La Guillotine - Brouwerij Huyghe

Ochsenblut

Italy

4.68/5  rDev +19.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

A one centimeter white head sits atop a hazy peach colored body. The carbonation is very active, replenishing the head constantly throughout the session.

This beer smells of spice, apples, and mandarins. It is also fuming alcohol slightly.

The taste is smooth. Soon after the carbonated bite subsides, there is pepper, orange rind and medicinal phenols. This makes for a complex balance between sweet and spicy, which is especially pleasing. The alcohol is warming and is very understated. The aftertaste is medicinal and only slightly acidic.

La Guillotine is nothing short of delicate and is clearly a finely crafted beer. To reach this sort of balance whilst maintaining a smooth mouthfeel AND high carbonation is something special to behold.

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2011 21:36:25 | More by Ochsenblut

jamie2dope

Massachusetts

4.63/5  rDev +18.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Another beer that I am happy to have discovered during my stay in a foreign land. Pours a cloudy golden tinge with a small, but impressive looking white head. Loads and loads of sediment were swirling around this beer, as well as a few other darker sediment particles that did not look attractive, but didn't seem to bug me. Smell was excellent, fruit throughout such as cherries, apples, passionfruit, pineapple. There was also a light medicinal smell in there. Taste was amazing, juicy fruit, and sweet sugary honey dominated, with some mild sour trangs coming through as it went towards the back of the palate. It was somewhat syrupy, maybe due to the honey tastes I noticed. As for drinkability, My God if only I had this beer around every night, I would be in sheer bliss. I swear this beer came straight from Hades to tempt us all with its deliciousness. Indulge

Serving type: bottle

05-29-2006 10:10:18 | More by jamie2dope

TurdFurgison

Ohio

4.43/5  rDev +13%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a bottle into the brewery chalice at the Frigo cafe in Shinjuku Japan. I've never seen this in the USA, not sure why it's in Tokyo but several other people were ordering it too so it's apparently popular.

The appearance was pale and cloudy yellow with a thick poofy white head (similar to Delirium Tremens). The aroma was grassy and funky and also similar to Delirium Tremens. It tasted delicious, almost exactly like one of my favorite beers (Delirium Tremens).

Not really sure why Huyghe makes 2 different beers which are so similar. Maybe someday I'll try them side-by-side and compare for what difference must exist.

Serving type: bottle

10-07-2006 18:02:18 | More by TurdFurgison

KickbacksSteve

Florida

4.43/5  rDev +13%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Huyghe into Guillotine glass. Fluffy white head medium retention. High clarity.  Aroma, nice hoppy bouquet, light sweetness. Taste nicely bitter with slight sweetness. Dangerously drinkable.  Very refreshing  No alcohol noted at all. Our guide at the brewery says this is coming to the states soon and also said that the recipe has been tweaked to where they are now very happy with it. Look out. This one is dangerous. 

Serving type: on-tap

03-01-2012 01:01:45 | More by KickbacksSteve

AgentMunky

Alabama

4.4/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 33cL bottle into a cervoise glass. Best before January 2014.

A: Even a gentle pour resulted in one of the largest heads I've ever seen, filling 85% of the glass and then expanding right over the edges. After aeons of churning, it settles down, balancing out at about three fingers and leaving surprisingly little lacing in its wake. The beer is a cloudy straw-yellow, barely clear with lots of bubbles.

S: Yeasty and zesty. Peppery and floral. Delicate but straightforward.

T: Good gods...Absolutely one of the best BSPAs I've ever tasted. Soft and velvety, subtly fruity, pleasingly and delicately spicy. La Guillotine is the perfect balance of sweet and piquant, neither ever managing to defeat the other. The aftertaste is extensive and flipflops between a slightly sticky sweetness and a drying yeastiness influenced by hops (and perhaps some spices). Damn good.

M: Caressing, clinging, and beguiling. Mmmm.

