Zinnebir - Brasserie de la Senne

ggaughan

Pennsylvania

3.98/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I just picked this bottle up in Belgium. This is the base beer from Crianza which is brewed by the same brewer.

The beer poured a light golden color with a nice rush of bubbles to the top that last for awhile and it complimented by a relatively small white head but fluffy. The nose is full of notes of lemon, yeast and a citrus tone as well. The taste is bit hoppier than I expected but pleasant. There is also a lemony, earthy taste that rounds this beer out well. Although light in color and abv, the body is medium and provides for a very decent beer. If you like this beer, try to get a hold of the Crianza which is excellent.

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2008 20:38:19 | More by ggaughan

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

3.98/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

First had: on tap at Monk's, Philly, PA

Poured golden with a white head, some lacing. Aroma of citrus hops and a bit of sugar. Taste of citrus, floral qualities, light spice and breadiness. Pleasant, light-medium mouthfeel with a bit of carbonation that didn't seem out of place. Very drinkable.

Serving type: on-tap

04-30-2011 19:30:47 | More by Rifugium

paterlodie

Belgium

4/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Botteled Oct 19 2004. Best till 6 months after filling so well 6 months overtime but it was most of the time in my fridge. Good presentation with nice and lasting white head and golden/bronze beercollor with some particles in it. Nose is strange and heavy straw, hops, alcohol, allmond and even after this time still some hops. Taste is phenolic, whinelike, strong for 5.5% with hints of maltyness and probably quiet some candy making this one enjoyable but quiet strange.Good and balanced mouthfeel and a pleasure to drink. Certainly worthwile trying once IMO.

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2005 18:18:34 | More by paterlodie

stcules

Italy

4/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Amber in color. Beautiful fluffy white head, long standing in the glass.
Freshness in the smell: hop, some tea leaves. Very fresh. Some notes of an english bitter, here and there. Orange marmelade.
In the taste a very intense hop, good. Backbone malt to balance, but the master is the hop.
Average to light in body.
A very strong bitter start in the aftertaste.
Clean.
Very good beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-18-2007 20:11:51 | More by stcules

Beerbuddha

Louisiana

4/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance- Nice golden color with a thick white head. Was a bit cloudy. Nice lacing.

Smell- Fruity with a nice smell of hops.

Taste- Had a fruity taste. Maybe hint of apples with some lemon zest perhaps.

Mouthfeel- Dry feel with bitter aftertaste. Carbonation was fairly high.

Drinkability- This beer was pretty good. A nice beer to bring to fancy parties instead of wine.

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2007 19:01:35 | More by Beerbuddha

GClarkage

California

4.03/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

07/18/07- Purchased at City Beer, in San Francisco, CA.

Presentation- 750ml bottle, corked and capped. Poured into my Troubadour tulip. No freshness info found on the bottle.

Appearance- Pale golden color with a large overflowing white pock marked head. A bit clouded, but not super yeasty. Leaves behind decent patchy lace.

Smell- Mild unripe fruits with a light bready aspect. Seems a bit hoppy as well. Overall light, but pretty nice.

Taste- I'll go for the pear flavoring in this beer. I'm picking it up much more than the apples. Very dry with a nice pils style hop base. A touch of lemon rind and some notes of white pepper as well.

Mouthfeel- Ultra dry. Crisp with a biting carbonation level. Leaves nice bitter aftertaste.

Drinkability- Score #2 for Zinnebir. I've been pleasantly suprised with both their brews. Bring more of them out!

Serving type: bottle

07-21-2007 17:11:46 | More by GClarkage

augustgarage

California

4.03/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 750mL bottle into my Troubadour tulip. I think this bottle is fresh (bought it the day it arrived at the liquor store), but without a bottled on or best before date, I'm not entirely sure. I'm rating this as an "Artisanal Blond" rather than a traditional Belgian Pale.

