Barbãr Bok (formerly Barbãr De Noël) - Brasserie Lefèbvre SA

eduardolinhalis

Switzerland

3.79/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

500ml thumbler served from tap at Bruxelles Café - Lausanne.

A: Pours a very dark amber color forming a good one to two fingers creamy beige head. Good retention, forming and leaving some thin lacings around

S: Strong notes of dark fruits, spices and honey. Sweet grains. Bready Belgium style yeasts

T: Sweet upfront. Sweet caramel, dark fruits (plums, mainly), spices (cinnamon?) and honey. Brown bread. Belgian yeasts. Slightly earthy. Light hoppy bitterness in the end. Strong Belgian character. A bit alcohol warming

M: Medium and bit molasses body. Medium carbonation too. Malty bittersweet aftertaste

O: Good drinkability. Good winter ale. Recommended

Serving type: on-tap

01-26-2013 18:40:43 | More by eduardolinhalis

Douberd

Netherlands

3.93/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

330 ml brown bottle, with a swing top cap, poured into a snifter glass. ABV is 8,5%.

Pours a very brown colour, almost black, with a good two finger head, beige in colour, with average retention. Very light lacing left behind, although some foam persists on the beer's surface.
Very nice sweet smell. Lots of honey in the aroma, pretty much overpowers everything else. Some light alcohol aroma too.
Taste is sweet-sour, with less honey now and more flavours of dark fruits,red grapes,molasses. Tastes quite like a good red wine.
Quite carbonated with a medium to full body.
Great beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2012 17:05:06 | More by Douberd

Pegasus

Texas

3.5/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Deep amber colored body, verges on black, surmounted by a thick, dense and creamy tan head, which retains well. Thin, fine-beaded lacing utterly coats the glass walls.

Aroma: Dark fruits and spices (coriander, cloves) dominate the aroma. There is also a fairly prominent aroma of dark bread. The purported orange rind is not discernible.

Taste: Opens with strong dark bread notes, soon after a subdued winter spice presence makes itself known, quickly followed by spicy, slightly warming alcohol. The dark malt offers some earthy, smoky flavors as the taste unfolds. Toward the end of the taste, bitter cocoa and earth notes assert, and a moderate wave of metallic hops draws the taste to a close.

Mouth feel: Smooth and fairly soft, a touch thin.

Drinkability/notes: Not spectacular, but neither is it bad. Worth a try on a cold Winter's night.

Presentation: Packaged in an eleven point two ounce Euro-style brown glass long neck bottle with a pry-off crown, served in a New Belgium Brewing chalice.

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2012 01:29:50 | More by Pegasus

Aethien

Netherlands

3.28/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours a dark brown with a fizzy tan head that fades to a thick film on the beer.

Smells like fruit, blackberries and blueberries mainly with some hints of strawberry in there as well. Slightly artificial fruit though. It's hard to smell anything past the fruits but there's some chocolaty malts in there as well, it's all very very sweet though. I loved the smell when I first got it but now that I'm drinking the beer it's less appetizing and a bit too artificially sweetened.

Taste is full of fruits again and just as sweet, it takes a lot of effort to taste much of anything past the fruity yeast and sweetness. Add a noticeable amount of alcohol to it and the thick, creamy mouthfeel and this beer is very enjoyable for the first few sips and goes downhill after that.

As mentioned, the mouthfeel is very thick and creamy, almost like you're drinking fruity yoghurt instead of beer.

Overall, this beer started out wonderful but went downhill quickly for me because of the overly sweet nose and taste and the thick mouthfeel that make it hard to drink. Still, it's worth trying, if only because it's so different from the norm for the style.

Serving type: bottle

09-17-2012 17:14:40 | More by Aethien

Hoppsbabo

United Kingdom (England)

3/5  rDev -18.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 1 | overall: 3

This is no longer named Barbãr Winter Bok, it's just Barbãr Bok, and has been so for some time.

APEARANCE: Black runny body, not creamy looking. Craggy beige Belgian head.

SMELL: Chocolate, hint of dandelion & burdock, roasty malts.

TASTE: Bitter rum and coke alcohol flavour which is too strong. Non of the chocolate I was anticipating. Some dandelion & burdock, reminiscent of the Floreffe dubel by the same brewery. Tingly numbing sensation on the tongue which leads me to think it may be off but I see others have reported the same alcohol burn.

OVERALL: Lots of character but totally lacking in refinement. Alcohol flavour way out of control for an 8% beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-09-2012 08:09:25 | More by Hoppsbabo

DrDemento456

Pennsylvania

3.53/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A - A very dark hazy brown, almost pitch black with a 1/2 inch of mocha colored head. Belgium dark ale indeed.

S - Smell is mostly fruity yeasts and dark fruits but I can smells some mild honey.

