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

GRG1313

California

2.05/5  rDev -44.4%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Amber/orange with short white head. Candidly a rather unimpressive effort. A very light and "soda poppy" drink, although there are hints of honey and spice, coriander and orange peel - all very mild and a bit too subtle for my taste. Very light bodied with the carbonation being the primary "standout." Nothing special here; almost like a "light beer" of winter ales. Just my experience....

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2009 07:46:06 | More by GRG1313

PapaEugene

Netherlands

2.23/5  rDev -39.6%
look: 4 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 1

This should be one of the highlights one the last bock beer tasting evening with rvdoorn.

A: A darkbrown/amber color, with a lightbrown head that didn't last long.

S: Am I crazy or do I really smell washing powder... There's a good dose of floral hops and honey.

T: Floral honey upfront and a orange flavor which tastes chemical to me. Some spices.

M: Medium-low carbonation and a medium body

D: I hate beers that taste chemically modified. Often the chemicals bring the beer out of balance. The washing powder perfume association makes me never to drink this beer ever.

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2009 19:07:30 | More by PapaEugene

roblowther

Texas

2.35/5  rDev -36.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

Black color, soap-sudsy off-white head. Smell is sweet and earthy with a peppery note. The taste is very sweet, followed by nutmeg and wassal flavors and a licorice aftertaste. Doesn't meld well together, really. The mouthfeel is thin & oily. Drinkability is not good really. I had hopes for this but not so much any more. I keep burping up anise & phenols. :(

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2007 02:25:21 | More by roblowther

sleephowl

Wisconsin

2.6/5  rDev -29.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

A- Pours a dark mahogany color with an inch head that recedes slowly. Decent lacing on glass with slow retreat.

S- Grainy malt with subtle honey scent. Distinct belgian yeast aroma as well.

T- Was disappointed with the overall taste. While the honey is present there is a barely distinguishable taste of orange peel and coriander. A sense of pure alcohol is present on the tongue which is not very appealing to my taste.

M- A medium body and carbonation beer with a creamy feel.

D- I was very intrigued to try this beer. A winter bok with honey coriander and orange peel sounded delicious to me. While it was a unique tasting experience, I will not be trying another Winter Bok by Brasserie Lefebvre. Exceptional ingredients that just did not work well with this go around.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2009 22:36:14 | More by sleephowl

putnam

Michigan

2.65/5  rDev -28.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

I was taken in by the artwork that reminded me of the Baladin products from Italy. Doh!

Cola-colored with a spotty display of coffee and cream-colored bubbles.
On the nose it is intense with loads of sweet vanilla, root beer and caramelized banana. On the palate it is racy and jointed with separate impressions of sweet syrup, sweetened coffee, roasted, candied grains and pepsi.
Utterly unsophisticated and meaninglessly sweet. Why not drink a rum and coke?

Serving type: bottle

08-22-2004 19:14:30 | More by putnam

rvdoorn

Netherlands

2.78/5  rDev -24.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

The winterbok from the brewery that recently stole my heart with their nice honey Beers. Shared this bottle with PapaEugene. I really expected a lot of this one....
Poured into a sniffer. The beer pours a dark-brown-amber color, with a short lasting light-brown head that disappeared into a random lacing.

Smell: Extremely strong floral honey which changes into washing powder smell when smelling long and deep.... Some other sweet liquor like smell (Curacao) with some very vague hints of orange.

Taste: Again, very sweet and strong floral honey with very clear orange as well. Again liquor like, with a strong alcohol and coriander in the bitter aftertaste.

Mouthfeel: Medium-low carbonation with medium body

Overall: The smell and taste are way too sweet, and way too artificial. Completety out of balance! I really expected more from this brew. I stay with the regular barbar beers!