Luminous yet hazy amber and golden poppy liquid with boiling carbonation contributing to the enormous crown of rich rocky ivory which forms a butte overlooking a broad valley of foam. Lacing is sticky, thick and solid, leaving behind ornate patterns of merengue.

Orange peel, pepper, almond and grass in the nose. Sweet tangy pale malt character merges with spicy yeast notes and a zippy hop component.

Sourdough biscuits, wheat germ, orange peel, and heady phenols balanced by a clean, strong, slightly fruity hop bitterness on the palate. Dry, earthy finish with an avalanche of clove, pepper, saffron, and rye. Slight "forest" flavor as well. Refreshing yet filling all at once.

Smooth, creamy yet spritzy, effervescent, and medium-bodied mouthfeel.

Hoppy and spicy, and nearly sessionable, try this in place of a Saison after a few hours of physical labor.

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2009 23:26:58 | More by augustgarage

dogfooddog

Panama

4.05/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

750ml dated 16NOV2004, about a year out of date but lets see how it is.

large white head, active carbonation both in glass and in bottle. citrusy almost grapefruit-like odor, with floral overtones.

taste is mild bittery hops with hints of flowers, and a general barnyard feel to this taste. finish is also bitter and slightly spicy later into it. overall this is a fairly bitter beer.

this is a better-than-average belgian blonde/pale ale, well worth trying.

Serving type: bottle

05-27-2006 00:00:52 | More by dogfooddog

Gueuzedude

Arizona

4.05/5  rDev 0%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Sampled March 2007
Very well carbonated, at least it kicks up lots of flaky sediment from the bottom of the bottle. The head is a frothy, pale tan color (really an off-white) and starts out four-fingers thick; it leaves a nice lacing pattern on the sides of the glass as I drink my way through this beer.. The beer is almost brilliantly clear and is a nice gold color. The aroma is dry, yet fruity with notes of apple, pear, and malt. The malt character smells of freshly milled pale malt, some grassy notes as well as a touch of bread-like character. A touch of spicy, yeast derived, funkiness is here and adds some nice complexity to the overall aroma. As the beer warms a bit a nice dry, biscuit-like and soda cracker note starts to exhibit itself in the aroma.

The beer is only lightly chilled and is quite expressive at this temperature. A nice light to medium body helps this to have some palate coating character. Lightly sweet with malt character coating the mouth. The sweet malt accentuates a nice fruitiness of pears, a touch of apple and even a zesty lemon-peel note of citrus. The beer finishes off with a nice spicy note that must be from the particular yeast strain used. It adds notes of clove, ginger and a biting peppery note (which is also from the carbonation) that really helps to provide balance. Lightly tart in the finish it also has a certain, light astringency; the combination of which cause this beer to finish dry, which is a perfect lead into taking another sip of this brew.

I really enjoy lower alcohol characterful Belgian ales; There are a style that is easy to make bland or boring, but when they are on they make the perfect session beer. I find that beers of this type are best served on the warm side of cool, otherwise you can really miss out on their complexity. This was certainly a pleasant surprise, and a 750ml bottle is the perfect size for a quaff or two.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2007 21:29:04 | More by Gueuzedude

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

4.08/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Masterful simple, soft,easy drinking. Great for lunch. Opaque golden with a white abundant creamy hand and lace. Sweet fruit and yeast in the aroma. Easy medium mouthfeel. Went right to the sediment, which was sourish. Refreshing overall, like a toned-down saison in spiciness, tasted pear, orange, apricot.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2007 05:01:44 | More by northyorksammy

johnmichaelsen

Oregon

4.08/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Max's today.

The beer pours a honey gold color with fairly good head retention and lacing. The nose in this beer is pretty attractive, showing honey, lavender and bing cherry. The flavor profile replicates the nose pretty closely in this enjoyable, easy to appreciate beer. Mouthfeel is medium bodied, but there's a lightness to this beer that I really like. Drinkability is quite good, and I appreciate how this beer dries out on the finish, which enhances its drinkability.

Quite nice...

