t Smisje Calva Reserva

Brewed by Brouwerij Smisje
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Mater, Belgium

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

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bottle at home ... thanks to jackl ... light hazy copper ... thin lacing ... soft candi sugr nose ... light cinamon nose.... little fizz ... soft roast malts ... soft sweet mustard tones ??? ... light roast dark sugers ... reminds me of Zeeuwse bolus ... soft barrel ... rich smooth and sweet ... hints of lemon and cinnamon ...

Bottle from K & L wines. Underrated. Awesome strong beers by this brewer. Color great cloudy brownish orange. Alcohol up front on the tongue and burns the back of the throat slightly going down. Flavor is interesting aged apricot and plum on sweet old dusty wood. A little sour personality. Old ale. Your nose in it all day.A special beer that reminds you of special moments. Mmmmmmn.

Bottled, red amber color with strong off white foam, aroma of sour apple and malt vinegar, great flavor of caramel apples , red wine vinegar, malty sweet sour finish , excellent

HOME 20130401 (33 cl bottle, duvel type; so another type bottle and other label than pictured): Starts with gushing and a lot of beige-coloured foam. An amber coloured, clear beer. Aroma: sweet & caramel, malt, slight chocolate, some coriander, bread, yeast, slightly sourness/oxidation (looks like older beer), raisins. The taste is sweet (caramel, brown candy sugar) with an upcoming malty bitterness. Fruity (apple, dark fruit, berries). Some coriander and some other spices. Also some oxidation in the taste which give the fruity taste of port. The aftertaste is still sweet (sticky) and some malt bitterness. Overall is this a reasonable beer with a lot of aroma and taste, but is already a little to old.

No bottling date, label is different than the picture though.
Appearance: Murky sweet tea colored body with a thin creamy tan coating.
Aroma: The aroma is complex with sweet apple, alcohol, and brown sugar. Brown sugar is most notable after sitting for a minute.
Taste: Apples are on the intro, rather sweet, but as the beer approaches the mid taste the flavor gets hot with booze and a strong brown sugar presence. This is a bit much to finish even a glass of, let alone the 11.2 ounce bottle.
Palate: Thick with lively carbonation.
Overall: I can’t imagine drinking the full 11.2 ounces this. This is strong of booze and brown sugar and it tastes very fresh. I am having a hard time sipping on this.

Pours a caramel brown color with a fizzy cream colored head. Aroma of cherry, plum, caramel, and candii sugar. Very sweet flavor with candii sugar, caramel, plum, and hint of alcohol. Nice beer, but a tad too sweet.

330 ml. bottle. Pours reddish brown with a nice biege head. Aroma of dark fruits, malt, and caramel. Taste is caramel, plums, cherries, malt, spice, and alcohol. Lots going on here. Just not sure of what is going on.

Cloudy dark amber with a fast disappearing head and no lace. The taste is, first and foremost, strong alcohol, all 11% abv. There is malt and there are prunes and candied fruits as well with a wisp of smoke near the finish. It is almost too potent to enjoy, except maybe with a good cigar. I did notice that larger mouthsful were far more palatable than sips. Potent stuff.

Thanks Tim at the 1st Official Ledebronckx Barrel Aged Academie Grand Elite Tasting Pours hazy orangish brown with a big loose fizzy head that falls to a thin blanket. The smell is cherry, booze, calvados, butterscotch and a touch of wood. The taste is sweet, butterscotch, calvados, fruit - really tasty stuff. The body is medium with very active carbonation. Overall excellent stuff!

2013.01.28 - t Smisje Calva Reserva - 11.2oz bottle in goblet glass. Bottle cap appears to be marked "Calva BB". Pours a dark raisin color caramel, cloudy. A pretty light caramel vigorous head of about an inch settles slowly and leaves a foamy 1/2 cm head and foamy adhesion to glass. Aroma is a bit of bready yeast typical many Belgians but in much more balance with malty sweetness. Mouthfeel is medium, mostly light but a little creamy. Medium carbonation. Taste is interesting. A bit of smokiness seems present which leads me to believe my similar observation yesterday about Regenboog Guido was correct and not just due to age/vintage (unless this bottle is similarly past its prime). To me it seems similar to Guido - sweetness which is followed by smokiness on the back end, minus the honey. Maybe this smokiness is peat or something, or maybe in this case it’s the barrels. I don’t really know. I don’t really get much booziness, but as it warms up it becomes a little more noticeable on the back end, which leads me to believe the smokiness is character from the barrels but comes off as smoky when colder. The more it warms, the more the smokiness seems to be boozy warmth. In any case, this is pretty tasty. Aroma 7/10, Appearance 3/5, Taste 7/10, Palate 3/5, Overall 16/20