Cuvée Van De Keizer Blauw (Blue) - Brouwerij Het Anker

superspak

Michigan

4.28/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

2007 vintage 750 ml into tulip glass, bottled 3/28/2007. Pours cloudy reddish brown color with a small 1 finger khaki head with decent retention that reduces to a thin ring of lace. No glass lacing, this did not pop upon opening. Aromas of huge raisin, prune, molasses, banana, clove, caramel, biscuit, toast, herbal, apple, pepper, earth, and yeast spices. Damn nice and highly complex aromas with good strength and balance. Taste of big raisin, prune, apple, caramel, banana, clove, toffee, molasses, herbal, biscuit, toast, earth, pepper, and yeast spices. Lingering notes of raisin, molasses, caramel, banana, clove, herbal, earth, toffee, toast, biscuit, and apple on the finish for a good bit of time. Light-medium carbonation and fairly full bodied; with a creamy and slick mouthfeel that is nice, with just enough carbonation to not make it difficult. Alcohol is extremely well hidden with only a small warming noticed after the finish; but it is still definitely a sipper. Overall this is a fantastic Belgian strong dark ale! Despite the lacking carbonation, this still turned out very complex with a nice smooth mouthfeel. Delicious stuff, and extremely enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

06-20-2012 01:34:56 | More by superspak

draheim

Washington

4.53/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

750mL (2010) into a chalice. Pours a crystal-clear mahogany w/ a thin head that subsides to a film sustained by vigorous carb. Nice sticky lace clings to the glass.

Aroma is sweet dark fruits - prunes, raisins, figs - and bready yeast/malt. Like most Het Anker beers, there's a prominent fruity candi sugar presence. Smells so clean.

Taste follows nose. Sugary sweet, w/ lots of fermented dark fruits and bready malt. Fruity and light. 11% alcohol expertly concealed. So smooth and drinkable for a high-ABV beer.

Mouthfeel is where this one really shines. Velvety smooth, carbonation and body are just right. Finishes super clean and dry.

Overall this is exactly what I was hoping it would be. So glad I took other BAs' advice over the year and picked up a few bottles from each vintage: 2010, 2011, and 2012. Will continue to do so as long as they keep making it.

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2012 03:45:28 | More by draheim

tbeckett

Ontario (Canada)

4.68/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Bottle from Slowbeer. From notes.

A - Poured bright with a deep red colour. Strong carbonation and a two finger, creamy head of a beige persuasion. Great lace rings and great retention.

S - Tons of dark fruit. Plum, raisin, etc. Really lovely. maybe a hint of spice and a touch of booze but really dark fruit dominated.

T - Sweet fruits, lot's of dark fruit again, some yeast ester, mild sugar, dates, and a touch of booze. A beautiful flavour combo. A bit of light spice was there too and the alcohol was so mild that is was complimentary. Lovely.

M - Mild carbonation, medium to full creamy body, slightly sweet/fruit finish. So smooth.

O/D - Absolutely delicious. A great example of a dark Belgian beer. Flavourful and so balanced. Easy to drink but so worth savouring. Probably one of the best beers I've ever had.

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2012 00:28:50 | More by tbeckett

flagmantho

Washington

4.38/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from 750mL bottle into a tulip. This is the 2012 vintage.

Appearance: very dark brown/amber hue which shines a beautiful ruby when held up to the light. There's a nicely active effervescence, and head is a thick finger of pillowy ivory foam. Nice.

Smell: nice mixture of sweet caramel and dusty dark fruits. Cherry, plum and raisin are evident. I like it.

Taste: huge, rich flavor with a much greater intensity than the aroma. Caramel sweetness provides a backdrop for more of the same fruits as in the aroma, but everything is brighter and bigger. Alcohol bite and fruitiness contribute a lot to the flavor. Toward the end, the flavor rounds out with a light breadiness. I love it!

Mouthfeel: medium-thick body with a big carbonation and a big, thick creaminess. Love it.

