Piraat 10.5%

From the tap, this beer poured a clear, light golden color. It had a very thin off-white head that did not last and left almost no lacing on the glass. The aroma was fruite with some sour and citrus notes in the background. The body was medium with a soft carbonation and a slightly dry, watery texture. The flavor started out somewhat spicy, sweet and tart. The finish was medium long with a wonderful warmth that developed in the chest.

Bottle. Poured out golden with a massive foamy off-white head. Nice aroma, spicy, fruity, with a touch of clove and maybe even some malt body hiding in there. Potent flavor is one way to describe it. Alcohol was evident, a blend of sweet flavors that I just could not nail down. Rich, full, and a tiny bit warming with a lingering bitterness that was this beers high point for me.

750 ml bottle. Golden color, decent carbonation. Aroma is fruity. Flavor has lots of citrus and other fruits, along with alcohol.

Sampled on 11/28/2006 at the Winking Lizard Tavern (Crosswoods) in Columbus, Ohio. Since this was on draught, I’m not sure if it was the 9% or 10.5% version. However, based on the number of ratings for each version, I’m guessing that it was the 10.5% version... Hazy golden color with a moderate amount of carbonation. Creamy yellow head and a good amount of carbonation. The aroma is sweet, fruity, and a hint of anise or liquorice. The flavor has a deep, caramel-like malt base, lots of fruitiness (pears, citrus, etc.), some sugar cookie, and alcohol. The alcohol is fairly obvious, but seems to complement the other flavors nicely. This beer is thick and sticky in the mouth and on the palate, but goes down smooth. I thought that this was a very goof Belgian Strong Ale and really enjoyed drinking it. I would definitely drink this again in the future... 16 oz draught, $3.80 from the Winking Lizard Tavern.

Poured from the bottle, I first noticed the intense aromas of spice and fruits. On the palate the beer has a crisp and biting presence. Very nice indeed.

Drank in a trappist glass. Golden / Amber poor with a thin frothy white head. Aromas of unripened bananas, sweet pears, cirtus, sweet bread, avocados and a hint of allspice. Very creamy mouthfeel... Flavors of caramel, citrus and tropical fruits. Good carbonation and for 10.5% alcohol, it drinks dangerously to well. Not as good as its sister the Gulden Draak, but nontheless very commendable. At around 8-9 degree celcius this beer gets its hight in both flavors and aromas.

330 mL bottle from LCBO gift pack. Golden orange in colour with abundant creamy white head. Mild aroma - all that really stands out is the alcohol. Alcohol is more prominent in the initial taste, and lingers after the finish. In between, it’s not bad, with fuit and spice, followed by malt. Not as good as I had hoped.

I found this one really hard to enjoy, simply because the alcohol in it is so over the top, more than one of these would be hard to stomache. My first thoughts on the aroma is it had some white wine character to it. There was a bit of melon also in the aroma, some pepper but the major player was the alcohol. Appearance was a nice hazy yellow with a touch of orange thrown in. In fact it reminded me of the color of pineapple juice. Mouthfeel was moderately thick, but not cloying to the point of being disastrous but it was also tingly on the tongue. The flavor was sweet and alcohol with a lot of the burn. This was just okay. A sipper for sure and perhaps a time and place. It reminded me of a poor mans Duvel.