Cuvee Angelique - KleinBrouwerij De Glazen Toren

Gueuzedude

Arizona

4.72/5  rDev +13.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle Date April 2007, Sampled November 2007
A careful pour still produces a six-finger thick head that quickly overflows the top of my glass. I only lose a couple tablespoons of beer to the billowing, frothy, tan colored foam though. The beer shows a dark plum color as it sits in my glass, but portrays a brilliantly clear cherry-syrup red color when held up to the light. Quite malty in the nose, with notes of brown sugar, browned bread notes, toasty malt and raisin flavors all quite noticeable as I inspect the head. A touch of tartness in the nose adds aromatic notes reminiscent of plums, aromatic apples and a certain vinous character. Spicy, high fermentation character is also noticeable with touches of black pepper, earthy spice-like coriander notes, touches of ginger, lightly-phenolic clove aromas and a certain musty, almost woody note that mixes in with malty notes of chocolate. A very complex, interesting nose; I am really digging the interplay of malt, hop and fermentation driven notes of fruit, spice and light funk.

Sweet tasting up front, yet fairly light on the tongue; the sweetness accentuates a nice fruit character, in fact the sweetness is even perceived as being derived from a mix of apples, plums and figs. The sweetness also is bit reminiscent of darker / unrefined sugar; perhaps a touch of a caramel, notes of brown sugar and even something a bit more exotic like palm sugar. Towards the end of a sip some dark malt notes add a touch of chocolate, some definitely toasted grain notes, a touch of chalky-browned grain husk flavors. The beer finishes with some spicy fermentation character as well as some warming, higher alcohol flavors. Despite being fairly light in body (at least for its strength), this really has a nice richness to it. The carbonation definitely helps to lighten things up too, though if drunk right after a pour it is really too carbonated and froths up as it hits the tongue. A touch of tannic woodiness is found in the finish, as is a very light bitterness.

While the beer definitely has a spiciness to it & some almost hot higher alcohol notes, it still remains very smooth, rounded and drinkable. It is a bit more funky in the nose than in the flavor, but it is so well integrated that I am not really needing any funky flavor notes. Another just awesome beer from this brewery. I have been really impressed by each of the beers I have had from these guys. Dubbels are actually a style I have trouble getting into at times, but this one just hits the spot and is probably the best I have ever had.

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2007 01:04:51 | More by Gueuzedude

captainhops

Maryland

4.22/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from an 11.2 oz bottle into a pint glass.

Appearance: Cloudy brown color with a slightly tan head.

Smell: Rich malt and brown sugar smell.

Taste: Malt, molasses, some tartness, a little bitterness on the tail end. Seems very complex and well balanced.

An enjoyable dark malty brew.

Serving type: bottle

10-11-2007 23:24:25 | More by captainhops

phisig137

Virginia

4.15/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Bottled on April 28, 2007. Pours a murky deep mahogany color, full of warm color tones just like the wood. 2 finger head rises quickly and has great retention. Sheets of lace cover the glass.... nice.

Aroma is very well structured. A touch of dark deep stone fruits, a touch of malt and grain aromas, a bit of sweetness, and a bit of spice. Also, a faint hint of wood is present, not like oak-vanilla aromas, more like lumber. Perhaps a touch of honey as well? Very nice.

The flavor is much more round, yet lighter. Great raw grain flavors, and a touch of sweetness from what seem to be caramel malts and honey. Very distinctive yeast provides a huge amount of spicy phenols, almost more along the lines of a triple. Who ever hopped this beer used a fairly heavy hand, as this is bone dry, and relatively bitter for a dubble. Its quite complex, but I feel that the area that this really shines is it's subtlety. Very well balanced, and extremely well made. Mouthfeel is average, being medium bodied and well carbonated. Drinkability is pretty good.

I usually like the beers from De Glazen Toren, but this is their best yet. Very well made, and quite tasty. It's a little on the pricey side at $11.79, but I think this is worth it. For the lovers of darker style Belgian beers, this is one to look for...

Serving type: bottle

09-28-2007 00:07:02 | More by phisig137

elinash

New York

4.2/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This beer is a new style for me, and since it's a revival style, I'm guessing it would be new for many.

It's a high gravity "dubbel special belge," which is intended to be something in its own right, and it comes off like a dubbel with extra hops.

A: reddish copper with creamy head that disappears to a thin film.

A: caramel and toffee with a good hop backbone

T: Slightly sweet at first, with robust nuttiness, toffee, pretty full. It finishes slowly, with the hop flavor growing and bitterness slightly increasing.The finish is nicely bitter.

This is an awesome beer, it's really easy to drink, and its hoppiness is a pleasant surprise for a double.

Serving type: bottle

07-31-2007 00:24:32 | More by elinash