Overall: what a delicious beer. I was worried from the low-key smell that this beer would not be as wonderful as I'd hoped, but in the end it's delicious and drinkable despite its huge ABV. Wonderful stuff.

Serving type: bottle

06-01-2012 15:02:17 | More by flagmantho

BostonHops

Massachusetts

4.45/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

750ml corked and caged bottle served in an oversized wineglass. 2008 vintage.

pours an opaque deep mahogany tone with ruddy highlights. finger plus of a creamy khaki colored head; decent retention and nice walls of lacing. solid looking BSDA.

the nose is robust and malty sweet, replete with dark fruits (notably cherry and raisin), belgian yeast, brown sugar, and maybe a touch of molasses. pretty much what i look for in my belgian strong darks. flavor closely follows the aroma, opening with a strong cherry presence and followed in short order by spice and other dark fruits (plum, raisin, fig), and molasses, along with generous helpings of caramel and brown sugar. complex and nicely balanced; definitely on the sweet side but not overly so. bit of warming alcohol to the finish, though other than that the 11% ABV is very well-hidden. tasty, tasty.

full bodied mouthfeel with a bit of chew to it; adequate carbonation. very drinkable and a nice surprise as i knew very little about this one when i picked it up. nothing like going in without expectations and being very pleasantly surprised. exceptional belgian strong dark ale.

originally reviewed: 11-15-2010

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2012 20:54:52 | More by BostonHops

Alieniloquium

Florida

3.43/5  rDev -20.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

750 mL bottle poured into an Allagash chalice. 2011 vintage.

Appearance - Pours a deep mahogany with a nice khaki head. Decent retention and some lacing. Looks quite nice.

Smell - Bananas, cherries, strawberries, and just a hint of caramel. Excessively fruity, but it's nice. Looking for a bit more depth from it.

Taste - Wow, it's sweet and extremely fruity. Tons of banana and cherry. Again, not much depth to the caramel, but it's got a tremendous amount of sugar in it. Sweet and boozy in the finish.

Mouthfeel - Creamy and thick. Boozy with medium-low carbonation. The sweetness makes it quite sluggish.

Overall - It's got good flavors but so much sweetness and booze that it's not quite a good beer. Above average at best. I'm surprised by the reviews. Perhaps this needs time to mellow.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2012 02:36:16 | More by Alieniloquium

nickfl

Florida

3.65/5  rDev -15.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Pours with one finger of light tan foam on top of a dark brown body with good clarity. The head settles slowly and leaves nice lace.

S - Dark, malty notes of brown sugar and caramel with some plum, dark cherry and cola notes.

T - Dark brown sugar up front with lots of malt sweetness. Some spicy notes of coriander, cinnamon, and caramel dipped red apple. Finishes with more brown sugar, clove, and cinnamon.

M - Medium-thick body, moderate carbonation, and a sweet finish.

D - Dense, sugary malt with lots of yeast character but an excessively sweet finish. Oddly cloying for a beer that I remember being much dryer and more balanced the last time I had it. Not a drain pour but a bit of a disappointment.

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2012 02:40:40 | More by nickfl

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

4.33/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

First had: on tap at Iron Abbey, Horsham, PA

Damn tasty beer right here. Dark chestnut brown in color, mostly translucent, with a small off-white head that receded to a tiny ringlet, but still left a bit of lacing on the glass. Aroma rich with honey and dark fruits. Taste is dominated by rich sugars--honey and molasses, mainly--and prunes, afterthoughts of bready yeast, raisins, cotton candy, earthy hops. Full of flavor, heavy-medium body, and quite a pleasant drink overall. Cheers!

Serving type: on-tap

04-06-2012 12:47:01 | More by Rifugium

Holland

Pennsylvania

4.18/5  rDev -3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: pours dark brown but clear with a huge tan head that quickly dissipates to leave a thin layer of foam and nicely sticky head.

S: cloves, earthiness, sweet malt, and apple. Maybe some tobacco in there.