T - Well not much for sweetness of honey and the taste may impact some coriander or orange peel but the yeast and dark fruit is too overpowering to deliver those "hidden" qualities. Noticeable ABV makes it hard to drink.

M - It's medium to heavy so a very dark Belgium winter bock.

Overall I really don't like dark Belgium ales and this one assures of the dislike.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2012 05:13:47 | More by DrDemento456

Intrinsic

Quebec (Canada)

4/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I have to be honest, I don't even know if I'm reviewing the right beer or not. Mine just says Barbãr Bok, but it has all the same qualities that everyone else seems to report so I'll have to assume that's the one.

Its a very dark brown colour - even held up to the outside light you can hardly see through it. Nice light brown head, although it disappears quickly. Nice lacing.

The smell is sweet, with fruits and malt dominating but not overpowering. Its very nice, and leads well into the taste. I was worried the honey would make this way too sweet, but it's very well balanced by the bitter finish. It's also quite dry and well carbonated. Overall, this is a stand-out beer. It definitely lives up to the Belgian standard.

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2012 19:48:23 | More by Intrinsic

Kacid

California

4.45/5  rDev +20.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Served in a tulip Glass

Appearance: Pepsi-colored with a pepsi-like colored foam. Both fine and medium sized bubbles that float on a creamy head. Nice, thick lacing that follows the long-lasting head.

Nose: Anise, pepsi, sweet alcohol, herbal, herbal soda (like Mr.Green), spicy. Strong smell of honey
Warmed up: the nose smells like purple grape kool-aid, dark bitter chocolate becomes more prominent, as well as sweet red wine. Slightly unctuous. Lacing stuck thick to the entire glass

Flavour: Herbal, Pepsi, Bitter at the back of the toungue, Alcoholic burn at the back of the throat and tongue, dark/bitter chocolate malt, Honey and Brown sugar, dried fruits

WOW, i did not expect so much out of this beer, especially having never heard of it. It is an incredible Dark ale, complex flavours that only unfold more as it warms up. While it could pair well with some berry-like dark chocolate, i'd almost prefer to savour it alone to feel its complexity. Definitely worth a try! I'm keeping at least 1 of these in my fridge from now on

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2012 17:20:16 | More by Kacid

OWSLEY069

Pennsylvania

3.43/5  rDev -7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours a hazy orange-ish to brown in color with a tan head. In the aroma, coriander, cinnamon, and a note of honey. In the taste, coriander, sweet cinnamon, and a dry honey flavor. A smooth and medium bodied mouthfeel, with a dry coriander and cinnamon like aftertaste. The honey is a bit sweet to dry, a bit basic but nice nonetheless.

Serving type: on-tap

02-07-2012 15:20:32 | More by OWSLEY069

beerpirates

Belgium

3.73/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

33 cl bottel poured into my lost abbey stemware glass

Barbar bok brewed with 2.5% honey !

A: Black, with a reddish tint when held to the light. Thin, vanishing head that sticks to glass.

S: Sweet malt, brown sugar, honey , liquor , Belgian yeast.

T: More brown sugar and sweet malt, honey, and bread. Is that a hint of cherry in the back , also some hints of grand marnier ?

M: Medium body, with medium carbonation. Nothing special.

D: It's sweet enough that I wouldn't want to drink more than one in a night, but I'm thoroughly enjoying this one.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2012 19:23:04 | More by beerpirates

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

4.18/5  rDev +13.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Barbãr Winterbok

From the tap it pours a dark brown, clear, with ruby hues. Aroma of dark fruits, primarily raisin, grape and fig. In the taste, fruity yeast imparting date, raisin, fig notes along with a sugary malt body and a light tang. Alcohol is well hidden. Trademark dark Belgian ale flavor, big time dark fruits. Light roasted malt qualities. Mouthfeel is medium to full bodied with adequate carbonation. Overall, a tasty winter brew from Barbar, a spiced honey ale is also in their lineup.

Serving type: on-tap

12-23-2011 01:30:36 | More by Stinkypuss

elNopalero

Texas

3.15/5  rDev -14.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Bottle printed with a best by date of 2011 09 23 but picked up mid-November, 2011. That’s old stock, folks. I’m guessing it’s from last winter if it’s a seasonal release. Anyways…
This pours a malty brown color with a quite a bit of foam. There’s a molasses-malt syrup aroma. Tastes really sweet. Malty. A bit of orange peel, candied fruit. Cloyingly sweet. Bleah. Not my thing, and not one I’d try again.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2011 20:49:25 | More by elNopalero

twiggamortis420

Texas

3.28/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12 oz bottle pours a dark brown color with a few highlights around the edges. Light cap of tan foam showing little retention and lacing.

Nose is fruity and bready, akin to a trappist quad. Rich and fragrant with notes of raisin, plums and pineapple alcohol.