Serving type: on-tap

08-14-2010 21:17:44 | More by johnmichaelsen

Billolick

New York

4.1/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Large bottle, capped, and without freshness dating. Pours yeasty cloudy, light orangey amber, with a light tan slight head and leaving fine and scattered lacing. Nose is of bright lime peals and grapefuit pith. Ultra smooth and rounded mouthfeel, earthy with soft notes of mellow malts, nutty yeastyness, honey, spice and peppery hops late. Spicy long finish. Complex and refined brew. Easy drinking and tasty Belgian. Beginner friendly Belgian. Well worth a try. Would be fine with a lunch of salads, cheese and whatever else you feel like.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2006 23:03:01 | More by Billolick

kohoutek

Michigan

4.1/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This beer pours a nice hazy deep golden hue with two fingers of pure white creamy microbubbles. The head quickly falls into a thin blanket of foam while coating the glass with lace. Small streams of bubbles rise from the depths.

This beer smells very fresh. Herbal geranium, iron, lightly tanned leather, Belgian cellar (a hint of musty bookshelves), notes of citrus. On an off note, there is a tad of rubbery autolysis present.

This beer has a nice honeyed malt backbone that carries a bit of sweetness with it. The propaganda on the bottle brags that this brewery does not engage in the addition of syrups, sugars or the like. The residual sweetness of this all malt beer is noted. The geranium, iron, herbal hop bitterness and peppery otherworldliness swirl with deep sticky esters and malt acids. Very nice!

This beer drinks fine as it is clean and approachable. The sweetness lends a hand that is a bit heavy. I must admit that I find it very different from most Belgian Pales that I have experienced. Instead, I keep seeing it in the vein of Dupont's family of Saisons. It seems to share so many characteristics with these beers, Moinette, etc. It seems a bit light on the bitterning hops and alcohol to really compare style-wise with Urthel hop it, Duvel, DeRanke XX Bitter, etc. I like this beer, but at $11.99 for a 750 mL I will return elsewhere in the future.

Serving type: bottle

09-09-2007 23:04:50 | More by kohoutek

beerthulhu

New Jersey

4.1/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Pours a beautiful hazy golden orange color with a moderate creamy white head.

S: Yeasty nose full of bananas, oranges and a slight bubblegum scent.

T: Flavor is creamy bananas with a slight tartness with a good spicy complexity (coriander, sour orange peel). Yeasty bite, very clean and a very good example per style.

M: Good carbonation brings out the aroma and mouthful, though remains light and fruity on the tongue with a nice spicy tartness. Sour oranges for a finish.

D: very nice drinkability, goes down effortlessly.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2008 22:20:22 | More by beerthulhu

richmof

Belgium

4.1/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap on this occasion in Kafka: pours an orangey amber with a nice creamy head and decent lacing.

Orangey hops on the nose, opening up to an orangey caramel on the palate. Nicely hopped mild bitterness cutting through any sweetness, with a pleasant earthy component. This is an amber I can drink plenty of.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2010 22:03:17 | More by richmof

OldSock

District of Columbia

4.13/5  rDev +2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance – 750 ml bottle poured into a pint glass. While the frothy white head falls quickly into the clear (gets hazier on successive pours) golden beer it manages to leave some nice sticky lacing behind.

Smell – Slightly mineral, with spicy Belgian yeast. Underneath the primary aromas there is a solid toasted malt backbone with some complimentary spicy noble hops. Simple and balanced.

Taste – Yeast character dominates, spicy almost peppery with some mild banana esters. The hops meld well with the yeast and water making it hard to tell what aspect to attribute to each component. The malt provides a clean base for the beer, but doesn't add much complexity. Dry, rather bitter, and not too close to anything else that I have had.

Mouthfeel – Lively carbonation does a good job concealing the light body.

Drinkability & Notes – Refreshing, but I wish that I had chilled this down colder that 60. Always nice to try a beer from a new brewery, hopefully we'll be seeing more from them in the future.

