Verhaeghe Jan Bier

Brewed by Verhaeghe
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Vichte, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

Draught at the Old Bank, Turku, Feb’07. Apple juice gold colour, very faintly hazy, and an amazingly thick creamy, white head. Looks absolutely delicious. Refreshingly sourish aroma of green apples, citrus and bitter hops. Faint hint of yeast. Dry flavor starts out somewhat bland and mineral, then suddenly reveals a nice dry apple cider-like finish, and ends in a short, somewhat acidic, bitter aftertaste. Rather heavy carbonation for my taste, medium body, clean mouthfeel. Lovely looking thing with great aroma disappoints somewhat in flavor.

Draught@Black Door, Helsinki. Golden colour, small white head, which leaves lace though. Fruits, yeast, malts, hops and grass in both aroma and flavour. Nothing that special. Some metallicness as it warms up.

(Draught@Hilpeä hauki) Hazy golden with a small, lacy head. Caramel-toffee-candy aroma with sweet berry hints. Sweetish, toffeeish flavor with some acidity and grassy hops, and a hint of tartness in the background. Some alcohol can be felt, but it feels pleasant. Medium-bodied, quite smooth-carbonated palate. A quite different strong ale with a strong pilsener-like influence. Not that bad overall.

Draught at Old Brick’s Inn, Jyväskylä. Deep golden color with big creamy head. Sour and tart aroma with notes of clove. The flavor is sweetish at first and then gets tart, fruity and strongly phenolic. Too carbonated as draught beers often are in this bar. The clove flavor is quite sharp and long lasting.

Draught@Beer Hunters, Pori
This beer is brewed for "Hyvät olutravintolat" -chain in Finland, I don’t know if they will sell this somewhere else too. Beer has a clear golden color and big creamy white head plus some lace. Aroma is fruity and grassy. Medium-bodied brew but palate is very weak. Vague fruityness and sugars in the flavor. Alcohol picks up in the finish, but only mildly. Metallic notes in the aftertaste.