Lucifer - Brouwerij Het Anker

alysmith4

District of Columbia

3.58/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Hmm.. interesting beer. Also had this on-tap at The Black Squirrel. Was not what I was expecting. The appearace was average, smell was fresh and light. Taste was very yeasty. I couldn't tell what it was at first, it was kind of an "off" flavor. I also tasted a lot of sugar and bananas. The beer was good, but very.. thin if that makes any sense. I kept waiting for more, but it just didn't deliver. There are so many other beers in this style that are available, so I wouldn't waste your time with this one.

Serving type: on-tap

03-05-2010 17:59:30 | More by alysmith4

Thehuntmaster

South Africa

4.06/5  rDev +6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

330ml bottle 8,0% Abv.
Served lightly chilled in an over sized wine glass.
Best Before: 21/06/2015

Appearance: Lucifer pours a lightly hazed golden orange, with a gentle pour yielding a massive white head. The head lasts reasonably well and leaves some nice patchy lacing as it recedes.

Smell: Wow, this smells quite a lot better than I expected. The standard pale fruits (apple, banana and pear), Belgian spicing (clove and a touch of white pepper) and bready malts combine with a very interesting sweet citrus character. As the beer begins to warm the citrus character increases and the faintest hint of hops becomes apparent.

Taste: As with the nose, the flavor is better than I expected and offers a great combination of fruity and spicy characters. Notes include: Bready malt, some banana, a little citrus zest, pear, green apple, coriander, clove and a little pepper. The finish is lightly dry and the 8% is very well hidden.

Mouthfeel: Based on the size of the head, I was expecting the carbonation to be way too much for my tastes; happily however this is not the case. Of course there is a high level of carbonation (as in all BSPA), but it is smooth enough to aid drinkability rather than hinder it. The body is a solid medium.

Overall: BSPAs are not my favorite style, but Lucifer is a really solid example and one I would quite like to have again.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2013 16:20:16 | More by Thehuntmaster

4000qtrap

Missouri

3.75/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.75

Source/Serving: 22oz bottle

S: Pear with a musty, cidery edge. Rich, warm yellow fruit notes. Moderate pepper and spicy near-ginger along with bubblegum which is a defining characteristic. Earthy, organic, fruity and spicy all popped into a blender. Quite solventy as it warms even a little.

T: Warm, rich, deep yellow fruit. Whereas a lot of trippels are chartreuse, this is citrine. The heaviness of the body is also immediately noticeable, even though its heavily carbonated. Malt forward - especially for the style - with yellow cake, wonderbread, and straw leading the charge, but also quite earthy and downbeat. Notes of grass, honeysuckle, ginger, lemon verbena. Somewhat sweet and a pinch tart lemon. Bitterness is there but faint with a lemon pith character. Alcohol is not well hidden but is smooth and adds to the experience. Very impressive head that doesn't last. Finish is clean with a return of the pear from the nose, slightly dry/tart notes but sweetness sticks to your lips, with a minty-fresh feeling.

Notes: Good trippel with a lot going on. However, not as good from the bottle as I recall having it on draft, which was amazing.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2013 02:13:18 | More by 4000qtrap

ajtorres311

Florida

2.5/5  rDev -34.7%

05-15-2013 16:33:56 | More by ajtorres311

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -2.1%

05-15-2013 13:59:29 | More by Slatetank

Fatehunter

Oregon

3.56/5  rDev -7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.25

Poured two fingers of head on a cloudy, medium straw colored body.
The aroma was of dry grain and alcohol. Not great.
The nice was mild apple and pear with a mild bitterness. Smooth and mellow.
The texture was crisp with moderate carbonation.
An easy drinking beer, by no means the best or worst.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2013 03:57:36 | More by Fatehunter

Stugotzo

Florida

4/5  rDev +4.4%

05-12-2013 16:21:45 | More by Stugotzo

Mendicant

Australia

4/5  rDev +4.4%

05-11-2013 11:31:33 | More by Mendicant

twenty5

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -21.7%

05-10-2013 16:05:32 | More by twenty5

MightiestBeard

Florida

4.25/5  rDev +11%

05-09-2013 01:13:34 | More by MightiestBeard

beernads

Florida

3/5  rDev -21.7%

05-08-2013 07:48:34 | More by beernads

Hopswagger

Oklahoma

3.73/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

P: Crystal clear golden yellow with a swampy white head that swirls around the edge of the glass.

S: Tropical fruits, cinnamon and bubblegum.

T/M: Cinnamon candy, bubblegum, coriander, tropical fruit, hints of bitter green bananas. Spice profile is aggressive and compliments the fruit well. Zesty vivacious body in a moderate body. Finish is wet but progressively dry and lingers fruit (guava and orange peel) sprinkled with ground pippali pepper.

O: A solid beer that delivers complexity and a great super clean spiced profile. It's easy drinking for an 8% beer. I would recommend this and would drink it again for sure.

Serving type: on-tap

05-05-2013 00:40:30 | More by Hopswagger

DrDemento456

Pennsylvania

3.96/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Paid $5.99 for a can of this shipped to my door with Halftime beverage.

A - A touch hazy for a pale ale but still a very solid bright yellow, to me looks like a Hefeweizen. Head is an impressive 1/2 inch that seems to stick around for a while.
S - Really fruity yeasts and malts. Strong pineapple and Guava fruit with a slight hop bite in the nose.
T - It's hoppy which is nice but that edge seems to cover up the predominant flavors of the Belgium yeast not being as fruity as I expected. Finish has a bit of peppery spice and it seems tasty enough.
M - Very well hidden ABV. To me it drinks like a pale ale around 5%.

