Category Archives: Beer

Special Roman (5.5%, 25 cl)

Special Roman is made by Brouwerij Roman from Mater, Belgium. Mater is in the Oudenaarde municipality, a region where Flemish Brown Beer is made. Brouwerij Roman was founded in 1545 as a farm brewery and inn, and has an impressive portfolio of beers. Amongst others the Ename Abbey Beers are made here as well as Sloeber and the Adriaen Brouwer Beers. In the list of products Special Roman is absent, but the page about Special Roman does still exist. Maybe it’s discontinued?

Color: Dark Brown, coffee-colored foam.

Nose: Murky, dark but also fresh. Candied Sugar, putty and hints of acidity.

Taste: Candied Sugar and unexpectedly only lightly acidic. Maybe some acidity fell victim to the additional ageing? Likeable. Malty (roasted) and hints of burnt sugar. Definitively some hops are in the mix. Not a lot of yeast is noticeable. It seems light and the finish is short. Nice stuff nevertheless. Elegant and perfumy and half-sweet. The sweetness isn’t dominant at all.

This beer is less acidic than other Flemish Brown Beers due to the use of hops. It is a top fermenting beer, and this example was aged 10 months past it’s best before date, and it aged well. 8ºC is the advised drinking temperature.

Points: 83

Grottenbier Bruin (6.5%, 33 cl)

Pierre CelisThere are a few “rock-stars” amongst the Belgian brewers and one of them surely is Pierre Celis, who unfortunately is no longer with us (1925-2011). Pierre Celis was born and lived in Hoegaarden, famous for its white beer. As Pierre saw the his beloved white beer disappear in 1955, he decided in 1966, to remake the white beer under his own name. His uninsured brewery burned down in 1980, after which he reopened his brewery in Austin, Texas, USA.

GrottenbierAfter he sold his brewery to the Michigan Brewing Company, Pierre returned to Belgium to add a new notch on his stick. He developed a dark Belgian Beer to age in caves. Grottenbier roughly translates into Cave-Beer. Pierre favored caves for their constant temperature in which the beer could mature. At first the caves of Folx-les-Caves were used, but soon the Enterprise was transferred to the marl-caves of Kanne.

Since 2001 the beer is made by the St. Bernardus brewery (in Watou, Belgium). The beer is then cave-aged 42 meters under the ground, at a constant temperature of 11ºC. The bottles are regularly rotated, the same as Champagne.

Color: Orange-brown.

Nose: Fresh and acidic. Citrussy, yeast and hops. Caramel and some kind spice. But then dish water, with some added lavender. Quite strange if I may say so.

Taste: Vitamin C. Some lemon a pretty acidic. Little hints of burnt Sugar, that makes the beer quite bitter. Leafy. lacks balance. Not soapy on the palate, but it has soapy texture. Leaves quite a sour and stale impression. The warmer the beer gets, the more bitter it grows, and less entertaining it becomes.

It is something in between. It’s quite bitter and it has Lambic like acidity. I feel this beer doesn’t quite know what it is. It has the refreshing acidity, but also some burnt Sugar bitterness and hops. Don’t drink this too cold. 10ºC and up. It gives off more aromatics and shows more character. It ages well (I aged this for an additional 10 months), but this beer just isn’t for me. Still I do recognize this is a beer of quality.

Points: 75

St-Feuillien Blonde (7.5%, 33 cl)

This time a top-fermented Abbey beer made by Brasserie St-Feuillien (recently also called Brasserie Feuillien and/or Brasserie Roeulx). It’s history can be traced back to 1873 to the Friart Family, but the name, and the history behind it is much older. In the seventh century AD an Irish monk named Foillan (Faelan) passed through Le Roeulx to preach the gospel, but before he could do that he abused and finally beheaded by highwaymen. Right there where this happened, a chapel was built in his name (twelfth century AD). The chapel was eventually extended into an abbey, and as good Belgian monks do, they brew a great Beer on site…

Those of you who regularly read my Beer reviews know I like to age my Belgian Beers. Most Trappist and Abbey beers (top-fermented) usually get better with extra ageing, but not all. Some do get better, but become dirty, with sometimes a lot of unpleasant looking yeasty flakes floating in the Beer. This St-Feuillien Blonde was aged for an extra three years (quite unusual for a Blonde, even an Abbey one). Another thing that could affect the beer is the extremely hot day we’re having. (33° C), also quite unusual for this country.

Color: Brown Gold with very fine caramel colored fine cream.