Wow, super fruity and rich. Full-bodied and a little metallic on the finish. Highly carbonated and the drinkability is fairly low on this one. I have a feeling this beer might be a love it/hate it type of brew. There are many BSDAs that are more complex, subtle and delicious than this readily available (see Chimay Blue), but this one will cure a curiosity for the unknown if one is so inclined. It is decent, just really not distinguishable.

Serving type: bottle

11-14-2011 03:18:11 | More by twiggamortis420

mrfrancis

Kentucky

3.78/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Pours a dark amber with a bubbly off-white head that laces deep into the glass.

S: Gentle, sweet aromas of candy sugar, toffee, honey, raisins, plums, and figs are immediately noticeable. As the beer warms, a slight alcohol booziness comes through, but is never overpowering.

T: Opens sweet and fruity with notes of candy sugar, toffee, dark bread, cocoa, molasses, wildflower honey, raisins, plums, figs, and dates. The finish is sweet and warming with a swirl of dark fruit, honey, and alcohol flavors.

M: Medium-to-full bodied, oily, and slick. I did not find the carbonation to be all that noticeable, but this is a minor knock. The slickness of this beer makes it somewhat more drinkable than some of the fuller-bodied Belgian strong dark ales.

O: This is not the most complex strong dark ale, but it does have an appeal all its own. I particularly appreciated the fact that the honey does not get lost in the mix. This would definitely be one for fans of malty, sweet beers.

Serving type: bottle

10-31-2011 12:10:54 | More by mrfrancis

ritzkiss

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Barbar Bok, 330ml bottle at The Only, no best before, bottle states 8.5%, Belgian strong ale made with 2.5% honey.

Pours quite a dark brown with hints of russet and cherrywood. Finger of khaki head settles into some nice lacing. Nose is dark and malty, hints of fruitbread and spicing, toffee, raisin, molasses, Belgian yeast esters, and an obvious honey sweetness.

Pretty nice beer, lots of toffee and raisin, fruit bread, cocoa powder, honey sweetness and flavor is evident, nice spicing of cloves, molasses, a touch hot but not overly so, smooth and sticky rich with a nice drying finish. Round body, pretty sweet for the style, easy to drink and not overly complex, but hitting the spot on this cool fall day.

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2011 17:43:01 | More by ritzkiss

depechemode1983

Texas

2.95/5  rDev -20.1%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A - Dark mahogany in color. Foamy off white head with good retention. No lacing. Just an ok looking beer.

S Light toasted grains. I'm picking up corn in an American adjunct lager fashion. Faint honey and maple syrup linger in the background. All in all its pretty malt forward but not in a Belgium sense.

T - Sweet. Lots of corn syrup in the taste. Also picking up plums, wheat bread a little vanilla and candy sugars. Not impressed at all. Not horrible though.

M - Medium bodied. Pretty soft mouth feel. It goes down pretty smooth.

O - Not a very good representation of the style. Drinkable but I won't be buying this one again. There are better Belgian Ales out there for the the same price.

Serving type: bottle

08-20-2011 20:17:33 | More by depechemode1983

Beeronious07

Macedonia

4.08/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

bought it at the local Beer shop in 0.33 liter bottle for 3.2 euros and served it at a temperature of 8 Celsius in a 0.33 liters CHIMAY goblet.
best before L06082012

A - definitely the darkest beer i have ever had. the darkest shade of chocolaty color combined with the cloudiness of the beer, don't allows for even a beam of light to show trough. the head was not that big and with again not that big retention rate, but the creaminess was to die for .... and also not that much carbonation

S - u can definitely feel the rich aroma of the honey with some some bitterness in the background. also some hops in the air with an aftershock of alcohol...

T - not that heavy beer to drink even though i expected to bee one, with moderate bitterness that i totally loved.

M - a definite alcohol in the background and the absence of carbonation can definitely be felt.

as i ended my review i can surely guarantee that this beer is too much complicate for me to do my 3rd review of all time on it but again i totally loved it even though i am not that much lover of dark bitter beers.
who know i might do another review on this one in i later time, hopefully from some Belgian pub...

Serving type: bottle

07-30-2011 12:23:37 | More by Beeronious07

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

3.85/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

11.2 ounce bottle - $3.79 at Hop City in Atlanta, Georgia.

Best Before: L20120908.

Appearance: Pours out a dark brown body with a faintly ecru, sea foam-like head.

Smell: Fragrant, floral spices, muted malts, and a bitterish, citrusy splash of triple sec enveloped in some vague sweetish notions of malt and honey and thinned molasses.

Taste: Sweet and somewhat sugary initially, though not particular malty or really honeyish, and more along the lines of an herbal, fruity tea spiked with gourmet dark sugars. The flavor jumps around with each and every sip, giving you a tastes ranging from dried, bitter herbs, to molasses, to dark bread, to squishy over-ripe cherries, to dried orange peel, to RC Cola. Earthy spiciness throughout. Touch of tangy dried berries on the spicy, drying, alcohol warmth-included finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-thin body. Medium-low carbonation.

