Barbãr (Belgian Honey Ale) - Brasserie Lefèbvre SA

RodneyFarva

Spain

4.22/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

served on-tap into a snifter

pours a light straw color, two fingers of white head which stays for a very long time.

aroma of peppery spices, some alcohol, bready malts, and light fruits

taste of the same peppery spices, honey, some bready malts, apples, perhaps even an amaretto characteristic.

not too overly sweet, mouthfeel very nice, and overall, a nicely balanced strong pale ale. the honey perhaps didn't add as much as i was expecting, but still quite enjoyable.

Serving type: on-tap

11-20-2011 12:25:56 | More by RodneyFarva

Yojimbo1941

Wisconsin

4.45/5  rDev +13.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Served into a mug from the tap.

A - straw golden hue, light head

S - very honeyed malt, light spice, some sweet citrus maybe tangerine

T - sweet, malty, honey is at the forefront, light bitterness, some hay (yes, I have tasted hay)

M - medium to slightly heavy, fizzy carbonation, I'm getting residual burps at the end of each gulp

D - semi sessionable in the flavor and mouthfeel but the abv is probably too high for that. A decent beer and a refreshing change of pace from most Belgian styles

Serving type: on-tap

10-10-2011 23:29:53 | More by Yojimbo1941

kojevergas

California

3.23/5  rDev -17.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3.5

Served on draught into a Barbar glass in a bar in Ghent, Belgium. Reviewed from notes.

A: One finger head of fair thickness but no cream. Hazy orange-copper colour. Decent retention.

Sm: Fresh barley. Some souring hops. Subtle fruit notes, but not many. Honey is mysteriously missing.

T: Fruit ester and souring hop blend. Too simple and poorly built for the style. Balanced to an extent. Where's the alleged honey?

Mf: Nicely coarse but a bit too dry. Doesn't match the sour tones of the body at all.

Dr: Not a good session beer, but maybe worth a go for fans of the style. Hides its relatively high abv pretty well. Very affordable in Belgium.

Serving type: on-tap

06-02-2011 04:12:39 | More by kojevergas

rarbring

Sweden

3.9/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The beer is clear amber, has a large white head that leaves lots of lacing.

The smell is fruity, apricot in syrup, and malty, grains.

The taste is sweet fruits, pears, apricots, raisins, and some alcohol, sherry, and a touch of yeast.

Medium high carbonation, a heavy and rather complex body.

Goes very well with strong cheese.

Serving type: on-tap

10-31-2010 14:41:15 | More by rarbring

illidurit

California

3.55/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

On tap at The Red in Santa Cruz. Pours clear gold with a thin white head. Aromas of bread and a quite vivid honey note. Reminiscent of homemade biscuits with honey on them. Sweet grainy flavor, solid honey influence with a barely-there grassiness. Lightly astringent, dry, and a bit unclean in the finish. Still very drinkable.

Serving type: on-tap

04-01-2010 08:26:00 | More by illidurit

danydakid

Pennsylvania

4.43/5  rDev +13.3%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.5

A; Slightly hazy, golden color with minimal head. Served in a goblet.

S: You could smell the honey in this beer, but it did not overpower the senses. It was slightly sweet and very inviting.

T: The taste was exactly what I thought it would be based on the smell. Very smooth and slightly sweet, with that unique honey flavor. The beer finished very smooth as well, without any bite.

D: This is a very drinkable beer when relaxing on a winter night or hanging out with friends in the summer. I'm not sure I would want more than 2 or 3 in a sitting, but I will definitely be ordering this again.

Serving type: on-tap

02-22-2010 01:39:16 | More by danydakid

johnmichaelsen

Oregon

4.05/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap today at Max's during 72 hours.

The beer pours a bright gold color with good head retention and lacing. Nose is pretty muted, with some honey and wax and not much else. Fortunately, the beer is much better on the palate, with honey, light gingerale and hint of bitterness delivered in a moderately sweet package. The noticeable bitterness counters the sweetness very well, and enhances this beer's drinkability considerably. Mouthfeel is pretty light, and the beer has a mouthwatering component that is impressive. Drinkability is very good, and I could easily see myself knocking back a few of these bad boys (assuming I had unlimited funds, of course).

A very nice, easy to appreciate and enjoy beer. Good stuff.

Serving type: on-tap

02-14-2010 20:10:38 | More by johnmichaelsen

jujubeast6000

Texas

3.63/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Reviewed 8/16/2009 (Draft at Flying Saucer, Houston, TX; sold as "Made with Mexican Honey"):

Pours a golden clear orangish colored body, with a big frothy creamy white head, lastingish. Spicy aroma, some orange peel. Lemon and citrus. Floral taste, sweet and almost sickly. Strong honey taste. Some citrus and orange and lemon too. Mostly light tasting, sweet aftertaste, very floral.