T: huge taste with spicy yeast up front, then fruitiness and sweet malt followed by a slight crisp bitter taste at the end along with more malt. It's fairly sweet.

M: medium-heavy body with very good carbonation that pops once in your mouth. The carbonation hides the sweetness well for a while.

O: very good beer, but tough to drink half of the bomber. I'd grab it again some time, even at $8 per bottle or whatever it was. The sweetness I got from this 2011 version kept this beer from being absolutely fantastic.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2012 00:43:56 | More by Holland

dbrauneis

New Jersey

4.38/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

2011 Vintage

A: Pours a clear dark amber to brown in color with a half finger tall beige head. The head reduces to some extremely thin patches and a slightly thicker ring at the edges of the glass. Moderate lacing is observed.

S: A very sweet yet inviting aroma to this beer with some sweet malts as well as lots of dark fruits (fig) and just a hint of spice.

T: Dark toasted/charred and sweet malts including some bready and caramel notes as well, followed by some serious amounts of dark fruits (primarily figs), and just a hint of the yeast spices in the finish. There is also a light hint of oak or wood.

M: Medium to full bodied with moderate to high amounts of carbonation. Very creamy.

O: Very enjoyable, the taste and the smell of the alcohol are very well hidden. A really great beer though I would recommend more sipping (considering the ABV) than as a session beer. I will get this one again.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2012 20:56:03 | More by dbrauneis

Cozzatoad

Italy

4.48/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

750ml bottle, 2010 vintage

A- Dark brown with reddish hints if seen through light. One finger or even slightly less off-white head. Quite dense though, and it shows nice retention, leaving a good amount of lacing on the glass

S- Delicate but rich nose. Dark malts with notes of chocolate and brown sugar. Sugary and alcohol notes blend together nicely, giving the aroma a bit of a rum-like feeling. Background notes of oak and dark fruits (cherry, raisin)

T- Follows the aroma closely. Malts are quite dense, with chocolate, caramel and bready notes. Yeast/sugars definitely play an important role and the beer's overall feel is sure on the sweet side, though always in balance. A slight oaky/woody aged feel, expecially on the back of the mouth and in the aftertaste, with a slight touch of herbal/earthy hops. Dark fruit notes as the smell suggested, with cherry pretty much in evidence. Very complex and yet perfectly balanced

M- Medium to full body, light and very soft carbonation. A persistent soft, creamy mouthfeel on both tongue and palate, allowing flavours to spread throughout the whole mouth

O- 11%ABV? This look like 7-8%ABV, showing amazing balance and drinkabilty. Still it is highly complex and satisfyingly rich. An awesome beer

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2012 10:47:40 | More by Cozzatoad

Reagan1984

Massachusetts

4.1/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to Thorpe429 for providing this beer in a trade. Also a tip of the cap to ML67 (Mark) for giving me a heads up that it was so good. Was placed on my Want list and Thorpe came through.

A thin finger of beige head vanishes fairly quickly. A dirty brownish color. No lace to speak of.

Aroma is nice and rich. Date/Fig.. Dark fruit with a big sweet sense.

Flavor is very nice. A touch of spice below the flavors I mention above. Date and fig is what I think of with this one. A little dark rum flavor here with the dark sweetness mixing with the abv.

Smooth, fairly bold in body. Nice.

A very good beer. One I would enjoy again.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2012 21:17:17 | More by Reagan1984

kawilliams81

Illinois

4.33/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a Bell's tulip from a cage n corked bottle.
2005 on the neck of the bottle.

A- Pours a dark amber with a 1 finger light tan head. Minimal lacing.

S- Lots of dark fruits and toasted malts, spices, and has a champagne-like smell to it (champagne yeast?).

T- Sweet toasted malts and lots of dark fruits, spices, bread, belgian yeast.

M- Full body with high carbonation, again possibly from a champagne yeast. ABV is there but not hot at all.

O- Very good Belgian strong dark ale! Like the sweet dark fruits and flavors from the yeast as well.