Nose: Right out of the gate, unexpectedly fresh and citrussy. orange skin and brown candied sugar. After a while this beer turns. The fresh smelling start most definitely wears off and changes into a sweet-smelling kind of funkiness like cold dish water! Absolutely strange and interesting. I guess the turn comes from the yeast warming up, and there is quite a lot of yeast floating in my glass (sets slowly).

Taste: Again fresh and syrupy. Excellent balance between the sweet, the bitter and the freshness. It’s even less acidic than expected. Very nice, lovely stuff. Very late character building bitterness comes through, with a nice fresh green spiciness to it.

Optically not pleasing with all those flakes floating around, but especially the palate is great. Probably not for ageing, but when tasting this blindfolded, I guess the extra ageing did improve this beer (and it probably changed a lot over time). I will have to try a new bottle of this Beer soon, just for comparison of course!

Points: 83

Grimbergen Optimo Bruno (10%, 33 cl)

Erkend Belgisch Abdijbier logoGrimbergen is somewhat of a (commercial) giant amongst Belgian Abbey Beers. Only Leffe sells more beer. It already was big when Scottish & Newcastle were the owners but when that company was bought by Dutch Beer Giants Heineken, well… Next question, is Grimbergen any good? At this point I don’t know, but I picked this Optimo Bruno to find out. Optimo Bruno saw the light of day in 1988 as a beer specially made for easter. Grimbergen Beers are made by Alken-Maes from Waarloos, not to far from the abbey. The top fermented Beers are made L’Union in Jumet. (Top fermenting means that the yeast lies on top of the wort). Last but not least, the beer did not receive post fermentation in the bottle, so even extended ageing (2 years past its best before date) kept this beer “clean” and there is no deposit.

The order of the Premonstratensians (White Canons) was founded in 1120 by Saint Norbert. Saint Norbert also founded the Abbey of Grimbergen, and in that way the abbey is quite unique. In its history, the abbey was ruined four times! But every time the abbey was rebuilt, therefore the label of the beer has a Fenix on it and the credo: ‘Ardet Nec Consumitur’ (Burnt but not consumed).

Grimbergen Optimo BrunoColor: Brown, a little bit of cream-colored foam.

Nose: Fresh and acidic. Candied sugar. Yeasty and absolutely murky! Not the nicest smelling beer around. Funky stuff, but not off-putting.

Taste: Deep and brooding. Again yeasty and some acidity. Nice warming taste. Hints of toast and burned sugar in the aftertaste. Dried plums and dates. When Belgian beer is called Belgium’s answer to wine, they probably had this in mind, or should I say, in their mouth. Very distinct beer. Quite bitter finish and especially in the aftertaste. A bitterness like this just fits the speciality this beer is. Unique stuff. Nice balance between the toasted Sugar and the acidity.

Again a well aged beer, so I can’t tell you how a fresh one tastes yet. Definitely not your every day drinker and maybe not for everyone, but when you choose the moment perfectly, you’ll know this is special. Best tasted in big gulps (again).

Points: 84

Mc Chouffe (8%, 33 cl)

Brasserie D'AchouffeIn the early eighties Pierre Gobron and Chris Bauweraerts (Brothers in law, and thus Brothers in Beer) started brewing beers as a hobby, and founded Brasserie D’Achouffe near Houffalize in 1982. Houffalize is in the Ardennes, where lots of stories are about elves (They call the leprechaun an elf).

By now, I have to admit here to a fault in my character. It’s never to late to learn, and boy did I learn here! It’s this leprechaun and the immense availability of both beers made by Brasserie D’Achouffe that made me believe this was not much of a beer. Boy I was wrong! I haven’t tried the main beer by Achouffe yet, namely La Chouffe. But I did buy once a little bottle of its dark sister Mc Chouffe also called: ‘Scotch of the Ardennes’ by the brewery, and me being very fond of my Scottish Whiskies, who am I not to try this Belgian ‘Scotch’. By the way, I Aged the example of Mc Chouffe for 16 months past its best before date, and that is a bit longer than the makers recommend. They like to see their beers aged for 3 to 12 months.

Color: Brown. Not a lot of foam, but a lot of CO2

Nose: Fresh, citrussy, but also pretty murky, like a dirty sidewalk washed clean with the first rain after a long hot summer. Yeasty and sweaty with warming alcohol.

Taste: Wow, not as deep as the color suggests, but certainly what the doctor ordered! Quite full-bodied and very tasty. The carbonation ‘effect’ makes this half-heavy beer refreshing. Candied Sugar wine. Not bad, not bad at all.

