De Proefbrouwerij Signature Ale

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

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

Supposedly a wild ale, hopped like a Double IPA. Golden color with a small, wispy white foam. Smells of some wildness, with hints of floral-like, lemony, grapefruity hops. Flavor has some malt & yeast derived notes of peach and nectarine. Also a lot of hop character with some funkiness. It’s a fairly good Belgian ale.

Best use of brett that I have seen thus far. Pours with a large, creamy, white head covering a murky, dark orange body. Full retention from the head, and great lacing left on the glass from each sip taken. Aroma is fruity with some spiceyness, citrus-sour and very perfume like and balanced. Fruity and hoppy taste upfront, then a nice balance added by the funkyness, finishing spicey with some fruity notes (but very dry). Lively bubbles, velvetey mouthfeel.

Belgian funk and phenols with an American hopping character. Pours dark gold with a significant haze. The aroma is Brett Funk, spicy phenolics and citrusy hops, all in near equal balance (although the funk does dominate a bit). Flavor follows through from the aroma. The Brett gives this beer a pasty flavor, which predominates. Still, the malt, the hops, and even the phenols come through to balance things pretty well. This beer is a great balance of many differing characters, and it is done really well. If you are not a fan of Belgian or wild brews, BEWARE THE FUNK! If you enjoy them, YOU WILL LOVE THIS BEER!

Bottle courtesy of Kryptic: Poured a deep hazy golden color ale with a huge bubbly foamy head with good retention and great lacing. Aroma of funky notes with some barnyard-like notes as well. Taste is also a nice mix between some barnyard-like notes and some funky yeast with a dry European hops finish. Full body with limited filtration and great carbonation and no apparent alcohol. It kind of reminded me of Orval but I would still prefer to drink Orval over this even thought it is an interesting experiment.

UPDATED: JUN 8, 2008 The 750 ml. bomber holding the beer was silk screened with a lot of information about the making of this joint effort. When poured into a Duvel tulip, this one looked decent but not great. The golden color, and the large head were nice, but the chill haze was a bit heavy. The smell was quite a bit like a Saison with hops and wildness coming together for an inviting bouquet. The taste was a great marriage of two bold and proud traditions. The hops were immediately noticeable like they would be in a bright American IPA, but the malt content was quite a bit higher, and the unique dry and sour flavors that come only from Belgian Yeast and Brettanomyces were vying for attention. The finish was spicy like white pepper. The body was medium thick and satisfying in its sticky consistency. Another proof that addition of more hops is almost never a bad thing.

bottle. golden/copper pour. light haze. foamy white head. lacing. delicious aroma earthy barn yard, light spice, apricots and plum, light yeasts and nice hops. beautiful balance. well hopped. funky earthiness behind the fruit. dry, light peppery finish. great brew. bottle purchased at Tony’s Fine Wines in Littleton.

750 ml bottle courtesy of after4ever, purchased at Bottleworks in Seattle, WA. Pour is cloudy golden orange with a half inch white head. Aroma of sour, funk and some bright Amarillo hoppiness. Engaging nose, very unique smell. Taste is grassy, hoppy and very dry. Finish is resinous and lingering. Amarillo is present throughout the taste. Maybe some Brett in the end. Really easy drinking and refreshing. Clean was the word that kept popping in my head as I was drinking this.

[Bottle] shared by JoeBrew and EddyB23. Thanks! Pours a cloudy gold with a medium white head of fine bubbles. Aroma is yeast, cloves, banana, popcorn, and a little bit vegetal. Flavor is a bit hoppy, extremely light in the mouth, tastes like there’s some wheat malt in there as well. Very nice earthy qualities all around.