Serving type: on-tap

11-05-2009 22:33:18 | More by jujubeast6000

armock

New York

3.75/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Poured a golden color with a big white head that leaves lacing behind

S - Has a yeasty spicey nose with honey sweetness

T - Follows the nose with but the sweetness comes out more in the taste

M - This beer has a medium body with medium carbonation to it

D - I enjoyed this beer quite a bit I liked the taste that the honey added worth trying sometime

Serving type: on-tap

09-01-2009 21:22:52 | More by armock

rvdoorn

Netherlands

4.45/5  rDev +13.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Had this beer in my favorite pub, the Vlaamse Reus in Wageningen. Poured into an original Barbär mug, absolutely beautiful. The beer pours a hazy, golden color with a rich, creamy and fluffy white head.

Smell: Floral, fruity (orange peel), spicy malts, coriander and clear sweet honey.

Taste: Strong sweet honey, spicy malts again, wheat, orange and hints of coriander. Alcohol is very well hidden, probably because of the strong honey taste. A bit dry finish,

Mouthfeel. The honey makes the beer incredibly creamy smooth and soft to drink. Medium carbonation

Overall: This is a surprisingly good beer, different, but great. Spicy, sweet and creamy, this beer has it all. Highly recommendable.

Serving type: on-tap

08-26-2009 18:16:05 | More by rvdoorn

robbyc1

Illinois

4.47/5  rDev +14.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

frothy, foamy, murky looking ale in it's own branded glass. Nice white head.

The nose has a deep solid ripe banana smell from the yeast I believe, and the honey tops it off, like a nice malty sundae.

Smooth taste of the nose, a bit of hops make it not sweet at the end, just a nice balanced pale ale. Can't get beyond the banana/honey, don't want to.

Really soft and full, great soft carbonation, love the feel. Very easy drinker, a great beer for this style.

Serving type: on-tap

03-27-2009 16:01:56 | More by robbyc1

NJpadreFan

New Jersey

3.53/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Barbar- Honey Ale

A- Bright clear yellow with a thick heavy lacing head.
S- Sweet white sugar and honey.
T- Thick sweet honey with scoops of sugar and a light touch of dried fruits; plum and cherry poke through.
M- Very sweet with a fruity dry finish.

Overall- Not bad, very honey sweet with a slight boozy touch.

Serving type: on-tap

03-03-2009 23:08:47 | More by NJpadreFan

t0rin0

California

3.8/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had this on tap at the Lucky Baldwins 10th Annual Belgian fest on 2/15/09.

Pours clear golden brown color with good lacing and good retention.

Aroma and taste are almost the same with mostly honey dominating. Also some sweet malts and some spiciness. The spiciness is hidden by all the sweetness.

Medium bodied and drinkable but a bit too sweet for my tastes.

Serving type: on-tap

02-16-2009 20:49:47 | More by t0rin0

ernie

Russian Federation

3.8/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Amber color, great white head, beautiful lace.

Smell malty-yeasty, with fruits and spices present.

Start sweet, but not exactly honeyish, rather like candy sugar. Taste malty, with some hops towards the finish. Aftertaste bittersweet.

Very good beer. It's easy to fall in love with it and it's even easier to get drunk with it. Beware!

Serving type: on-tap

06-17-2006 16:28:20 | More by ernie

UCLABrewN84

California

3.98/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Best before 5/29/14.

Pours a hazy orange with a foamy beige head that settles to a partial film on top of the beer. Small streaks of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Small jelly-like clumps of sediment are seen floating around in the glass after the pour. Smell is of malt, grain, honey, fruit, and slight spice aromas. Taste is much the same with honey and grape-like fruit flavors on the finish. There is a very mild amount of spice bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp and prickly mouthfeel. Overall, this is a good beer that is tasty and easy to drink.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2013 02:33:44 | More by UCLABrewN84

keithmurray

Louisiana

3.88/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Bottle with a Best Before date of 7.11.2013

Appearance - cloudy honey colored beverage with white head

Smell - honey is most striking feature in the nose, ginger

Taste - honey is the main feature with yeast also present as well as ginger and coriander

Mouthfeel - lighter end of medium bodied, medium level of carbonation, slight sweetness at the beginning and the flavors linger on the palate nicely

Overall - nice beer that beer enthusiasts should try if they see it. Recommended

Price Point - $4.59/11.2 oz bottle

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2013 19:49:14 | More by keithmurray

Brabander

Netherlands

3.48/5  rDev -11%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Drank this beer with my buddy Andy. Our wifes are off to a party abd we are drinking a few beers. This was the second beer of the evening.