I don’t know about the ‘Scotch’, but it reminds me more of an Belgian ‘Wine’. Take care not to pour the depot into your chalice. It’s better to consume that by itself. With this extended ageing I like to do, the depot left flakes floating in the beer, and that didn’t look very nice…(but tasted great).

Points: 84 (provisional, I might have aged my bottle for too long, as mentioned by the brewers, so I’ll try Mc Chouffe again in the near future, and will try it younger).

Tongerlo Prior Tripel (9%, 33 cl)

The Tongerlo beers are brewed by brewery Haacht, and they are doing so since 1990 (when they got the rights to this Abbey beer). I’m sad to report that a few years ago, brewery Haacht, in all its infinite wisdom, have decided to delete Tongerlo Tripel. That’s a sad thing since I really liked that one. To make up for it, they replaced it with another Tripel. It’s called Tongerlo Prior Tripel and the golden-yellow label is replaced by a brooding black one. Tongerlo Prior Tripel is made with Saaz hops and, compared with the old Tripel ,a new kind of yeast. They also upped the ABV from 8% to 9%. This beer is fermented (additionally in the bottle) and the brewery advises to pour the yeast depot in your glass for a bigger and bolder flavor, but it’s also possible to leave the depot in the bottle with a small amount of beer to be consumed separately. Advised drinking temperature is 7º C.

Even this new Tripel got the chance to age for 2,5 years after it’s best before date. You may think I’m mad, but with most Belgian beers it only adds to the character, don’t worry you, won’t get sick. Breweries are obliged to put a short-term on the label, but are starting to add the bottling date. Frank Boon decided to stretch the best before date far beyond the standard three years and easily puts best before dates twenty years into the future!

Tongerlo Prior TripelColor: Orange yellow with some flakes (due to ageing). Almost white foam.

Nose: Fresh and half-yeasty. Citrus acidity. Warm lemon curd. Linen and again some yeast. Pretty straightforward.

Taste: Estery and half bitter. Orange peel. The whole is quite warming. The whole taste seems a bit toned down, but when taken in a big gulp, it becomes quite chewy and gains a lot of character. An explosion of flavor so to speak. Nice, and not overly acidic. Lemon and oranges. Very fresh at first, but that fades into a heavy, syrupy sweetness. I would call this a winter warmer. Excellent stuff by the way.

I love tripels and this one (again) fits the bill. Compared to Westmalle Tripel this has less of the orange skins and definitely is less bitter. Candied sugar sweetness. I really don’t get the point why the Original tripel was replaced with this one. Although this one is also very nice, the original tripel was (very) different and could have easily kept its place under the stars. The original Tripel was quite fresh and appealing, this Prior is more warming en deeper. It’s like night and day, like summer and winter. They got the labels right too, summery yellow and deep as night black…

Points: 85

Rodenbach Grand Cru (6%, 33 cl)

More than a year ago I reviewed the “Original” Rodenbach and concluded I wouldn’t buy that one anymore since this Rodenbach Grand Cru is so much better. Obviously I had it before. Time to write a review about the “better” Rodenbach. And as I have said before, I like to age almost all of my Belgian beers, and this one is no exception (this time). This particular bottle was aged for another year and a half (past it’s best before date). Before my additional ageing, the beer was aged at the brewery for two years (in oak) and then mixed with young beer. 2/3 old beer with 1/3 young beer.

At this point I must give off a little warning. I was in a beer shop recently and overheard some clients talking about pouring the big bottle of Rodenbach Vintage down the toilet. The big bottle should even be better than this Grand Cru, but this is a Flemish Red Brown beer, it’s acidic, so probably not for everyone…

Color: Dark red with brown foam

Nose: Fresh, with a small hint of stale beer, acidic. Sour cherries. Deep brooding yeast (not a lot of it though). Spices. With time some raisins and plum, which adds another layer of depth to the beer. Beef jerky? wow!

Taste: Yeah! Acidic, but with extreme depth. Too much to comprehend all at once. This is so much better than the original Rodenbach! Cherries in alcohol (the alcohol taste is enhanced by the extra ageing). Black cherries, and even some other red fruits from the family of berries. Definitely a favorite of mine. Extremely refreshing. One bottle is not enough. Long finish, with a lemony finish.

This beer takes ageing very well, but also warnings are given off no to age for too long. I just don’t know how long too long is. Ageing add’s  a lot of complexity. Can’t wait to try a vintage Rodenbach! I’m pretty sure I won’t be pouring that one down the toilet!