Serving type: bottle

10-14-2009 13:36:13 | More by rvdoorn

BlackHaddock

United Kingdom (England)

2.85/5  rDev -22.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

The fourth and final Belgian Honey Beer is an evening of Belgian Honey Beers: Flip-top 330ml brown bottle, poured into a Hoegaarden Grand Cru stemmed tulip glass.

Reddy-brown body, dark, but clear when held up to the light. A weak tan coloured head tried to sit on top for a while.

Heavy malt molasses in the aroma, with honey undertones.

The taste was of really sweet malty molasses, again with that undertone of a honey presence.

I found the beer both strange and too sweet. I generally like the sweeter brews, but this was over the top for me, almost sicky sweet towards the end of the mouthfeel.

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2010 19:07:03 | More by BlackHaddock

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

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

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

Todd

Massachusetts

3.08/5  rDev -16.5%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Notes from the 2002 Kerstbierfestival, Essen, Belgium.

Black beer, thin off-white lace. Herbal, black currant aroma with some liquorice. Lightly carbonated with a coarse mouthfeel. Fruity, a bit juicy, dry, chocolate, caramel and notes of raw honey. Prickly herbal spice with a bitter finish that's dry and leafy ... thin, too.

Not too impressed by this offering ...

Serving type: bottle

02-23-2003 12:50:48 | More by Todd

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

dtivp

West Virginia

3.18/5  rDev -13.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured a dark amber , a little hazy with a big tan head that quickly dissipates into a small head with no lacing.

Dark fruit aroma with some sweet malt.

First tasted sweet dark fruit, plum and cherry then it finished with a slight hop bitterness.

Highly carbonated and a moderate body.

This beer has a little too much carbonation for me. It is an OK beer not my purchase list.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2010 02:37:44 | More by dtivp

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

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

Popsinc

Ontario (Canada)

3.35/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

A rich black pour with a medium off-white head. The nose is very sweet with hints of brown sugar, honey & molasses. The taste as well is awfully sweet. Decent spiceiness. Black licorice & light chocolate notes. Too sweet for my liking. lacking in many other good qualities. A nice lively mouthfeel but the finish is too sweet and high in alcohol. While the alcohol warmth could be nice, this beer needs to be mellowed out and more subtle with it suagry sweetness.

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2003 16:05:19 | More by Popsinc

colts9016

Idaho

3.35/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pour:Dark Brown with a two finger head, with Belgium lacing.
Nose: Wheat: toasted malt, citrus, spice and hint of sweetness. and fruit
Taste: Nutty, toasted and roasted malts, orange and coriander with honey tones. The hops is barely there>
Body: Thick
Overall: A Very interesting beer with heavy tones of honey and orange and a good malt complex. It is an okay beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2008 22:06:40 | More by colts9016

chaz410

North Carolina

3.35/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Got this bottle from Pizza Peel in Charlotte NC.

Pours a very dark reddish brown body with small lumpy caramel colored head.

Smells very sweet and fruity with tart and sour raisens intertwined. Wheat notes come through with honey and some citris notes as well.

The taste is best described as imagening a dopplebock infused with corriander, honey and dried raisens. Very sweet but still holds that roasted lager essence that defines the bock style. Dry mild hop finish. Hop character is typical of Bock style beers.

Mouthfeel is round, smooth and thick. THis is the most "wintery" part of this beer experience.

Drinkability is good because of all the nice sweet flavors. It's more accessible to more people then most dopplebocks. It would probably age well too.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2009 02:05:25 | More by chaz410

scottoale

California

3.35/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

330ml. small skinny brown bottle with a Best before: L20100901 10:57...whenever that is? Tribal looking labels depicting ?, adorn the bottle. It pours out a dark mahogany brown with a small light tan foamy head. Not much in head retention and less in the lace dept.

Fairly sweet and fruity to the nose, some spice and that's about it. Fig, dates and honey comprise the fruitiness. Belgian yeast and sugar contributes the rest.