Poured in a small Struise chalice the beers looks quit nice, yellow colour fluid with a nice white head. Nice lacing. This beer has some very light sour notes in it. Smell like a saison. Not a bad beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2013 21:08:50 | More by Brabander

janubio

Spain

4.13/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

330 ml. bottle. Hazy golden colour, two fingers head with bubbles, not lasting much, lace around the borders. Smell of honay, of course, but also coriander, oranges and spices. Medium body, crispy and normal carnation. Taste of honey, chocolate, orange and spices, alcohol, like a brandy but sweet. Fantastic beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2013 14:35:40 | More by janubio

Douberd

Netherlands

4.33/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Swing top bottle of 330 ml, at home, poured into a trappist glass. The moment I popped the bottle open, strong sweet smell of honey came out.
A carefoul pour gave me a light copper-like colour beer, with two fingers of head that quickly became a thin line, covering mostly the center of the beer's surface and lingering lazy around the glass. Lots of bubbles coming to the top. The second pour of what it was left, was into a tulip glass, where the foam had significally longer duration.
The aroma is very sweet, with indeed honey aromas, reminded me also of homemade wine.
Taste is fantastic, very complex and difficult to describe. Sweet of course, with the honey flavour not so obvious as on the aroma, grapes and slighty taste of the 8% ABV. I taste some white mulberries too, something I haven't tasted since I was a child.
On the body is thin to medium with an average to high carbonation.
Overall a great beer, it brought some memories back too with its fantastic taste. Highly recommended.

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2013 18:20:41 | More by Douberd

rhoadsrage

Illinois

3.58/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

20110910 stamped on bottle
(Served in a tulip glass)

A- This beer has a slightly hazy deep copper body with a spongy light beige head that last.

S- The flinty wheat dough aroma is soft with some orange blossoms and coriander finish. There is a slight mustard seed aroma in the finish as the beer opens.

T- The bright juicy orange peel has a dry spice bitterness that is softer in the finish. There is a soft sweetness in the finish. As the beer opens there is a cough syrup medicinal quality to the orange zest and coriander flavors.

M- This beer has a medium mouthfeel with a tight fizz and no alcohol heat noticed.

O- The big intense orange flavor is a bit to intense and it hides some of the malt and yeast flavors. It takes on a slight jolly rancher intensity with the coriander also dominating aswell. They are some nice flavors just need to turn them down a bit, or bring up some malt flavors to balance them.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2013 22:32:41 | More by rhoadsrage

Marc_V

4.33/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle from Belgianbeershop.com. Served in the original Barbar glass. Thick white head that lasts very well. The beer is amber brown. Aroma: clear honey presence but also yeast and fruits are detected. Complex and sweet aroma. The taste is very well balanced and not too sweet as one might expect from a honey ale. Long finish. Barbar is one of the best, if not the best honey ale you can get.

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2012 13:40:12 | More by Marc_V

sfprint

Germany

4.35/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: a dull honey, with barely any rising carbonation with a half finger of head
S: sweet and beautifully fruity.
T: Not like other honey beers, the honey isn't so apparent. Not nearly as intense as other Belgian strong ales but it has a weaker version of the light strong ale flavor. But it's sweeter and fruityier. It's really excellent.
M: Perfect medium sting, light to medium body
O: A very special, unique beer. Unusual but quite appealing fruitiness.

Serving type: bottle

11-29-2012 23:48:19 | More by sfprint

Filosoof

Netherlands

4.53/5  rDev +15.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Some years ago I drank this beer, and it didn't impresse me much.

Last year I took it again and found out what I missed. Ofcourse this beer is sweet, but the herbs, honey and flowers and nice soft hops make it a beer to stay.

L: just great; golden looks;
S: mjummy, could this last forever, herbs, flowers, soft hops, creamy notes;
T: the tast is round, someone could say it lacks bitterishness, okay because of that it stays a 4,5;
M: very, very drinkable, nice carbo;
O: really my style, blond not too heavy, an underestimated star....can I have another one?

Serving type: bottle

11-16-2012 19:46:05 | More by Filosoof

Chrispy

3.98/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Golden with some small spices floating.
Smell: Sweet yeast, typical belgian smell, with some orange
Taste: sweet malt, yeast, orange with a honey taste left in your mouth.
Mouthfeel: Nice carbonation but feels light on the tongue as the beer finishes.
Overall: Very good belgian, very smooth for 8%, dont detect any alcohol.
Serving type: bottle

Serving type: bottle

11-01-2012 06:48:07 | More by Chrispy

Josiah2729

Tennessee

4.23/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle poured into tulip.

Appearance: Hazy gold color with white head. Excellent lacing.

Smell: Some honey, sweet malt, Belgian yeast, sweet fruit.

Taste: Honey with some belgian yeast, some alcohol taste.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate carbonation, some alcohol burn.

Overall: Nice belgian beer. Honey was not overpowering.

Serving type: bottle

08-30-2012 03:38:29 | More by Josiah2729