De Proefbrouwerij Signature Ale

Brewed by De Proefbrouwerij
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Lochristi - Hijfte, Belgium

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

Pours golden brown wiith a large head that laces around the glass. Aroma is belgian yeast, spice, resin hops, and some slight funk, lemon. Mouthfeel is thick but not overdone and nicely carbonated. This brew tastes like a hopped out belgian brew with some funk. Good idea. Wasn’t expecting it to be to hoppy but there is a distinct presence of resinous, piney hops in the backbone of this brew. The brett presence is subtle but present, and the belgian yeast is there but not too much which can be the downfall of so many other belgians. What is this brew? A Belgian strong ale? How bout’ a IPA-Belgian-sour? OK it’s not that sour, how bout just a Belgian IPA? Close but there’s more, Oh, screw it. Its a Belgian strong ale, and a damn good one at that.

Bottle pours cloudy amber color with off white head. Aroma is subtle plum, yeast, brett, and caramel. Medium mouthfeel with a lot of tiny bubbles for carbonation. Flavor is brett, dark fruit, apricot, plum, caramel, and finishes dry. Solid.

(750 ml bottle from 1828 Vintage House, cellared for 10 mos. after purchase) Pours bright but hazy goldish burnt amber with a finger and a half of slightly lumpy off-white head that is well-retained. Aroma of yeast/cheese, caramel, citrus-lemon tang. Mouthfeel smooth, surpisingly a bit thin, lightly sticky on back end. Very nice well-defined and persistent rings and sheets of lacing. Nice-looking. Flavor is sweet with lots of yeast and pepper. Lip-smacking caramel builds toward finish. Notes of citrus/lemon/apricot and other light fruits. As it warms there is a fairly big hoppy bitter bite in the finish. This one is also a bit hot which detracts a bit from the drinkability. The hops are kind of a neat surprise.

Cloudy amber pour with a frothy white head. Ripe fruit and honey aroma. Tastes Like slightly tart fruits and feels very smooth.

750 ml bottle. Pours a slightly hazy golden color with a medium off white head. The aroma is spicy citrus, floral, sweet bready caramel malt, and yeast. The flavor has much of the same: a bready caramel malt backbone with floral and citrus hops. The Belgian yeast and slight alcohol round things out. Medium bodied with a slightly dry finish.

Pours a dark golden with an off white head amd a fruity funky malt aroma. Flavor is sweet malt, tangy citrus, earthy notes.

Malty and Hoppy with some burnt sugars and burning alcohols. Great tasting but i felt the carbonation like a soda pop, artificial like. Its also got a funky finish to it.

Reviewed 5/21/2009 (Bottle): Pours a golden light brown clear colored body, with a big foamy white head, good lacing, somewhat lasting. Funky aroma, some grains, some mustiness, not much hop aroma. Sweet and spicy smelling too. Spicy, sweet taste. A little drying, almost a little sour. Pretty tasty, refreshing. Carbonated.