Equinox / Zwarte Piet
Brasserie de la Senne
- From:
- Brasserie de la Senne
- Belgium
- Style:
- Belgian Dark Strong Ale
- ABV:
- 8%
- Score:
- 85
- Avg:
- 3.76 | pDev: 12.23%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 59
- Status:
- Inactive
- Rated:
- Sep 11, 2015
- Added:
- Sep 18, 2007
- Wants:
- 3
- Gots:
- 7
SCORE
85
Very Good
85
Very Good
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Alieniloquium:
Reviewed by Alieniloquium from Florida
3.15/5 rDev -16.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
3.15/5 rDev -16.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
330 mL bottle poured into a snifter.
Appearance - Brown body. Hinting at black. Big head. Lots of wisps. Nice lacing.
Smell - Very acidic. Some deep roasted malts. Lemony acidity. Clean tartness.
Taste - The roasted malts take a back seat to an immediate sourness. Brett flavors. Lemony tartness. Grainy. Some chocolate comes back in the end. Dry.
Mouthfeel - Dry finish. Medium light body. Not a ton of tartness but what it has is good.
Overall - Good blend of acids and chocolate. Doesn't do much for me, but it's a decent beer.
May 21, 2013Appearance - Brown body. Hinting at black. Big head. Lots of wisps. Nice lacing.
Smell - Very acidic. Some deep roasted malts. Lemony acidity. Clean tartness.
Taste - The roasted malts take a back seat to an immediate sourness. Brett flavors. Lemony tartness. Grainy. Some chocolate comes back in the end. Dry.
Mouthfeel - Dry finish. Medium light body. Not a ton of tartness but what it has is good.
Overall - Good blend of acids and chocolate. Doesn't do much for me, but it's a decent beer.
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by flagmantho from Washington
3.98/5 rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
3.98/5 rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Poured from 330mL bottle into a tulip. This is the "Zwarte Piet" version.
Appearance: deep rich dark brown hue with lots of haze and a thick finger of frothy tan foam. Quite attractive in my opinion.
Smell: rather sweet but with a nice dose of dark fruits and dusty tobacco leaves. Just what I like in the style.
Taste: on the sweet side and a little bit muted, but nonetheless the flavor complexity is there. This really works for me as a somewhat less heavy example of the style.
Mouthfeel: lighter-bodied than average, but with a big carbonation. Creaminess is big but ephemeral.
Overall: I like this beer a lot, although turning up the volume just a little bit would be brilliant.
Sep 11, 2015Appearance: deep rich dark brown hue with lots of haze and a thick finger of frothy tan foam. Quite attractive in my opinion.
Smell: rather sweet but with a nice dose of dark fruits and dusty tobacco leaves. Just what I like in the style.
Taste: on the sweet side and a little bit muted, but nonetheless the flavor complexity is there. This really works for me as a somewhat less heavy example of the style.
Mouthfeel: lighter-bodied than average, but with a big carbonation. Creaminess is big but ephemeral.
Overall: I like this beer a lot, although turning up the volume just a little bit would be brilliant.
Reviewed by Bouleboubier from New Jersey
3.71/5 rDev -1.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.71/5 rDev -1.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
(bottle from 2013 I presume - carefully poured into a Chouffe tulip)
L: super-dark ruby red liquid... good finger+ high, rose-tinted tan foam - settles in a smooth crest above the mouth of the glass and calmly recedes into the beer, leaving a thick blanket of lace in its wake
S: lovely dark milk chocolate with dark candi sugar and a hint of raspberry hard candy... faint whiff of coffee liqueur and earthy-spicy yeast on the back end... touch solventy as it warms
T: polished, muscular-but-delicate roasted grain bitterness and dark caramel... bit of a dry, yeasty-spicy bite, which points to this bottle having begun to succumb to age or abuse... aftertaste is bittersweet coffee with some dark sugar and vinous-like esters, perhaps a hint of black pepper or ash
F: plenty of unfermentables to keep the body from zapping out totally dry... pleasant little rubbery roll riding a coat of sparkly suds... still has a sense of balance at this point, but not for much longer
O: once again, you take a chance trying a Belgian you haven't had before... one out of every four seem to have this 'quirk' about them... the guys at the counter laughed when I asked them what I should go with between this and the Zinnebir - I knew immediately they must have both been from last year, as these De la Senne bottles haven't been flying off the shelves around here since PBW '13... it's a shame, because their beers are pretty good - wish more people knew... maybe these sales peeps oughta do a better job pimping them out, huh?