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2012 21:15:16 | More by kawilliams81

jrenihan

Ontario (Canada)

4.7/5  rDev +9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

2010 Vintage.

Beer is dark brown with hints of red. Moderately-sized tan head. Decent retention.

Nose is quite malty, somewhat bready. Dark fruit as well, cherry most prominently, fig and prune as well. A wood scent as well.

Taste is excellent. Dark fruit is prominent: cherry, raisin and plum mainly. The fruit is balanced very nicely by the bready malt flavours. Belgian yeast is noticeable. An oak flavour permeates the whole beer and works very well. All of the flavours are perfectly integrated and balanced. Sweet but not overly so. Great.

Full bodied, low carbonation level. A bit sticky. Very nice.

Overall, an excellent beer. No disappointment here. This is a wonderful beer and one of the best BSDAs I have had.

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2012 19:44:32 | More by jrenihan

SLeffler27

New York

4.38/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours dark brown walnut with ruby red highlights while a slight, beige head produces little lace.

Has the full, rich aroma one would expect with spice and dark fruits. Rather sweet with plums, fresh figs, and brandy. Caramelized sugar continues to develop with warmth.

A mélange of dark fruits and spices just as the nose had suggested. This one is rich and complex and could easily be considered a benchmark for the style. The balance is slightly to the sweet side but still well in check. A lingering finish. Warms amazing well.

Full body with modest carbonation and syrupy texture. Alcohol is present but a minor player.

Perfect for contemplation of memories or reading as one sips. Enjoyed this in a tulip glass, as that is what was available, however, I would have preferred a chalice or snifter.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2012 11:47:40 | More by SLeffler27

Pauly2X

Wisconsin

4.68/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

A- Clear deep ruby/mahogany with a frothy finger head.

S- Caramelly rum and raisins, very rich without being obnoxious. Faint notes of alcohol exsist as well, no hop aroma to speak of.

T- Sweet rich caramelly malt abounds, though not simple. Elegantly complex without being "busy". Rum, raisins, toffee are all here complimenting each other in near harmonius perfection. The alcohol note with it's assertive dryness is all that serves to keep this beer from being cloying. It serves as a most welcome finish to this beer.

M- Carbonation is quite evident yet very much needed to lighten up this otherwise sryupy beer.

O- Pure decadence from start to finish. A must try for any belgian fan. Also a great beer to have in the cellar for an impromtu celebration. So stop reading the reviews and just get some already.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2012 13:49:05 | More by Pauly2X

Jeffo

Netherlands

4.38/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Got this one at Bert's Bierhuis in Utrecht.

From a 75cl bottle into a chalice
Vintage: 2011

APPEARANCE: A careful pour yields a 2 finger, medium looking, off-white head with great retention. Rosewood red or seal brown in color with very little carbonation evident. Head fades very slowly and eventually settles into a thick foam cap that clings to the sides of the glass. A good foam cap remains until the end and leaves some good lacing down the glass. Good looking brew.

SMELL: A big, enticing nose on this one. Dark and caramel malts with lots of fruits and spicy yeast notes. Plumbs, dates, grapes and some red cherries in there. Some sweet brown sugar and spicy yeast notes with pepper, coriander and even oregano is worked in there really well. Great stuff.

TASTE: Caramel and toffee sweetness up front with lots of fruits and spices. Raisins, dates and plumbs, with a noticeable dose of red cherries again, brown sugary sweetness, moving into a spicy yeast finish. Coriander, pepper and oregano make an appearance once more, as well as some light, bitter dark chocolate that tries to balance out the fruity and sugary sweetness. Aftertaste is bold and lingers nicely on the palate. Really enjoyable, and just a touch more bitterness after the swallow would give it the perfect score it otherwise deserves.

PALATE: Medium body and medium, soft carbonation. Creamy on the palate, lighter as well, goes down smooth and finishes slightly dry. A bit of a bite at the swallow and some heat lingers. Perhaps a little more weight in the feel would have given the support to push the flavors over the edge.

