De Proefbrouwerij Signature Ale

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

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

Bottle. Amber beer with an off-white head. Fruity (appricot/tropical) aroma with floral and spice tones. Floral and fruity flavors with yeast, malt, and a bit of bubblegum and spice. Didn’t notice the Brett at first, but it’s there at the finish and when you look for it. Tropical fruit shines. Malts are a bit doughy. Medium body, Carbonation a bit high. Very drinkable.

Luminescent earthy orange color with haze and thick tan head that lasts. Earthy, grassy aromas with a fruity background adding depth and complexity. Citrusy funk is mellow and integrated well. Orange pith, some tea leaves and pastry dough. Strong effervescence. Mouthfeel is fun and lively with playful prickles. Mellow, earthy, balanced, integrated flavors. A melting pot of herbs, minerals, flowers, fruit, and funk. Spiciness as in basil, arugula. Citrus zest. Some tannin-like astringency. Citrus juice splash finishes off the flavors with off-dry delightfulness. Solid, well-made brew.

In short: A very wild Saison-ish beer with a whole lot of juicy citrus hops. Fantastic
How: Bottle 750ml. Consumed when 6+ months old. (much better than the fresh bottle I tasted a few months ago
The look: partly cloudy golden body topped by a medium off-white head
In long: Nose has a strong farmhouse character along with a nice bouquet of wild flowers. Taste has juicy crisp caramel, flowers juice, juicy citrusy hops. The brett here is incredibly under control and mellowed out by the generous amount of juicy citrusy hops. The beer ends-up feeling more like a very wild Saison than a bretty beer. Body is pillowy, carbonation is relaxed. I had a tasting from a fresher bottle but the beer still had some residual sugar. Now nearly 6 months later the yeast ate it all and the beer is nearing perfection. With an aged bottle everything is so well integrated in this beer that it becomes really hard to dissect or categorise, this is really a tough one to figure out, just like most signatures.

Poured a hazy golden amber color with a medium sized, white head that left nice lacing on the glass. Aroma of brett brux, horseblanket, pineapple, citrus fruits, and floral hops. Taste was sweeter, toffee malts, citrus, piney hops, tropical fruits, with a light tartness in the finish. Give these batch 2 bottles about 6 more months, and they will be really amazing. Thanks to miver for this!

UPDATED: SEP 23, 2008 750ml Bottle: Aroma of floral and citrus hops, oranges, yeast, Brett, and light spices. Poured amber/orange in color with a huge, foamy, beige (oatmeal) head that lasted throughout. Hazy. Slightly sparkling. Very good lacing. Medium to heavy sweet flavor. Tastes of piney hops, resin, caramel, yeast, floral hops, fruit, and light spices. Medium body. Slick, oily texture. Soft to average carbonation. Sweet, hoppy, resinous, medium-dry finish.

Bottle from Winking Lizard. This beer is a lightly hazy amber-yellow color with a medium thick off-white head that diminishes steadily. Earthy hops, spice and citrus in the nose. Medium-bodied with a flavorful array of herbs/spices, fruits (banana and citrus), hops and malts. The finish is spicy and floral with a lingering citrus and yeast aftertaste. Overall this beer was a pleasant surprise.

Gold with light haze. Some lemon and yeast in the aroma. Candy citrus flavor with some spicy yeast. Lightly metallic. Nice though. This was my last drink at the SAF, so the rating could very well be messed up.

Bottle from Liar’s Club. Golden red with a fluffy white head. Fruity vanilla and Belgian yeast aroma. Dry earthy herbal and mild banana taste.
Earlier Rating: 12/23/2007 Total Score: 3.9
750 ml bottle from Pizza Port. Golden with a fizzy white head. Crisp citrus and and Belgian yeast aroma. Bready taste, honey, earthy herbal notes and some tobacco flavors in the finish.