Piraat 10.5%

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

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

11.2 oz bottle from Spirits RB. Poured an average looking orange body with a slightly larger then average sized foamy white head. Aroma is kind of boring, light sweetness like dried tropical fruits, bready malts and alcohol. The flavor is the same and is just on the dull boring side. The body has a nicely hidden 10.5% ABV but other then that this is just a boring Belgian Strong Ale.

Sampled at l’Autre Oeil in Aylmer, Quebec. This brew is golden honey colour with a white head. The nose is very sweet, combining honey, fruits and grain malt. I would say that the scent is very special. The taste goes with the rest, as it is mostly honey. A grainy middle and a bitter finish is also there. The mouthfeel is creamy and smooth, with a sharp edge. This brew is really sweet, specially with the honey found everywhere. Recommended if this is your thing. Then try Floris Honey = Pure Honey !

From the bottle: light copper color, transparent. Pours with medium head that rapidly dissipates. Aroma: apricots, floral, bubblegum, alcohol. Taste: foamy, bready, ginger, cough drop, slightly herbal or grassy. Mouthfeel: thick, full, medium to heavy carbonation. Finish is both malty and hoppy with strong alcohol and some bitterness. At 10.5% ABV, not a session beer at all - a bit too much alcohol flavor for me, but still very drinkable.

Decent beer overall. Bit too much like a hefeweisen for me (which I am not a big fan of) but ok. Light, fruity and strong. The only real problem I have is that I have been to a city dump on a few occasions and this beer has that same fermented garbage smell. If you like this style of beer, definitely avoid dumps at all costs or you will be ruined for life. Me, I love beer too much and while it is not a favorite, I block out my troubled past to make it tolerable.

Got better as I drank it, strength in number (as in %). Nice light body, kinda a beach beer...I kept saying aargh when I’d swig.

(330 ml bottle) A good looking beer with gold complexion and white head. A perfectly consistent carbonation ribbon flows from the bottom of the glass. The taste is slightly bitter & sour. Malt flavor with a hop balance. The alcohol is not apparent.

330 mL bottle at Red Monk. Pours a murky golden brown with a chunky head that doesn’t last all that long. Aroma is yeasty and doughy, as is the taste. High alcohol is not very noticeable. Fairly sweet flavor, overall, and decent but not exceptional.

Has that wonderful Belgian smell. Alcohol is hidden nicely, very smooth and dangerously easy to drink. Had in a sampler and that was good. Would drink again when home.