Uitzet Druivenbier

Formerly brewed at Paeleman
Style: Fruit Beer
Wetteren, Belgium

Serve in Flute

750ml shared by callmemickey. Thanks again Ryan for this rare treat. Pours a dark amber, almost brown color with purplish hues and a one finger light beige head that slowly settles into a thin ring. Spotty lacing left behind. Funky, musty aroma with lots of earthy oak and vinous dark fruit. I was really surprised by how funky the nose is. Not in a sour/wild ale way but really damp, leathery and earthy countering the sweet fruit notes. Underneath there is a decent amount of grape and other berries. Medium bodied with soft carbonation and a stronger fruit presence than expected. Also, nowhere near as funky as the aroma suggested with subtle earthiness and leather notes. Very vinous with lots of grape, currant and other dark berries as well as some subtle malt and dry oak. This beer has developed a lot of complexity and has held up surprisingly well. Lots of amazing funk in the nose and still plenty of fruit in the palate.

Leather, wax, earth, cork, herbal hops, wood, cherries, grapes and alcohol are all notable in the aroma. Very hazy, bright reddish-brown coloured body is topped by a fizzy, pink-tinged head that recedes rapidly to ring. Strong earth, cork and strong acidity in the very dry flavour. Grapes emerge in the aftertaste. Dusty and somewhat astringent and puckering with plenty of tannins and vinegary, balsamic notes. Strong, lively fine bubbled carbonation is surprisingly quite prickly on the tongue. This one didn’t work for me nearly as well as for others in the session. Bottle sampled with MartinT, Olivier_MTL, Rastacouere and Siroy.

Purple/red color is gorgeous to look at. The head is initially good sized, but quickly diminishes to a white ring. Cabernet Sauvignon blackcurrant character is attenuated by a huge leather/cork character that evolves as it breathes. Very vinous, pretty dry, somewhat meaty and definitely leafy in its woody, “chewing on branches” character that dries out. Earthy in that fashion, it becomes more Merlot-like, plumy and fleshy. Slightly sweet at first contact, it boasts an infinite funk repertoire. Grapes and hay, blueberries and pie crust, nicely juicy, moisty and toasty. Just plenty of unexpected flavours that manage to work together in a basement/cobwebby yeast atmosphere. Strong carbonation, medium bodied, very soft astringency for what it is. Enormously unclean, like their kriek, but terribly fun to try in that fashion.

A mostly lasting average frothy tan head tops up a red /purplish body. Moderate lacing. No particles. No bubbles. Aroma presents malt being medium grain Even if subdued by cork character. Hops are barely noticeable ... Yeast character is light sweat. Also, there are evident evocations of grape and light spices. Initial flavor is medium sour earthy, grapes (carbenet-like) while development is lighty dust/hay/earthy. Finish shows some tartness and cork leads to a leather like impression. medium to full body... sirupy but dry mostly grainy finish texture... Lively carbonation...
[ Bottled ; chilled ; dates are unknown ]

Any first impressions?
-A veil of head hangs on to the opaque pinkish-red.
-Heavily corked aroma, with balsamic undercurrents and hiding hay.
-Dirty earth generously spread over sweet black grapes.
-Important carbonation enlivens the somewhat lazy mouthfeel.

What if you dig deeper?
-The sweet black grapiness develops, with time, into a long finish.
-Dry earth and leather contribute healthily to that finale.
-Some tartness within the fruitiness, but definitely not overdone.
-Another dusty but tasty number from Uitzet, but I admit the dustiness feels exaggerated to me.

Bottle; no date.

UPDATED: OCT 31, 2006 At Delirium Cafe, Brussels, Belgium - Thanks to Olivier (Olivier_MTL) and his friend for sharing.
Virually no head on this beer. Clear, reddish brown body. Looks just like a fine red wine. Nose of leather, grapes, cherries, red and white wine, port, cask wood, ... really WOOOW! Just like one of my favorites of Cantillon: St. Lamvinus. Moderately acidic, lightly bitter initial flavour. Moderately acidic finish, averagily long. The flavour is a little bit weak. It is still quite sour, but a little bit softenned out. It is just like a (sweet) lambic with grapes added, but with not that many carbonation yet.

08.25.05 750ml bottle, corked and capped, undated. Dingy red pour looks quite a bit like a dusky beaujolais nouveaux or an organic cranberry juice. Only a tiny, sudsy head of large bubble at first, followed by an upwelling of fine, pink dense bubbles like a soda, and then all is quiet, still. Aroma is musty, mineral, sulfur, some grapey, jam-like sweetness, nothing at all beery. At first, the beer is plain, a bit sour, and very corky and astringent. As it warms a stronger vinous quality arises along with a more assertive tartness. Grape skins, astringent tannins, must, and a light and lasting vinous quality.

Beautiful red color with a small pink head that quickly dissipated. Vinous, grape and cherry aroma. Flavor reminded me of a mild homemade grape wine with just a touch of carbonation. Expected(and hoped for) a little more tartness. Was mildly impressed after the first couple of sips, but by the end of the bottle I really started to enjoy this. Nice dry finish.