Abbaye De Floreffe Prima Melior - Brasserie Lefèbvre SA

PolarBear3

Australia

1.94/5  rDev -48.4%
look: 2.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2

A - Pours a dark brown colour with large frothy off white head that dissipates very quickly.

S - Dark cherry or sherry like aromas with some dark chocolate malt

T - Very sweet malts with some burnt cherries and aniseed,, leaving a awful slightly bitter finish

M - Over carbonated with medium bodied

O - Very ordinary, will not be able to finish the bottle. That says it all.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2013 06:06:57 | More by PolarBear3

DoubleJ

California

3.75/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

330 ml bottle served at Het Waterhuis in Ghent and served in its branded goblet. On to the beer:

Who likes a fluffy head which retains well? I do. I also like the dark brown color with reddish hues of this beer. The nose of toasted malt, kiss of chocolate, and a dose of cherry make a pleasant aroma. A good flavor continues the momentum, which starts with dark chocolate and toast. A kiss of tartness adds a little something different. Brown sugar notes too. Its aftertaste withers into a semi-sweet flavor. Regarding its feel, the beer is medium full with pleasing carbonation and somewhat acidic sensation.

Agreeable strong dark ale, and one that doesn't weigh you down too much.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2013 03:12:47 | More by DoubleJ

mactrail

California

3.08/5  rDev -18.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Huge foam-up that dissipates to some streamers of froth.

Distinctive flavor of nuts, spice, pumpkin pie, licorice-- the whole candy store. Besides "canesugar" the label lists spices, so maybe the wise ones will know if this is spiced up like Anchor Christmas ale, which is exactly what this tastes like-- only sweeter. Clean flavors, no hint of oxidation or other odd flavors, but it's just very plain, just lots of cinnamon, allspice and such.

For the ridiculous foam and the excess of additives, and the lack of Belgian flavors, I don't rate this very high. However, I suppose you could call this a Winter Warmer and enjoy it with a slice of fruitcake. From the 33 cl botle bought at Beer And Gin House in Gent.

Serving type: bottle

10-05-2012 21:26:26 | More by mactrail

Everydayoff

Thailand

3.63/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

330ml bottle poured into a Leffe chalice by freshness date.

A:
Blackish opaque brown with massive rocky frothy head that retains very well then leaves several lacing patches stick to a glass once dissipated.

S:
Dark and roasted malt, dark fruits reminiscence of raisins and some sweet portion of sugarcane, a little bit spice from alcohol.

T+M:
Quite complex, it comprises by 3 tiers. I – Barley malt and roasted malt kick off after sip. This portion also lends some bready and astringent traits. II – Following by dark fruit esters generate by yeast. III – Sugarcanes bring sweetness until the finish with slight bitterness from hop hiding in. Alcohol fusel can be detectable along mid-way to the finish. The body is medium with right amount of carbonation.

O:
Another good Strong Dark Ale, definitely worthy.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2012 09:57:59 | More by Everydayoff

jjkatter

Australia

3.33/5  rDev -11.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

750ml bottle poured into a Trappistes Fochefort goblet…

A- Dark, porter like color with a caramel, pillowy head. Lots of carbonation present.

S- fruity, flowery aroma with a hint of yeast.

T- Overwhelmingly sweet. This beer could do with some taming of the sugar. Very yeasty
MF- so sweet, it’s difficult to find it a pleasant experience.

O- Thank God I’m not diabetic. Maybe it would do better aged for some time, but I am having trouble finishing this bottle. The beer had good intentions, but did not deliver. Hell, it looked and smelt great... I would not buy this beer again.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2012 08:02:24 | More by jjkatter

heygeebee

Australia

3.48/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a half finger tan head over dark brown body. Head dies quickly.

Into Xmas pud territory straight away on the nose, with some sherry and brandy hints as well. Also raisins.

Taste is as smell, with no hop presence noted at all.

Mouthfeel quite light for the ABV.