OVERALL: Really flavorful and enjoyable, but could have used a touch more bitterness after the swallow. A slightly heavier feel would have added a touch as well. Still, these are minor points, as this is a world-class brew for sure and I’m not surprised it gets such high scores on this site. Worth drinking lots of, and worth tracking down if it isn’t distributed to your area, especially if you’re a fan of the style. Highly recommended.

Serving type: bottle

02-13-2012 15:05:01 | More by Jeffo

SkiBum22

New York

4.43/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - It pours a purple brown opaque color with excellent lacing and a 2 finger head that hung around for a while.

S - Raisons, figs, brown sugar, green apples.

T - The taste follows the nose. This is a very sweet beer. Candied sugars seem to dominate, but yeasty breadiness couples with toffee nicely underneath. Flavors of dark fruits don't shine through as well on the taste as they did the nose.

M - Medium bodied, light burn from the alcohol in a good way.

O - A great belgian that I finally got around the try. Can't wait to try this with some age on it.

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2012 15:36:45 | More by SkiBum22

shambeano

Australia

4.25/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

2011 vintage, 750ml shared with a mate and poured into a tulip.

A-Pours a syrupy looking dark dark brown with a tinge of amber, about an inch of thick head that slowly subsides, leaving a nice laving. looks pretty good.

S- straight up there is a bunch of malt sweetness, theres some alcohol in there, dark dried fruits, sultana, raisin, dried fig. A nice belgian yeastiness comes through at the end, a but spicey, peppery. pretty nice.

T- raisin and dark fruit to begin with, sultana, raisin and fig like on the nose. followed by a sweetness that reminds me of golden syrup. that golden syrup flavour really lasts for quite some time. there is a touch of spicy yeast in the background, but it takes some searching for. there is some alcohol there but it doesn't detract from the beer. quite good.

M- mid to heavy bodied, a little carbonation lightens the whole thing, has a nice length of flavour, there is a touch of alcohol prickliness but it adds to everything. good feel.

O- i like it, very alcoholic and tasty. had half a mind to give the taste a 4.5, really wish i could give it a 4.25 but anyway, its a tasty drop. and i would definitely have it again.

Serving type: bottle

02-07-2012 11:25:57 | More by shambeano

Chaney

District of Columbia

4.1/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

2010 Vintage, and bought... well... at least around 2010 or beyond.

Poured into a Delirium Tremens snifter.

A: Poured a dark brown with a great deal of ruby highlights. The head was rather large and only mildly off-white.

S: Sugary and then some... and with a rather large licorice component. Very potent!

T: Pured dark licorice, but high grade at that. I can only image how this sucker is fresh, because it was very intense, even at the 2012 vintage level. Very tasty, with a bit of marshmallow sugar and Belgian funk.

M: Sure, my palate was coated with candy sugar, but the caramel-esque quality made this very dessert-like. The lacing was moderate overall.

O: This is one of the more sugary Belgians on the market, but that is part of its charm. the licorice elements sort of reminds me of their Easter entry.

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2012 04:18:28 | More by Chaney

HalfFull

California

3/5  rDev -30.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

I strike this one from the cellar for unknown reasons, or at least logic. It just struck me to break it out, a 2009 version it be. Poured from a corked 750 ml. bottle into a large wine glass. This beer pours a clear deep brown with mahogany highlights. A half inch of foam settles out to a light film and throws off some lacing. Yeast influemce is oddly lacking.

Aroma is malty with deep ruddy caramel notes and a touch of yeast and some fruity vinous notes. Rather bock like on the nose, fruity and potent. Touch of alcohol with some warming. Good but not quite in line with a BSDA initially, though fighting it's way up through the glass. Yeast influemce is oddly lacking.

Flavor is sweet and fruity and perhaps to a fault. Sweetness of the delivery is the weakness of this beer, again being reminiscent of a bock beer. Alcohol does reveal itself with warming. Sweet and vinous yet pleasant in flavor and with a firm booziness.

