Piraat 10.5%

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

100ml sampled from a bottle at CBF 09. A few floaters on the top of a cloudy, golden body. Sweet rounded aroma of peaches and late banana. Sweet caramel in flavour mingled with citric hints and candy sugar. Little in the aftertaste to counter all the sweetness. Tingling alcohol. Soft carbonated.Quite possible to drink, but, in fact, too ultrasweet for my palate (17.05.2009).

***re-review May 06/08***
Old bottle from ’06 BBD 16/01/08 - Major mellowing, of course, initially the aroma was off but it has fully recovered. The aroma is a bit plain this time around which is disappointing - wait, I guess I only gave it a 7 before - sounds about right. A bit more fruity than I remember. Taste is a bit sour (huh?) - I think I’m wrong on that... I am getting a bit wobbly. Surprisingly, the alcohol make a notable appearance. Dry hearty bread shows up as well but more in the aftertaste. Just found some Christmas hard candy on the back end of the taste. The alcohol is quite apparent. Pretty smooth beer for 10.5%. I think I’m drunk. Yeast is dominant. Rating has been updated from a score of 7 9 9 9 8 and could be lower.

Got this in some sampler pack for the brewery while going out of my way to a Bevmo ( I think) just off the freeway in Escondino?? Felt pretty cool with my rental Sebring (granny car) with the roof down at 75F travelling around 95mpr down the freeway - almost froze to death and actually pulled over under some giant archway over the road - I couldn’t feel my skull! Stupid Canadians! Oh! The beer....Magically appeared in my glass a murky opaque light brown/orange with a colossally huge thick shiny slighy brown head. Tons of bubbles in this one. Aroma was warm wheats (?), yeast, malts, spice and sweat (what causes that?) - very heavy duty - so strong. I was finding that it smelt a bit different every time. Taste was incredibally soft (10.5% alc!!). Slightly sour, carmelish, a good ammount of hops and great spice....where the hell is the 10.5%?? Good thing this is a 330ml bottle. Considering this high alc. content, I feel no burn. Made me salivate. Really bubbly on the mouth swish. Finishes off with a great late late arriving hop bitterness. Nice gay Pirate hand drawn label by some grade 8 art student. My wife Leah smelt this beer and reviewed it only as the following: chicken poo. Bless her soul.

Draught at De Klomp, Linköping, on June 1, 2009
Shady golden color, creamy off-white head. Smoke, clove, phemolic scent, also a bit sweet. Sweet, apple, spicy, alcohool taste. Long lingering spicy aftertaste. Medium mouthfeel, low bitterness. Warming alcohol.

The pour was a virtually clear golden color with an ample white head and decent lacing. The aroma was spicy clove, sweet malts and a bit of yeast. The flavor is sugary sweet with clove spice, rich buttery malt and some yeast. The mouthfeel is thin and almost slick. The spice lingers on the finish.

Bottle. Pours a rich amber/gold. Slightly thinner head than the 9, and also less persistent. A surprsingly full nose. Green cider apples, with yeasty sourness, and a serious hop background, in a Duvel/Derniere Volonte style. Star Anise, fruitcake, rye bread, tart strawberry, and marmalade/seville orange rind are present in the nose as well. Palate shows a Christmas cake character, with a brandyish spirit character, with orange syrup, a grapefruit sharpness, and a pretty, spicy finish. A little bit boozy.

Pours a hazy orange with a fluffy white head. Aroma is intense. Green apple, hoppy citrus notes, anise, green strawberries, bread, soft fruit, yeast and floral notes. Tastes very nice. Sour apples, citrus, plums, anise seed and a nice spicy finish. Carbonation is decent, not great. Good beer, but it’s a Belgian...

11.2 oz bottle. Foggy golden brown with a sudsy white head. Nose is banana, lemon, candi and yeast. Kind of syrupy with moderate carb. Taste is yeast, perfume, toffee and green banana. Finishes dry, grassy and metallic. Overall a bit harsh.

Cool heavy weight 11.2 oz. bottle into trappist glass. Bready, yeasty, spicy aroma. Lovely, softly hazy, medium golden colour, with gloppy mounds of white foam, leaving some wispy lacing. Sharp malt taste, surrounded by notes of pear, clove, and slightly burnt toast. Rich, gooy mouthfeel that makes me smack my lips. The alcohol is noticeable in the warm feeling that has engulfed me, but its effortless quaffability belies the 10.5% hammer. Tiver me shimbers-arghh!. Piraats are your friends.