Not an outstanding example of style, but not the worst either.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2012 07:53:08 | More by heygeebee

TMoney2591

Illinois

4.1/5  rDev +9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Served in a Duvel tulip glass.

Revisiting this guy, complete with review, after remembering enjoying it about a year ago. I let it warm up a bit from the fridge (just FYI). It pours a dark-ish ruby-brown topped by a finger of slightly-off cream foam. The nose comprises rye bread, Belgian yeast, nutmeg, figs, brown sugar-cinnamon, pecans, and oak. The taste brings in all of these for a reunion, along with some red apple skin, black grapes, black pepper, and a touch of cocoa and vanilla. The body is a medium that yearns to lean to the lighter side, with a very light moderate carbonation and a lightly grainy feel. Overall, a very nice BSDA, one that affirmed my memory (always a plus) and seemed to please the lady (always a plus). Good times here all around.

Serving type: bottle

07-22-2011 00:44:01 | More by TMoney2591

eric5bellies

Australia

3.95/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - Pours a nice clear dark Mahogany colour with an off White head that retains real well.

S - A burnt caramel aroma and quite sweet.

T - A little chocolate up front and some sweet malts. HAs a slight oak flavour in the middle with the sugars always present but not spoiling the beer. The alcohol is well disguised.

M - Light to medium body with a medium to full carbonation.

O - This one really suprised me in a nice way. The sweetnes threatens to take over but never does.I recommend it.

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2011 14:44:57 | More by eric5bellies

mandolinhomebrew

Austria

3.85/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Black, or extremely dark brown given right angle and lighting, nice fat caramel looking head, and fair amount of carbonation - doesn't explode though. Head dissipated fairly quick.

S: Sweet, roasty chocolaty & a bit of caramel. Not strong in terms of alcohol. There's some sort of freshness to it, but I hesitate to say it's the hops.

T: Chocolate & roasted malts. It's not bitter at all really but the sweetness is still under control, maybe due to the roasted malts. The sweetness definitely comes through at the finish. There is a slight woodiness to it, and some caramel comes out in aftertaste. I'm getting some yeast, some biscuity-ness, and even hints of raisins or plums. The 8% is masked fairly well, but when I take a bigger sip I definitely know it's a strong ale.

M: Light to medium body. Carbonation is pretty generous, and the bubbles are small/fine, which adds some smoothness.

D: Pretty drinkable for an 8% dark Belgian.

O: Most of my favorite Belgian beers tend to mask the stronger alcohol content so you can focus on everything else that's going on. This is a dark strong Belgian ale that does this fairly well. It really showcases the malts without being too sweet or overly roasty. It's definitely on the sweet side, but I've had plenty of dark strong Belgians that were much sweeter. It's definitely a nice sipping beer to sit and think about.

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2011 20:09:33 | More by mandolinhomebrew

danieelol

Australia

2.65/5  rDev -29.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 1

A: Well carbed initially, blackish brown. More carbonation than a typical BSDA imo. 3.5

S: Nose opens up after a while. Can only barely pick up sweet stewed fruit (pear) and yeast. Bubblegum. And some alcohol leaving it port-like notes. Not unpleasant though. 4

T: Bit of pear flavour, some relatively nice spices like cloves. Way too sweet though. Makes me not want to drink it. 2.5

M: Quite fine for the style, but it's hard to ignore the sweetness when reviewing the mouthfeel. 3.5

D: I couldn't finish the bottle. I probably drank about half of it, and it took me ages. Has to be a 1.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2011 03:12:18 | More by danieelol

Brabander

Netherlands

3.85/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Got this beer in a trade with my buddy Apophis666, thanks Sietse.

As always poured in my Struise glass. Nice and pretty darkbrown fluid and a light brown firm head with big bubbles. Nice carbonation.

Sweet and roasted malt smell, brown sugar?

Nice taste and not too sweet. I am enjoying this beer, no doubt about that!