Serving type: bottle

09-17-2006 03:06:53 | More by OldSock

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

4.13/5  rDev +2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Significantly hazy, yeast-choked, well-bubbled rich amber. I love it when there's so much visual interest after the pour. Who needs perfectly clear, filtered-to-within-an-inch-of-its-life beer anyway? The eggnog colored head is richly creamy and is equally as lovely as the beer on which it rests, possibly more so. Large, pearl-like bubbles occupy the upper surface and result in big, soft craters when they pop.

Since the brewer eschews anything that isn't named malt, hops or yeast, the invigorating spiciness of the beer has to be due to an especially lively strain of yeast. While it doesn't quite have the chops of the best of this style, it's a damn fine nose all the same.

Zinnebir is relatively simple and straightforward (that isn't a knock) and is a wonderful Belgian pale ale that should be a pleasure all the way to the bottom of the bottle. It's unripe apple and pear fruity with a dry crispness that was expected once I learned that no candi sugar was added. It isn't especially parching though, so some amount of pale malt sugar made it through unscathed.

Beer of this style (if it isn't highly hopped like De Ranke XX Bitter) is often dependent on a quality yeast strain to provide zip and the zing. This one is up to the task and gives off spicy flavors of clove and cardamom. Speaking of hops, there's quite a bit of floral, grassy, noble goodness keeping things on the bitingly bitter side. A wee lack of complexity isn't necessarily a negative when the beer is this delicious and this drinkable.

Given the surfeit of bubbles, I would have thought the mouthfeel would have been more light and airy. It feels fine, it's just that it isn't as lush or as silky as it could be. No barrier to drinkability here either.

Zinnebir is a solid offering from the relatively new Brouwerij Sint-Pieters. It's a classic, back to basics, well-constructed pale ale that is disappearing with effortless ease. I'll be sure to be on the lookout for more of Mr. Bernard Leboucq's creations since it's obvious that he knows what good beer is all about.

Serving type: bottle

11-18-2006 16:18:55 | More by BuckeyeNation

Westsidethreat

California

4.13/5  rDev +2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Golden rod with copper tones to it. Sporadic miniscule bubbles rise to the surface at a methodic pace. Head is snowy white and thick with tight fitting bubbles.

S: Mild cantelope, gentle lemon, hay, spicy yeast and actually some sun tan lotion.

T: Very subtle flavors at work here. Starts off with some light pear, green apple, sugar snap peas and roses caressing the front of the tongue. Bit of fresh cut grass, honeysuckle and limestone are the middle ground which lays the foundation. Delicate sweet lemon and ginger mingling allow all flavors to meld before minor earthy hops with woody personalities finish it out.

M: Medium body with a soft mouthfeel.

D: Good beer with great balance. Nice, refreshing, smooth. Good

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2007 06:04:09 | More by Westsidethreat

emerge077

Illinois

4.13/5  rDev +2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A solid "purist" Belgian Pale.

Label states no sugar, spices, or additives in the ingredients. This shows through in the ale's character, it's not boring even though it comes from simple ingredients.

Pours a deep orange/straw yellow, with streams of carbonation. A rocky merengue head of foam forms, and remains for some time. A skim of foam remains for the hour duration of the bottle. Attractive and lively.

Smell is initally mild pear and apple esters from the yeast used.

Taste is dry, pilsner malt, doughy with light pepper and herbal hop notes. Fruitiness in the aroma is way more subdued in the taste. Clearly well-crafted in it's balance and easy drinkability. Well carbonated, and light to medium mouthfeel. A good starter Belgian, or one to try when you want something simple and elegant.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2007 01:28:30 | More by emerge077

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

4.13/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a hazed straw gold with minimal head. Nose is like dusty yeast. Flavor is dry. You get a musty yeast with minimal sugar presence. The profile comes and then drops fairly quickly. Feel is nice. Smooth with decent bubble. No unusual or odd or weird character. But the overall experience is damn good. Smooth and even. And I love the story posted on the label of the beer. Very much worth trying.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2008 04:33:16 | More by RblWthACoz

mdagnew

United Kingdom (Northern Ireland)

4.13/5  rDev +2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

330ml bottle bought from Tuckers Maltings...

