Pours gold, clearer than I think it should be, with a large, dissipating white head. Aroma is honey, hay, grass, metal, maybe a bit of yams, and spicy hops. Tastes fairly sweet with honey, and sugar, but there’s plenty of earth, hop spice. Finishes warming with a charonnay grapey flavor and a bit of grass bitterness. Medium bodied and fairly high carbonation, but not a creamy and "together" mouthfeel by any means. Pretty unremarkable and less complex than other better examples.

Bottle at the Headkeeper (Greensburg). Pours a honey gold, nice wispy white head. Aroma is sweet fruit, caramel, a little yeasty. flavor is a full bodied combination of friuit, pineapple and peach and slight caramel. Alcohol is well hidden, making this an easy to drink 10.5%.

Bottle. Pours hazy golden colour with a thin white head. Slightly malty aroma with a little alcohol. Sweet taste with well balanced malt and alcohol, spices and big ripe fruit. Again this is a typical belgian blond ale, but this one stands out, with it’s power from the alcohol. Nice carbonation and medium mouthfeel.