Urthel Parlus Magnificum (was: Vlaemse Bock)

At the 2007 Big Beer, Belgians, & Barleywines Festival in Vail. Pours brown with an off white to beige head. Thick enjoyable caramel and chocolate flavors, but the remarkable thing is the long drying finish with interesting aromatics at the end.

75 cl. labled Urthel Vlaemse Bock (from Ledger’s Liquors): Aromas of darkness, fruit underlaid by malt. Color varies with angle of light; some beautiful cherry can be seen. The beige head goes away, leaving a bit of lacing. Starts with a fruity cherry flavor, the sweetness is more from fruit than malt (so it seems). Light chocolate rises. The sweetness is not sticky. Post swallow the impression is one of astringic dryness. There is yeast, but it does not get in the way of the fruit and chocolate. This is neat, complex stuff. Each sip seems to rearrange the order of flavor appearance. Very entertaining.

From a caged corked 750 ml. bottle with an upside down back label with a (coded?) freshness date I couldn’t read. Sampled at cellar temperature in a chalice. Poured a reddish hued brown with a foamy, creamy fluffy head that settled into a thin, tiny bubbly lacing, minimal amount of ringed laced sticking. Aromas of Milky American chocolate and sweet caramelized malts, honey, spicy, Belgian yeasty, and a subtle herbal hoppiness. Good steady carbonation and a crisp, dryish, velvety smooth medium-light bodied mouthfeel. I really like the combination of the Belgian yeast and German malts and Saaz hops, a unique taste, light milkiness meshed with honey, caramel and toffee malts, spicy bready yeast, a soft sour fruitiness, a mild herbal spicy hoppiness with just enough bitterness to cut some of the sweetness, the alcohol is pretty restrained and provides a slow warming presence in the back of the throat, and a dry yeasty, malty finish. For me, easy, smooth drinkability, very enjoyable, new to my area, I will be buying this again.

NorCal tasting Jan 07 - What an outstanding beer. This has all the excellent qualities that I love about beer. The aroma was dark malts, dark cherries, fruity, raisiny and inviting. It just begs you to drink it. The appearance reminded me of a deep cherrywood color, with a nice off-white head. A lively mouthfeel, perfectly conditioned. The flavor had a perfect balance of grassy hops, cherries, raisins and dark malts. Excellent.

Pours a dark bronze amber color w/ a full semi cremy froth the recedes slowly to a few clumps w/ lacing. Aroma is slightly sour w/ clean sweet malts and biscuits. Medium nectar w/ mellow residual effers creates a refined squeaky texture. This is like a Flemish sour meets German Bock. It’s very Belgian in look and feel. Mildly sweet malts carrying a defined tartness. Licorice, fig, glazed caramel, black cherry, dried plumb. As she warms more cocoa, creamed coffee, and leather show up. Alcohol is noticable but not distracting. Finish is bittered only slightly. It’s a unique brew worth a try.

Bottle. Pours a dark brown body with good size head, great looking beer. Aroma is of yeast and candied sugar, currants, malt. Flavor is sweet with a little alcohol kick. Intresting beer. Enjoyed it.

750ml. Demonic red pour with near purple hues interwoven, frothy, soap bubble looking head of quite the persistent nature. Aroma is of sweet candied apples and other darker fruits, caramel malt, molasses, clove, raisins and soured milk. Flavor is very sweet, almost too much so, but rounds off with a tinge of drying alcohol in the end, hops are without a notable presence, this a complimentary aspect to a unique tasting beer. Lacks the spicy pepper taste I associate with so many European bock beers, not so much a fan of that aspect. Overall, full of vibrant character, but missing something in the finish, I think just not dry enough in the end, or maybe a little too thin.

(Bottled) Dark ruby red with a largeish, foamy and lacy head. Neutral, slightly yeasty, dried-fruity and malty aroma. Slightly sweet, quite malty, dried-fruity flavor with a salty licorice finish. Medium-bodied, neutral and very slightly thin palate with smooth carbonation. Very balanced and enjoyable. Feels more like a dubbel than a bock. If this really is bottom-fermented ... nice!