Poured a light golden orange colour with coppery hints. Slightly off white head poured big and billowy and faded slowly to thick frothy layer.. good sticky patchy lacing... lots of carbonation bubbles rush to the surface...

Aroma - Lots of grassy spiciness, yeasty, tart fruits (limes, lemon peel, sour apples), chalky notes, light breadiness, quite floral, faint candy sugar, some basil and thyme herbalness, the faintest hint of marzipan...

Taste - Tart spicy fruits (lemons, grapefruits, apples), pithy notes, quite a lot of yeastiness, floral honey, quite perfumed, light earthy funk, grassy hops, chalky, coriander, peppery, definitely some basil herbalness...

M&D - Sharp and dry with a little smoothness coming through... Light body... Extremely refreshing and drinkable - would be nice on a hot summers day...

Overall - A top class Belgian pale ale... As good as any i've had...

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2009 10:36:17 | More by mdagnew

VoodooBrew

South Carolina

4.15/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Hazy orange-peach with lots of yeast-detritus littered about. Big generous thick white head.

Aromas include light fruit mingling with grainy sweetness and toast. Suggestions of coriander and yeasty spices.

Soft malty flavors with fruity tones give way to a moderate yet firm bitterness, right into hints of white pepper phenols that linger into a long dry finish.

This beer gets better as you drink it & as it warms up -- the beer expresses itself much more clearly.

Starts off flavorful, semi-sweet, fruity and quenching. Ends up dry and makes you thirst for more. A wonderfully surprising beer. This strikes me as lying somewhere between Belgian Pale Ale and Saison.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2006 07:14:54 | More by VoodooBrew

clickpush

Pennsylvania

4.15/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pour: 750ml bottle to tulip glass. A huge 3 finger head appears w/ the gentlest of pours. Big white head over a clouded orange body. Some thin bubble trails along the side of the glass. Excellent retention in the head. Some clinging to the sides of the glass.

Nose: Huge smell eminating from the beer that's sitting 3 feet away. Mostly fruity malts, oranges, lemon peel, some small hop presence. Nice and yeasty.

Mouth: Much more bitter than the aroma would let on. Tons of hops, some warmth in the exhale. Easy bitterness though, lingering, grassy and farmy. Mouthfeel is crisp. This tastes more like an IPA though than a Belgian Pale. Easy drinking through.

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2007 05:39:08 | More by clickpush

tempest

Pennsylvania

4.15/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Shared a bottle in Ghent. I'd seen this beer before back in the states but never paid attention to it until a friend ordered a bottle. What a surprise, this was a great Belgian ale. It appeared a hazy orange with a tall white head. What I really like was the fresh paired of hops with the fruity/spicy Belgian yeast character. The citrus notes of the hops led before the beer dove into caramel malt and a final, long bitter aftertaste.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2009 14:57:24 | More by tempest

ahalloin

Virginia

4.15/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 33cl bottle into a Gouden Carolus tulip glass. Pours a vibrant champagne like deep yellowy-gold color with a white, one finger-width head. Bubbles continue to break for the surface from all around the glass keeping a nice ring of foam stable at the top.

Nice balanced aroma with some sweet fruitiness, yeasty bread, and spicy hop notes. A little bit of sweet toffee permeates the aroma as well.

The taste is spot on for the style and very nice. There is a sweet toffee-like flavor up front carried on a wealth of carbonation with hints of citrus fruit. The dry-finish brings about an earthy bitterness that is very refreshing.

The mouthfeel is great for the style, with a good amount of carbonation carrying the effervescent liquid.

The only drawback to drinkability might be the powerfully earthy-bitter finish that lingers long in the palette.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2009 00:07:02 | More by ahalloin