Dec 15, 2014L: super-dark ruby red liquid... good finger+ high, rose-tinted tan foam - settles in a smooth crest above the mouth of the glass and calmly recedes into the beer, leaving a thick blanket of lace in its wake
S: lovely dark milk chocolate with dark candi sugar and a hint of raspberry hard candy... faint whiff of coffee liqueur and earthy-spicy yeast on the back end... touch solventy as it warms
T: polished, muscular-but-delicate roasted grain bitterness and dark caramel... bit of a dry, yeasty-spicy bite, which points to this bottle having begun to succumb to age or abuse... aftertaste is bittersweet coffee with some dark sugar and vinous-like esters, perhaps a hint of black pepper or ash
F: plenty of unfermentables to keep the body from zapping out totally dry... pleasant little rubbery roll riding a coat of sparkly suds... still has a sense of balance at this point, but not for much longer
O: once again, you take a chance trying a Belgian you haven't had before... one out of every four seem to have this 'quirk' about them... the guys at the counter laughed when I asked them what I should go with between this and the Zinnebir - I knew immediately they must have both been from last year, as these De la Senne bottles haven't been flying off the shelves around here since PBW '13... it's a shame, because their beers are pretty good - wish more people knew... maybe these sales peeps oughta do a better job pimping them out, huh?
Reviewed by byronic from Canada (ON)
3.13/5 rDev -16.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3
3.13/5 rDev -16.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3
Pours a dark brown with a nice thick head, looks very nice after the pour. Can't distinguish much from the nose other than some malts and Belgian yeast. Tastes rather muted with some hints of bitterness and malts. The alcohol is very present and overpowering. Perhaps some of the flavours have disappeared with age but I wouldn't return to have this brew again.
Jul 07, 2014
Reviewed by beergoot from Colorado
3.73/5 rDev -0.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
3.73/5 rDev -0.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
The bottle label is just "Zwarte Piet" (Black Peter - a Low Countries folklore character) and has a different graphic on it (a black character wearing a white safari get-up). Other than describing itself as a dark ale, the ABV is listed as 8.2%.
Zwarte Piet pours a turbid brown color and creates a lasting, thick, creamy, off-white head. Roasted grain and slight chocolate aroma with a faint cherry note; yeasty and doughy. Taste is much like the aroma, perhaps a bit more bitter chocolate and a twinge of alcohol heat. Surprisingly light and thin body yet very soft and smooth.
A rather interesting dark ale that manages to satisfy despite having some weak minor points such as mouthfeel (it just seems too weak and watery overall). Dark grain, chocolate and even a pinch of coffee-like bitterness and bite makes this one worth trying.
Jun 23, 2014Zwarte Piet pours a turbid brown color and creates a lasting, thick, creamy, off-white head. Roasted grain and slight chocolate aroma with a faint cherry note; yeasty and doughy. Taste is much like the aroma, perhaps a bit more bitter chocolate and a twinge of alcohol heat. Surprisingly light and thin body yet very soft and smooth.
A rather interesting dark ale that manages to satisfy despite having some weak minor points such as mouthfeel (it just seems too weak and watery overall). Dark grain, chocolate and even a pinch of coffee-like bitterness and bite makes this one worth trying.
Reviewed by CookstLiquor from Canada (BC)
3.67/5 rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.67/5 rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Poured from a 500ml bottle. Racist label aside, this pours a rich dark brown. Nose offers up complex floral, fruity notes with roasty notes of chocolate. Taste is boozy and a bit sweet, with notes of dark dried fruits and a strong bitter finish. Very smooth and sippable.
Jan 06, 2014
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