De Proefbrouwerij Signature Ale

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

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

Courtesy Ibrew2or3. Dark straw with a thin even white head. Aroma has a mix of fruity malt character, Belgian yeast, some spice in the background. Yeast and spice in the taste with a solid helping of sweet malt flavors. Solid, taste is more complex than the aroma would tell.

750 mL bottle - clear gold with white head and lots of lacing on the top 1/4; aromas of yeast and sort of like apple juice; fruity flavors are slightly bitter, but fresh and smooth; an interesting brew

Bottle. Aroma of citrus (I think both esters and hops), more orange/red fruits, some grassy hops, bittering hops, sweet pastry malt, light but slowly growing bretty notes. Flavor remains more sweet than bitter despite the hopping, with the hops just adding a little different take on a beer that would otherwise be yeast-based. The brett again is there but struggles to make its presence known. I would have liked more of the brett, and in general I just didn’t find the hopping interesting enough to make this one all that special. Nonetheless, a good beer.

Pours yellow/gold, with an off white head. Aroma is citrus hops, yeast, and spices. Flavor is peaches, citrus, yeast,malt and spices. A nice collaboration.

Sampled at Lost Abbey, RBSG ’08. Slightly hazy, deep golden with a white head. Light dough, lemon, fruity and some herbal character that I can’t quite pinpoint in the nose. Flavor has notes of light brett, pale brewing malt, lemon, herbs, noble hops (but the beer claims to have simcoe and amarillo), slight tinge of sweetness, white grapes/wine and a dry finish. Medium to light bodied; very crisp and effervescent. Well-attenuated. Nice beer.

750 ml bottle: Poured into my Allagash flute: This one pours a very dark golden color, with an orange hue. There was a bit of an off-white head o nit, but it didn’t linger long, and left a minimal amount of lacing. The first this that hits the nose is some spiciness: I get a whiff of cinnamon. There is also some breadiness and yeastiness, as well as some citrus and apple in there. An interesting flavor profile. It has some up-front bitterness. Spicy with citrus notes. Medium bodied, but lacks the normal Belgian sweetness. Very interesting and very good!

Bottle. Moderate roasted and caramel notes for the malt, orange and dough for the hops and yeast, with background notes of date, apple, wine, coriander and allspice. Head is thin, wispy, off-white with minimal lacing and is mostly diminishing. Color is hazy/murky orange/tan. Flavor starts lightly sweet and moderately acidic, then finishes lightly sweet and acidic. Palate is medium, oily with a carbonation between lively and soft. Complex and easy to drink, with great balance makes this a pretty good Belgian Strong Ale.

Tasting, courtesy of Fordest’s event. Beer #2. Pours a murky, cloudy yellow color with a small white head that soon dissipates to a fine ring. Aroma was loaded with sweet perfumy flowers and some barn funk. The flavor was characterized by tropical fruits, tart grass and more sweet perfumy flowers. Mouthfeel was light and clean. The finish was long with lingering sweet fruits. Overall: Good stuff if you want something sweet and floral.