Piraat 10.5%

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

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

bottled. pours amber orange with almost no head, a bit cloudy. aromas of clove, ripe fruit and raisin. pretty sweet, with a touch of sourness on the palate. medium bodied, smooth with a lasting sweet-sour finish, decent

Pours blonde and just a hint of amber with a couple fingers of head. Smells a pleasant sweetness and Belgian yeast. Taste is similar, a little sweetness mixed with a good Belgian flavor but surprisingly light and crisp. Very drinkable with just a little heat and alcohol in the finish. Does NOT taste the 10.5% that it is.

Hazy mrdium amber, rocky off-white head and full lace. Big taste of caramel malt, banana and bubblegum, covered in the end by a clean bitter hoppiness and carbonation. There is a lot going on, and this ale stands out because of the balancing effect of the bitter finish. In the aftertaste, the malt re-appears. First rate.

Blonde color with very little head. Aroma is bananas and tropical fruit. Taste hits you over the head with figs and dark stone fruit. Hops dominate the back end. Kind of bready. This is pretty good and is one of the better Belgian strongs that I’ve had, just not my favorite style.

Tap - big foamy head, hazy medium amber/slight orange color, big hop and alcohol aroma, sweet crisp hop flavor

Bärnstensfärgad öl med flyktigt vitt skum. Söt doft med inslag av jäst och med en pepprig ton. Samma går igen i smaken. Viss alkoholsötma.

Poured from 12 ounce bottle into a Duvel tulip. Appearance is a very dark yellow/orange with a finger of head that dissipates quickly and isn’t exactly pretty. Murky. Aroma is that of other Belgium strong ales, flowery, citrusy, yeasty, complex, and obviously sweet. Palate has a decent carbonation, and is very drinkable. Taste is amazingly complex. Masks the 10.5% very well, but there is still a warming alcohol burn. Spicy and not as sweet as the aroma would suggest. Overall it’s a great beer that I’m glad I had the chance to try. I think it might have been too complex for me. It was still a great treat though.

Bottle at home. Murky dark blonde, thick white head. Big doughy sticky boozy toffee nose. Similar palate, sweet but reasonably well-rounded. Banana, bubblegum, thick caramel, prominent booze in the finish. Naughty but nice.