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2011 20:54:02 | More by Brabander

spinrsx

Ontario (Canada)

3.9/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

330ml Bottle

Appearance - The beer pours a hazy brown colour with a massive size frothy and fizzy light brown coloured head. I can't tell how much carbonation there is because of the murkiness of the beer and there is some very nice lacing. The head lasted for over 5 minutes before it began to dissipate.

Smell - malts, raisins, pears, cask wood, cloves

Taste & Mouth - The beer has a slightly below average amount of carbonation and it has a full bodied taste. There are lots of malts mixed with dark fruits (raisins?) and a touch of pear sweetness. There are also notes of cloves and cask wood and the beer also has a slightly metallic taste. It finishes with a malty dark fruit aftertaste.

Drink - The alcohol was well hidden and it had a pretty decent taste. It didn't blow my mind but I still enjoyed it. There are other beers in this style that are better options though.

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2011 18:22:29 | More by spinrsx

DaveBlack

Virginia

4.05/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Very dark brown, opaque with a slight red tint at the edges. Finger width of light brown head without much retention and very little lacing.

S: The smell is a little strange, mostly because I can't pick up much beyond the sweetness. It smells deep and rich, like candied fruits and not much else. It's not a bad smell, just too sweet for my taste.

T: Deeply malty flavor with slight hints of citrus with lots of spice. I get a lot of stone fruit, a nice complex, rich flavor. The alcohol comes through, but very little. Doesn't taste much like it smells, much spicier and better.

M: Surprisingly medium bodied with high carbonation. Does not feel heavy at all.

D: A dangerously drinkable beer. The relatively light body and well hidden alcohol make it go down fast and easy.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2010 14:31:48 | More by DaveBlack

philphilphil

Australia

3.48/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

appearance is dark clearish brown with small head which receded from an inch or so.
Smell is below par, kinda offputting but not representative of the whole drink.
Taste is far better than smell, is fruit with malt and a touch of alcohol.
Mouthfeel is corrct, maybe a tad more carbonation would be good?
Drinkability is pretty good, cheap for a belgian, gets you smashed quickly. Not bad stuff, still theres better, and ill probs go for that better stuff next time.

Serving type: bottle

12-13-2010 00:01:10 | More by philphilphil

metter98

New York

3.83/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: The beer is very dark amber in color and poured with a finger high beige head. A thin layer of bubbles consistently covered the surface.
S: There are aromas of candi sugar and dark fruits in the nose along with some hints of spices.
T: The beer has a slight amount of sweetness and some flavors of dark fruits but this is contrasted by lots of flavors of spices in the finish.
M: It feels light- to medium-bodied and smooth on the palate and has a moderate to high amount of carbonation.
D: The beer is definitely one that needs to be sipped given all of the spices in the taste.

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2010 04:48:36 | More by metter98

cooch69

Pennsylvania

3.9/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This pours from its 750 ml. bottle a deep chestnut brown with a one and a half finger head with good clinging potential.
This beer smells of bitter roasted malts, alcohol, caramel biscuits, and dark fruit(raisins).
The first wave consists of dark fruits and an upfront roasted maltiness. The oranges in this beer seem to appear as a dancing partner with the alcohol. The two don't seperate, they are blended together almost like a tangerine infused vodka. The second wave shows a light roast of black coffee and a bit of a hoppiness in the form of a bittering agent.
The beer is medium-full bodied with a nice carbonation that is not overly agressive. It is definetly a sipper, but it is not overly complex or strong.