Points: 88

Timmermans Framboise (4%, 25 cl)

The sun is out, and it finally starts to look like summer. Just the right day to pull out all of my beers from storage and have a look what is still around. Time to pick a nice refreshment for our short-lived summer. Between all those Catholic Beers I have, protruded this pink bottle. This is a Timmermans Framboise or Raspberry flavored beer. Had they used real raspberries, the beer would have been priceless, so Raspberry juice was used in stead. Also Sugar and artificial sweetener was added.

Timmermans FramboiseTimmermans is part of Anthony Martin. Those of you that read my beer reviews know that I like to age my beers, but beers like this (fruit), hardly gain anything from ageing. That doesn’t mean you can’t but why should you. The beer I used for this review was hardly aged.

Color: Red and murky, not a lot of (almost white) foam.

Nose: Heated raspberry compote. Very, very fruity and sweet-smelling. It almost overpowers the Lambic beer, but if you try hard it’s there. Probably too much fruit syrup is used.

Taste: Again a whole lot of sweet raspberry. Sweet it is! Fruit syrup but with a nice acidic touch, I guess comes from the Lambic. After the initial sweetness the beer is still quite refreshing. I love Lambic beers, but still this is quite a simple beer, to enjoy with an empty mind, not caring ’bout notin’.

To sum up, Raspberry syrup (too much used), added Sugar and artificial sweetener (why so much), simple yet enjoyable.

Points: 77

Okocim Premium Mocne (7.1%, 500 ml)

Here we have a beer from Poland. I visit the country on a regular basis, so it’s not that hard for me to come in contact with some of the Beers they’re making over there. Poland, of course, is better known for its Vodka, than for its Beers, but during the last few decades has seen a big shift away from the consumption of Vodka (even the tax on Vodka was lowered at some point) to Beer. A few moments later, brewers from the west saw this opportunity and quickly bought up all the large brands. Especially Heineken (f.i. Zywiec & Warka) and Carlsberg (f.i. Okocim & Harnas) were quick to snap up the Polish brewers. Lets have a look at this Okocim Premium Mocne then. I aged the Beer for an extra year (I love to do that), and this Beer can take some ageing. For me always a good sign.

Color: Amber (Orange)

Nose: Fresh, with lots of sugared orange skin. Hoppy, murky, dusty with lots of yeast. Deep sense of Sugar candy. Putty and leafy.

Taste: Again lot’s of orange skins, warming alcohol and it definitely tastes better than it smells. Sugar candy and yeasty. That’s it actually, but the aroma is there in large amounts. Leafy and slightly woody, although I don’t think the Beer came in contact with wood anywhere during the production process.

This is beer for drinking outside in the evening, watching people pass by. You might even want to call this a winter warmer, but that’s a completely different season. Pretty good beer. I have tried a lot of different Polish beers, and this is easily one of my favorites. Recommended!

Points: 83

Guinness Original (5%, 330 ml)

Guinness is good for youMoving on to a beer this time, and not just any beer, but a Guinness, you know the dry stout that is good for you! (especially for the heart, because the antioxidants found in the beer, battle cholesterol depositing in your body). Today it’s almost everywhere illegal to make such a medical claim.

I guess nobody will be actually interested in this review, because who knows anyone on the planet who drinks beer and hasn’t tried this beer yet? It should be next to impossible. My first encounter with Guinness was in a pub. That’s a good thing because of all the Guinnesses I have tried over the years, no bottled Guinness ever came close to Guinness draught (Around 4.2% ABV). There are a lot of variations on this theme for different markets, so plenty of Guinnesses to discover. If you want to know more about the beer, I have found the Wikipedia page to be extremely interesting.

Color: Brown-black cream with brown foam (that sets quickly)

Nose: Fresh hoppy foam and some fresh oak. Dark brooding nose. Fresh oak again and also a hint of  slightly toasted wood. Honey, caramel and slightly burned Sugar finish off the nose.

Taste: Bitter dark chocolate, woody yet retaining an unusual freshness for this type of beer. Slightly sour. Heavy, full-bodied and bitter aftertaste. Earwax and yeast. Yummie!

Actually it is pretty unique that a beer like this is so popular, well maybe not. It’s unique and heavy in taste. Quite bitter, but never the less enormously popular. For me this is especially a very nice beer to get from a pub and as a draught. Lovely stuff.

Points: 84