Overall: Right on, pachyderm. That elephant can sure brew up a pretty decent beer. A reasonably tasty beer that keeps you guessing like a good game of Clue.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2011 20:21:02 | More by ChainGangGuy

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

4.45/5  rDev +20.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Never expected to enjoy this beer as much as I did! This brew pours out as a deep amber color with a half inch cream colored head on it. The aroma of this beer is so sweet and inviting. It's one of those beers I just didn't want to lower from my nose. The taste of the beer has that same rich sweetness and alcohol in there that just warms the inside of your body. The mouthfeel is Silky smooth and very easy to put down. I found this to be a hidden gem of a beer. I would look for this one again any day.

Serving type: on-tap

05-11-2011 23:18:51 | More by Knapp85

DoktorZee

Alberta (Canada)

3.53/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a bottle into a schooner; no obvious best before date.

A - cloudy and light brown; fluffy tan head that doesn't leave much lacing behind.

S - strong sour malt on the nose, not much else.

T - sweet malts totally dominate with plenty of caramel and toffee notes. The sweetness really sticks with this one.

M - quite light with moderate carbonation.

D - initially very drinkable but the sweetness becomes somewhat cloying; would prevent one from having too many.

Decent beer, but one I probably wouldn't have again. Happy to have tried it!

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2011 16:16:18 | More by DoktorZee

djeucalyptus

Oregon

3.53/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

pours a dark dark reddish amber with a fizzy two-finger light brown sugar head that has decent retention, leaving minimal lacing.
aroma is definitely belgian esters, brown sugar, maple, some spice, and a bit of bready yeastiness.
Taste is rich dark malt undertones accentuated by dark fruit, chocolate pudding, spiced rum and caramel. Some hefty Belgian yeast action underlying. Definitely liking it.
Mouth is fair for the style... maybe a hint thin and the ample carbonation doesn't quite jive with the rich darkness. a touch thicker with a smidgen less carbonation and it would be great.
Pretty easy drinking, smooth, without any crazy bitter or astringent nor cloyingly sweet notes. All in all, a solid yet interesting dark ale with decent strength, decent spice profile, and a good bit of depth. definitely worth trying.

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2011 15:38:11 | More by djeucalyptus

biggred1

Indiana

3.53/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Dark, murky brown with a mega-fizzy ecru head that leaves some fine lace on the glass. Burnt sugar, dark druit and Belgian yeast funk in the nose. Mild dark bread, coriander spice and figs with some funky brown banana notes. Medium bodied and highly carbonated. Okay but not my fave.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2011 02:17:14 | More by biggred1

ThaCreep

Belgium

3.05/5  rDev -17.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Smell of grilled honey on the nose but you can feel also the presence of malt and yeast. At the tasting, we identify directly what little taste of honey, honey with which the beer was fermented but the flavor is much further back than in the simple Barbar. Presence of oriental spices enough, enough sour mouth (also liquorice elsewhere) and finish little persistence. A little disappointed because although it remains good, unlike its big sister, honey there is only secondary and that without it, the drink is not much different from a simple dark belgian ale.

Serving type: on-tap

02-12-2011 21:02:50 | More by ThaCreep

metter98

New York

3.45/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A: The beer is jet black in color and has a moderate to high amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a finger high dark beige head that slowly died down but consistently left a thin layer of bubbles covering the surface..
S: There are light aromas of honey and notes of dark fruit in the nose.
T: Flavors of honey are quite evident in the taste, which is mostly sweet. There are some hints of oranges and raisins while spices are evident in the finish. The honey flavors become a little stronger as the beer warms up.
M: It feels light- to medium-bodied on the palate and has a high amount of carbonation.
D: The alcohol is well hidden from the taste but the sweetness of the honey makes this beer slightly cloying.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2011 04:01:18 | More by metter98

spinrsx

Ontario (Canada)

3.68/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

330ml Bottle

Appearance - The beer pours a brown colour with a very large frothy light brown coloured head. I can't see much carbonation due the darkness of the beer and there is some very nice lacing running in stages down the sides of the glass. The head lasted for over 5 minutes before it began to dissipate.

Smell - malts, grape juice, plums, all spice

Taste & Mouth - The beer has an average amount of carbonation and it comes across as very sweet and slightly syrupy. I can taste malts mixed with red grape juice and a honey sweetness. There are also notes of plums and all spice. The beer finishes with a sweet grape juice aftertaste.

Drink - The beer has a little bit too much grape juice flavour, but it's still decent. The alcohol is well hidden and it was definitely worth trying.

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2011 17:56:18 | More by spinrsx