Malty, caramel and with a bit of chocolate. I'm just not impressed with this beer. But then I'm never been impressed by this brewery either. Bit mucky and one dimensional for my tastes.

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2012 05:51:42 | More by HalfFull

AZbelgian

Arizona

4.33/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Tried a 2008 and a 2010:

A - Pours a dark carmel color. Dark red if held to the light. Large tan head quickly dissipates to a thin clumpy film, like cirrus clouds.

S - Incredibly sweet smell of carmel and apple cider. Smells like a warm carmel apple.

T - Like the smell, very strong sweet tastes of carmel and apple cider. Candy sugar with some hints of dark fruit. The combination of carmel and sugar combined with fruit and hops give it a dry alcohol character similar to a scotch or TN whisky. Smooth sweet caramel aftertaste with a just a hint of bitterness.

M - Medium in mouthfeel. Sweet and dry with decent carbonation.

O - A really sweet, complex and delicious beer. Quite filling, in fact while it's sweetness and mouthfeel, make it delicious, they also make it very filling. Not one I can have more than one or two of after a meal. I always keep at least one bottle in the cabinet.

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2012 19:47:35 | More by AZbelgian

output01x

Ohio

4.08/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 330 mL. capped bottle (Dated 12/07/11) into a snifter glass.

A moderate pour yields a 1-finger cream-colored head that dissipates after a couple minutes to a thin, clumpy dusting and thick foam ring. The body is a very dark (yet clear) mahogany brown with crimson when held to light. A very good amount of carbonation bubbles can be seen popping up almost everywhere. Some nice lacing can be seen throughout consumption.

This beer really smells like the produce section of your local grocery store. Notes of sweet dark fruit (plum and raisin mostly), candied apples, green grapes, and asian pear are all detectable. The nose is very complex and will surely be interpreted differently by each person that smells it.

Right off the bat, sweet fruit flavors come out at the beginning of each sip. Notes of banana, fig, plum, red apple, grapes. As the beer is swallowed, a cider alcohol flavor quickly rushes the palate but quickly turns into a generic alcohol warmth as dark fruit flavors sneak back in. Red grapes, apple cider, and raisin linger on the tongue as an aftertaste.

Medium bodied with excellent carbonation, this beer is deceptively drinkable at 11% ABV. The body may seem a bit light but certainly does not hinder the flavors nor become sticky. The carbonation is rather fizzy when the beer is held in the mouth but does not seem to effect the experience much.

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2012 06:37:42 | More by output01x

htomsirveaux

Texas

4.33/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750 mL bottle tried 22 Oct 2010. Served in the 0.3 L Unibroue snifter. Think this was the 2008, didn't record that data.

Large thick light tan head. Well carbonated. Clear dark reddish color. Smells of banana cake, apples, and ethanol. Starts with lots of green apple. Syrupy. Ethanol is warming but not hot. Dark fruit, raisins, dates. Apple and plum throughout. Medium to heavy body, warming alcohol. Lingering sweet aftertaste with some alcohol warmth.

I don't recall where I got this, but I want some more.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2012 05:32:48 | More by htomsirveaux

magine

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a chalice.

Pours a dark brown with ruby red shining along the edges. Good bubbly action along the bottom. Nice tight bubbles long the top edges. Good creamy off white lace head. Nice lace remains throughout the drink. Great looking brew here.

Brew smells of dark fruits and some subtle malts. Some booze and sugary yeasts, raisins, dates and even possibly tobacco. Great complex nose.

Brew is creamy smooth initially then spiced and finishes peppery and clean. Very complex stuff here. Sweet dark fruits; raisins, dates, figs. Sweet Belgian estery fruits and yeasts. Creamy malts; almost a bit of tobacco in here towards the end. Full bodied, complex and excellent.

Wow - tremendous stuff here. Sip and enjoy this one. Excellent.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2012 19:51:28 | More by magine