Overall defiantly not worth 6 dollars a can but totally smooth and worth checking out just on the allure of the name. A very balanced Belgium pale ale.

Serving type: can

05-02-2013 02:42:37 | More by DrDemento456

-ronin-

Florida

4.25/5  rDev +11%

04-28-2013 13:48:21 | More by -ronin-

JMS1512

New Jersey

3.25/5  rDev -15.1%

04-25-2013 23:45:34 | More by JMS1512

Jason1337

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +11%

04-24-2013 16:08:11 | More by Jason1337

Agent1

Alberta (Canada)

3.96/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Appearance – Great lacing. Pours a cloudy yellow gold. Quite striking. Bright white head and it lingers at the top for a while. Not the best head retention, as it fades rather quickly. Nice color. Does not seem super active in the glass.

Smell – Dry hops with a strong scent of coriander that dominates. Vanilla is quite strong on the nose. Slightly bready with subtle cloves. Banana esters. A strong use of floral hops. Lemon zest.

Taste – Honey, plenty of coriander and citrus peel. A nice, natural orange undertone. Vanilla, star anise, banana leaf, Saaz floral notes, perhaps clove, with a crisp, clean pilsner malt and plenty of coriander. Fairly complex and a great blend of flavor. Smooth and bright.

Mouthfeel – Not carbonated enough. It sits a little flat on the tongue. More carbonation would really give this beer more zap and help to make it seem more refreshing and tangy. Given the style, it could really benefit from this (maybe an off bottle?)

Overall – This really is not that far off from Gouden Carolus' Tripel. I'm actually quite shocked at how similar they are, given that this recipe did not originate from the Het Anker brewery. In fact, the only noticeable differences are:

1) This beer is not filtered to be clear like the Gouden Tripel.

2) Not nearly as carbonated, and therefore, a less interesting mouthfeel.

A solid Belgian Pale Ale, but too similar to the Gouden Carolus Tripel to make a lasting impression. That being said, I would buy this again. It fits the style and borrows most of Gouden's signature ingredients.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2013 03:47:19 | More by Agent1

IpeeA

Missouri

3.75/5  rDev -2.1%

04-19-2013 05:42:14 | More by IpeeA

Lob

North Carolina

4.25/5  rDev +11%

04-14-2013 03:34:09 | More by Lob

Kahlerbock

Kansas

3.75/5  rDev -2.1%

04-13-2013 05:23:27 | More by Kahlerbock

j-rod18

North Dakota

4.5/5  rDev +17.5%

04-12-2013 21:16:51 | More by j-rod18

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

4.18/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.75

Ah, the pleasure(s) of The CANQuest (TM)! I was visiting the Foodery (N. Liberties) in PHL (where else?) when I spotted this gem in the cooler. I moved a little too slowly to be the first to review it from a CAN, but this is a real serving type for this beer.

From the CAN: "Classic Belgian Ale"; "A fiery specialty from Belgium, Lucifer is a gold-yellow ale with a delicate bitterness, fruity aroma and complex finish."; "Brewed by Het Anker 'Brewers of Gouden Carolus'".

The Crack had a nice snap to it and I once again employed the Inverted Glug to create more than two fingers of dense, foamy, bone-white head with great retention. "Fruity aroma"?!? It smelled like somebody was chewing an entire pack of Juicyfruit gum! Color was a slightly-hazy sunshine-yellow. I leaned in for a better sniff and caught not only mixed fruit, but also a yeasty mustiness. Oh my! Mouthfeel was soft, caressing on the tongue with a very fruity flavor in the mouth. "Delicate bitterness"? Too delicate to register on my palate, apparently, but I am not usually drinking this style for its associated IBUs. Finish was semi-dry with the yeast causing a dryness in my throat on the extreme finish. This is most impressive in a CAN and while I would not want a whole bunch, it would probably play pretty big among both initiates and those in the know if if I brought some in a cooler.

Serving type: can

04-07-2013 19:31:47 | More by woodychandler

n2185

North Carolina

3.79/5  rDev -1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75

Poured from one of the new Lucifer cans! Hopefully more Belgian breweries will take up canning.

A: Pours a hazy yellow with three fingers of frothy white head that fades into a dense cap with good lacing.

S: Belgian spices and candy sugar here with light fruit aromas reminiscent of white grapes and pears. There are some slight bready aromas toward the finish.

T: Belgian spices and yeast are a bit more present here with the candy sugar and sweet fruits in the background. The finish tastes of hearty breads.

M: Medium-light body with medium carbonation, this beer isn't quite watery but could definitely use a bit more bite from the carbonation to make it crisp and drinkable.

O: A good BSPA overall. It's nice to see this beer in cans now as well. It doesn't have the depth or drinkability of its fellow demon-themed BSPA Duvel, but is still enjoyable.

Serving type: can

04-06-2013 01:25:59 | More by n2185

newton99

Belgium

3.08/5  rDev -19.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3

750mL bottle (no dates or codes) into a tulip. Pours a pale yellow w/ an enormous creamy bright head. Sticky chunks of lacing cling to the glass. Light carbonation.

Aroma is floral, spicy w/ a mild lemony zing. Just a subtle hint of musty yeast.

Taste is clean pale malt, yeast, and hops. A delicate balance of basic flavors. Water is a key ingredient too. Very slight candi sugar sweetness, increasing as it warms.

Mouthfeel is smooth, semi-dry.

Overall a light, clean, drinkable Belgian pale.

Serving type: bottle

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2013 09:54:39 | More by newton99

Sparky44

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -2.1%

04-04-2013 01:29:15 | More by Sparky44