O: The only other BSPA that gives La Guillotine a run for the money is Don de Dieu, which has a completely different character. Most similar to Duvel, La Guillotine pleases me far more, even if it cannot serve as such a widely-regarded stylistic benchmark. The alcohol is vaguely noticeable, but completely unconcerning. I could (and would) drink a pint or more of this beer. Highly recommended.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2011 19:37:13 | More by AgentMunky

Brabander

Netherlands

4.4/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This week i brought some beers to my cousing Peter because we are going to have a beertasting at his place with a bunch of newbies into beer.

Peter however has discovered the special beers some time ago, he loves the Pannepot of the Struise.

Anyway...now to this beer! He gave me this bottle and asked me to drink it and give it an honest review, that's what i did. Best before december 2013.

Poured in my Struise glass this beer has the looks, five fingers big bubble head and a cloudy fluid. Very nice carbonation, that's what i like in a beer.

The beers has the same smell like a Duvel but then a bit better. Yeastnotes and some floral scents.

Taste is absolutely superb, there are only very few strong pale ales who will score better than this one!

So Peter, this a beer which is very very good. When you see it...try it.

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2011 10:36:43 | More by Brabander

einar85

Norway

4.36/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.25

Quite big bubbles, but the head retention isn't very impressive (which could be caused by a low serving temperature). Golden in color.
The aromas are fruity and sweet of cookies.
It's a classic tripel - sweet and full-bodied. The alcohol is well covered up here. More cookies.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2013 19:49:22 | More by einar85

IronDjinn

Alberta (Canada)

4.33/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Came in a green 330 ml bottle coated with grey enamel, red foil around neck and cap, best before date marked on back label. Appearance is a hazy golden apricot hue, foamy white head that eventually recedes to a thin cap. Spicy nose, peppery, clove and banana, sweetish fruit like peach or apricot, some boozy pear, sweet malt. Flavour is peachy and peppery, boozy malt finish, but that taste of fruit comes back to linger on the aftertaste. Big boozy mouthfeel, the alcohol definitely makes its presence known. Probably one of the best specimens I've had from this family brewery so far, it has a well rounded character, and a very memorable one at that.

Serving type: bottle

09-14-2003 15:22:07 | More by IronDjinn

goblet

New Jersey

4.33/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

poured this out into a goblet from a marble white 330 ml bottle with red foil around the cap that runs down the neck.

Appearance:it got a decent fluffy white head after the pour though it did reduce to a thin layer,low carbonation,cloudy golden yellow with yeast floating around .

Smell:faint hits of fruit like citrus and banana some sugar, the malt scent is lite and sweet what you would expect from a belgian pale ale but not quite like a duval.

Taste:lite body and sugary sweet but not in a bad way but no means ,spice yeast that you can chew on with a fruity dry citrus,like grapefruit skin that let sit in the sun,a bit sour ,the hops are flavorful and oily .

Mouthfeel:the feel is crisp with a bite like a pilsner meets a strong pale ale and fell in love and this is what they made, with a dry after taste .

drinkability: i like this style of beer it`s sour, cloudy full of yeast,and spice and many things nice,i`m still looking for the perfect beer of this style but this one is up there on the list.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2009 15:17:58 | More by goblet

avalon07

South Carolina

4.29/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.25

A: Poured from a bottle to a tulip glass. Had a yellowish color and a clear texture. There was a foamy, two inch, long-lasting head. Lots of good lacing.

S: A powerful aroma of fruit, malt, and yeast.

T: Tasted of malt (a lot of malt - more than I might have expected), Belgian yeast, fruit, and some esters. A lively flavor, with just enough complexity and power to make it interesting.

M: An off the charts amount of carbonation (I haven't had anything this bubbly in quite a while), with a prickly finish. Medium-bodied.

O: A well made, vibrant, and very drinkable beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2013 20:17:33 | More by avalon07

Weizenmensch

Japan

4.28/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

330mL painted ceramic-look glass bottle with red foil around the neck. Best before July '06, if I've understood the labelling system properly.

Appearance: Pretty nice cloudy dark yellow/orange pour with fairly quick dissipating head. Darker than Duvel, but still pretty appropriate. Lacing quite sticky but not all over the place. Fairly normal for the style.

Smell: Gorgeous citrus and cider aromas. Really full-flavoured, I am spending more time sniffing this than drinking it!

