Piraat 10.5%

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

33 cl import bottle, part of a sampler pack of Belgians from Foremost, Oak Forest. Smells of basic Belgian malts with a sugar component. Pour kicks up a big white head with more Belgian smell, some heady alcohol semaphores a warning to take this carefully. Head retreats enough to show a burnished brass color beneath. Taste starts with warming alcohol and doesn’t let go. Adds in touches of vanilla and, somehow, a note of chocolate liqueur. Very strange. Mind must be playing tricks on me. Grassy hop traces, some pomegranate fruitiness, as in a touch of tartness. Flowery notes actually keep the sugar and alcohol in check, but as I write this, I’m feeling it in my system. Fine example of a popular Belgian beer.

On tap at Zeno’s Pub. Light grainy pear nose, dappled with alcohol. Pours a pale gold, with a rim of white. Flavor is coarse and a bit harsh to me. Phenols bite the tongue through some subdued, crystalline tropical fruits. Bready, yeasty. A touch sweet and searing for me. Just too overwhelming in terms of heat, sugar and phenols. Not enough hop leaf or balance.

Solid golden orange with a loose off white foam and light spotty lacing. The alcohol is apparent in the aroma, along with a nice fruitiness, bready and spicy. The taste is big fruitiness up front, bready sweet malt, apples, banana, pineapple, then the spiciness combines with the alcohol for a bit in the finish. Then a pleasant alcohol warmth builds up from the stomach back into the throat.

Nice Belgian. Pour was a hazy orange with a 4 finger head that is still there to this day. The taste was typical belgian...lot of spice, yeast and bread. Nice carbonation with a thin and dry mouthfeel. Not a very complex beer and no tastes jump out at you. They stay in their place and that is just fine.

Pours a cloudy gold, with a fluffy, well retained white head. Mild aromas, some spice and a little caramel, a little vegetables too which was a little strange. Pretty spicy, nice bite to it, very sweet, some orange citrus and brown sugar which really stood out. The alcohol is quite noticeable in the finish, but very flavorful as well. Quite a nice brew.

Bright golden hue with a nice two finger white head that is lacing quite well. Head retention became and issue towards the end of the beer. Very aromatic nose with light peppers and citrus fruits especially lemons. Yummy! The nice bitter hop finish on the palate pleases me. I couldn’t find a chilled IPA and that is what I wanted but this satisfied my need for a hop monster for now anyway. I think this is a very well done, solid and fantastic tasting ale. The alcohol is very well hidden but still is quite warming in the mouth on the finish. Lots of tropical fruits, but still somewhat bready and yeasty with an interesting malt flavor.

I had the at the t'Brugs Beertje in Bruges about 7 years ago. Orangeish color with the big head you expect. Flavor is fruity and smooth with a warming aftertaste (alcohol). I wish I could find a bottle over here for a re-rate. Good as far as I can remember.

Pours golden with huge frothy head, nice lacing and a high level of carbonation. Malt aromas with traces of hops and a large yeast/dough presence. Sweet malts hit the tongue first going into a mellow bread taste finishing with slightly bitter hops. A creamy palate makes this a pleasing BSA.