Serving type: bottle

11-26-2010 05:16:47 | More by cooch69

basica

Singapore

4.28/5  rDev +13.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A - Pours a dark amber brown color with a pretty well retaining thick, rocky, foamy head. (4)

S - Light nose of Dark fruits and perhaps some malts. (3.5)

T - Strong upfront sweetness and floral tastes fill the palate together with an attack of dark fruity goodness which gradually fades into a mild bitterness in the finish. The after taste was slightly raisiny but not too pronounced. Deliciously crafted. (4.5)

M - Medium-bodied mouth-feel with just the right amount of carbonation tinge and a nice foamy smoothness and mild dryness; well-balanced. (4.5)

D - Very drinkable due to the well-crafted taste package and the presence of a "correct" mouthfeel, by my definition, for this style. very sessionable though probably just a tad sweet. (4.5)

I have to admit that the Floreffe Prima Melior has exceeded my expectations.

Serving type: bottle

11-25-2010 16:14:30 | More by basica

madvoice

Australia

3.78/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

A - Pours a dark chocolate colour with a thick foamy head that takes its time to disappear and leaves minimal lacing on the glass.

S - Smells very much of aniseed and chocolate

T - Very sweet taste similar to that of sarspirilla but with a chocolatey aftertaste.

M - Is actually quite light on the palate. Not heavy on the fizz and goes down quite smoothly though there is a little bit of a kick at the end.

D - Not something I could drink a lot of. Something to be kept for an occasion rather than a regular drinking beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-08-2010 10:54:43 | More by madvoice

omnigrits

Texas

4/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Ppoured into a tulip glass from a cork-and-cage bottle gives a very dark beer with a pale tan head that just doesn't want to go away and leaves good lace. The beer shows plenty of active carbonation.

Masses of figs and other dark fruits in the nose. Belgian yeast is muted but noticeable. More of the same in the taste with a slight bitterness and a pleasantly dry finish. Very well balanced, not at all sweet, leastways, no more than it should be.

Medium-bodied with a lively mouthfeel from the carbonation. Really quite crisp for a BDSA.

This is a very interesting beer and one that I'll be buying again. Not your average dark Belgian ale.

Serving type: bottle

09-04-2010 23:00:56 | More by omnigrits

juju7

Australia

2.93/5  rDev -22.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

A big fat meh for this beer. Even the Belgians are fallible it would seem. A dark brown body with ample head but no real lacing to speak of. Kind of like a caricature of a Belgian strong ale. There are some of those expected traits of plums, yeasty dough and biscuity malt. A stand out is the chocolate character that does it's best to hold up some grace. Unfortunately it lacks real cohesiveness and feels straight up bland. A slight sour note on the back palate tends to distract from what could have been fairly acceptable. Feels like a Belgian ale from anywhere but Belgium.

Serving type: bottle

07-28-2010 11:40:33 | More by juju7

mulder1010

Australia

3.15/5  rDev -16.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

750 ML corked and caged poured into a tulip

A-- Poured a deep dark brown, settled to almost black with touches of red. Big dark brown head that settled to just over one finger in height. Good head retention with this. Medium carbonation by visual.

S-- Dark fruits, rum or cognac soaked raisins. As it warms up licorice and chocolate start appearing. Very sweet smelling beer.

T-- Very sweet first tastes. Lots of prunes, plumbs, raisins and quite sweet tasting. As warms up a lot of licorice and the fruits are eaten up by the licorice and chocolate taste.

M-- Changes to licorice and chocolate. Interesting. Medium body and a tad bit over medium in carbonation. Reminds me a lot of licorice bullets sold in Australia (chocolate covered licorice). ABV becomes more obvious as it warms up more.

D-- To me a touch bit over carbonated and a bit too sweet. Halfway though a 750 and sweetness is very obvious in this. Liked it more as dark fruits and raisins more than the licorice bomb it finishes off as. The chocolate though is a good touch. ABV is OK at 8% but notice that pretty early on in this and as it gets sweeter the ABV just screams at you. Good on occasions but not as an every day drinker.

Serving type: bottle

06-29-2010 14:08:19 | More by mulder1010

yeahnatenelson

Illinois

3.9/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thrown in as an extra by Jwiss22 - What a great guy!

Appearance -- Pours a deep, dark brown with two fingers of creamy beige head.

Smell -- Rum-soaked raisin, dark fruit, orange peel, spice, faint chocolate.