The taste is pretty much the same as the nose with little malty aspect, some definite spice and only just, some hop bitterness. The alcohol doesn't come out in the nose or the taste really. I'd think of it as a Belgian (notso) Strong Dark Ale, with emphisis on the Belgian. The body is medium with a lack of smooth and some fluff to the mouthfeel, but it's trying pretty hard to deliver. Easy enough to drink and worth a try as are most Belgians in my book, the price is not to bad for this one as well...give it a go.

Serving type: bottle

10-19-2009 08:07:44 | More by scottoale

paterlodie

Belgium

3.4/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

No expire date but knowing the store a product from this winter.
Pours in fine with graet head that stays ok and has a yellow/white color. Beercolor is almost black but with deepred shine.
Smell is flowers, honey, koreander and sweet. More or less the opposite of what you expect for a darkbeer.
Taste is very fruity, litle malty, sweet, honey and tasting somehow parfumed. Hardly any roast and in my eyes far too sweet and fruity for a black beer like that. One that if you like honey you will fully enjoy& a good brew but not my taste.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2005 19:01:03 | More by paterlodie

texashammer

Texas

3.4/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

served in a smallish, fat, logo mug on draft. dark brown/orange with good, thick head that sticks around. smells of rich caramel and alcohol, with Belgian yeast. on the palate: burnt fruit, rich, some booze. medium full body, good but not terribly exciting.

Serving type: on-tap

02-09-2006 13:10:57 | More by texashammer

ernie

Russian Federation

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

Dark brown liquid, majestic creamy head, carbonation low, bubbles big.

Smell honeyish, spicy, with a note of roasted malts.

Start sweetish, body full, spices and honey very well present in the general taste. Finish herbal, spicey with a hint of hops (finally!).

Not your everyday beer, but an interesting one. Worth a try.

Serving type: on-tap

06-17-2006 16:24:18 | More by ernie

natelocc787

California

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

Dark cherry body with a cola colored cap. Funny thing is, it fizzes and disappears faster than a cola head. Only light traces of lace are left but this beer shines in other areas. The nose offers dark cherries and plums and a chocolate soda aroma as well. The taste is all dark fruits and spice. Lots of dark ripe cherry, plum, caramelized brown sugar, candied pecans and ground coriander. Very tasty, the score could have been bumped with a better mouthfeel. Had a belgian feel to it, a little syrupy even though it was well carbonated it could have been fluffier and creamier. Not the most impressive BSDA I've had but definitely worthy. I wouldn't mind having this again, it was nice to switch from the many American Holiday brews I've had lately and try a Belgians take on the style.

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2009 02:49:17 | More by natelocc787

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

pootz

Ontario (Canada)

3.45/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

I think this was mislabled as a "bok" beer but it seems like a belgian strong with honey or a barley wine.

Came in a date coded "33 centiliter" (11.5 Imp.oz.) euro long neck crown capped.

The pour was a disaster for my first one as I was not expecting a lees type beer (Maybe it says so in one of the 4 languages on the lable) and I poured in all the "chunks" of the lees making the first glass quite muddied. The second one I decanted and it was much better.

Poured a very dark opaque cola-mahogany with a chunky off white head that stayed for a while then reduced to a light tan lace. Lots of cabonation in the glass.

Aromas of berries, licorice, spice...Very pronounced and pleasing.

Started sharp (cabonation) but built to a large prickely, large mouth feel punctuated by licorice tastes and a honey-malty sweeteness that outstrippped the hopping. Finished with a malty sweet fruity taste and a slight hop and honey after taste....then that great "warming" effect.

A belgian strong beer with lot's of character but not to my personal tastes. I don't like overly murky beers (unless a weissbeir) and the chunky lees on the glass bottom really turned me off. It's also a tad sweet for me.

Try this winter bok along with some pecans and brie in front of a warm fire on a cold January night. That seems to be it's niche because it isn't made for sessions, quaffing or thrist busting.

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2004 02:55:15 | More by pootz