Taste -- Raisin, unripe plum and plum skin, currant, cocoa powder, strong presence of orange peel and anise (shocking!). Finish is spicy, with grape skin, cocoa powder, and a faint metallic taste. Lingering taste is of grape skin and orange peel.

Mouthfeel -- Medium-bodied, ample carbonation; prickly up front, creamy in the finish.

Drinkability -- This beer really kept me engaged. It goes from dark and mellow to bright and sharp. While I am really glad this beer was brought to my attention I don't know if I would be tempted to revisit.

Serving type: bottle

06-21-2010 02:32:03 | More by yeahnatenelson

JohnQVegas

Tennessee

4.13/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle into Bruery tulip.

Pours deep, deep brown, not quite black but it's in the ballpark.Two-finger khaki head, creamy, settling into a dense one-finger cap. Excellent retention, very nice lacing. Oddly, lots of effervescence showing up around the edge of the glass leads to the creamy head on top showing as much bigger-bubbled and cola-like on the bottom.

Nose is intense, fairly sharp; big dose of spices lend an almost metallic edge to an underlying chocolate presence. Dark fruits take on a bit of tartness - currants, under-ripe pit fruits. Surprisingly bright.as it warms, red grapes come through more clearly. Unexpected, but certainly not unpleasant.

Taste is interesting. Follows the nose in its bright character - loads of unripe pit fruits up front, lightly tart, currants and berries, lingonberries come to mind, with just a bit of lemony brightness on top. Light cocoa and brown sugar come through also, with notes of clove and big time spicy phenols from the yeast. Finishes sweeter than expected, fruity, with a light richness complemented by a light bitterness from the spices. It's almost like someone took a spiced BSDA, spiked it with a tart cassis-based beer, and then fermented the whole thing with a very phenolic Belgian yeast, or even a hefe yeast. Very interesting beer. Not as deeply satisfying as, say, a masterfully done straight-up quad, but certainly more intriguing.

Mouthfeel is lighter than expected, medium-light bodied, with a zingy carbonation that turns fluffy at points almost magically. Body feels cut by the light acidity. Drinkability is fairly high, all things considered. It sort of evolves in your mouth, unexpectedly, so you don't want to stop drinking it. Very interesting beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-09-2010 02:24:28 | More by JohnQVegas

gatornation

Minnesota

3.63/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

pours a thick deep dark brown with a big tan head that recedes quickly with some good sticky lacing..the smell is of dark fruits,currant fruits like plum and fig..i smell chocolate and caramel..the taste is a musty fruit flavor of plum/raisins that at the same time has a sweetness of caramel and malt with hints of spice and herbs like fennel..the mouth feel is sweet with a somewhat bitter finish..this was easy to drink the 11.2 bottle but i would not want more than 1 its more sweet then spice..this BSDA was a fruity.sweeter darker malt one than others i have tried..i recommend trying this

Serving type: bottle

05-29-2010 21:03:17 | More by gatornation

crossovert

Wisconsin

4.33/5  rDev +15.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

11.2 oz bottle "best before" 2009 04 04.

Pours like motor oil and when it is in the tulip it is a dark brown/ pretty much black with a thick large tan head that rises to the top of the glass, leaving some lacing as it recedes slowly.

The scent is pleasant and rich but not overly rich. There is definitely a lot of orange in the scent along with some anise, no coincidence. There's not much else going on besides the yeasty dark fruit scents that are usually found in this style.

The first thing I notice is the smooth, rich, not hugely carbonated mouthfeel. It works perfectly with the flavors of this beer. There is some residual orange form the smell that transfers to the taste but there isn't a huge anise kick in the flavor, it is more vanilla and coriander with a hint of cocoa. It has that spice tinged flair but it is very fruity. It is super complex.

Overall this one surprised me big time. It is one of the smoother, not as sweet BSDAs out there.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2010 22:23:44 | More by crossovert