Taste: Really nice. Peppery, alcoholic, some candied sugar. Quite watery, i.e. not too pungent, like a watered-down scotch. Very drinkable and a nice sticky aftertaste.

Mouthfeel: Fizzy with head forming in the mouth. Quite lubricated. Smooth goin' down. It seems like a layer of Guillotine still covers your tongue and mucous membranes after you've swallowed. Cool.

Drinkability: For the style, this is well drinkable. These kinds of strong Belgian ales aren't usually too good to have dozens of, but this one is nice and I could see myself having a few in rapid succession. Still, if I wanted to get that smashed I might as well drink a couple then switch to some cheap local macro brew. I'm enjoying this one now though, and this will become a regular I think.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2005 10:13:16 | More by Weizenmensch

palmer69

United Kingdom (England)

4.28/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

bought at drinx vanuxum(def. spelt wrong) in belgium. Poured into its own tulip glass with a large white head.Smells very sweet and earthy/hoppy.Drank while eating some clam chowder, the pepper in the chowder deffinantly accentuates the sweetness of this brew. I don't think that it would have been quite as good with out the clam chowder, which was pretty spicy. recommend drinking it with a spicy dish. with the low carbination, it won't make the dish feel hotter, it actually cools it down.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2009 22:53:07 | More by palmer69

Jason

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Presentation: Faux ceramic plastic lined and red foiled top 330ml bottle with a “Best Before End” date on the back label.

Appearance: Rich golden hue with a faint haze from the yeast, decent lacing but has trouble sticking.

Smell: Dry doughy cookie like aroma similar to a mild biscotti, some dried fruit also. Mild phenolic in the back with hints of anise and black pepper.

Taste: Crisp and lively, the carbonation is at a medium to high level and kneaded right into the light body. Spicy and peppery with an abundance of phenols and an underlying character of alcohol. Dry malt flavour with a mild fruitiness to complement it, hops are there with a bite and the yeast throws a nuttiness that lasts far into the finish. Fruitiness is a tad peachy but like dried peaches. Spiciness from the phenols and alcohol linger and clean the palate. Alcohol starts to become more of a presence as the beer warms with a faint solvent and flexed estery showing.

Notes: Spicy and quite flamboyant, that is just what I want in my Belgian Pale Strong Ale. Perhaps a little over the top but there is nothing wrong with that. Complex and flailing with wild flavours.

Serving type: bottle

06-02-2002 20:21:30 | More by Jason

donnebaby

North Carolina

4.15/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Long-lasting tight foam head over this apricot-colored beer. Significant particles abound. The nose is great and heavy on creamy fresh fruits: banana, peach and apple.

Taste is complex in the mouth, beginning w medium orangy maltiness, which, once gone, leaves an array of tastes, big on dry leaves and spices. Cloves and nutshells. Notes of grapefruit and overripe oranges. Ending with dry chocolate-orange bitterness. A clean, small taste, with good complexity.

Mouthfeel is thick and creamy, the best part of the brew for me. Carbonation is light but sharp, especially felt on the tongue, as soon as the cream from the head passes. Very good drinkability. 9% is imperceptible except for the warming of the stomach.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2004 09:41:18 | More by donnebaby

nickss

Texas

4.15/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into the appropriate glass. The beer itself is cloudy and has a golden hue. The white, rocky head is a monumental 2". Gorgeous crystaline lacing.

Spicy hops, almost smokey aroma. Yeasty and lemony. Pepper is apparent as well. This one seems to be almost a mix of a rauch and a belgian strong. Amazingly complex.

Crisp lemon flavour with an almost Saaz-like presence. A bit of pepper. This one reminds me a bit of some of the Unibroue offerings.

Crisp mouthfeel due to the carbonation. All in all though, moderately thick and quite nice.

Drinkable, but a bit too highly carbonated for me to drink more than a couple. Fantastically enjoyable though.

Serving type: on-tap

05-27-2006 23:39:24 | More by nickss

Crosling

Colorado

4.13/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Sampled at Hall's Beer Tavern in Paris, France.

Damaged Pear Skin.

Odd nose. It's sticky, very fruity and sharp as hell. Red apple skins, pears and caramel seep through.

Medium bodied. Fruit laden palate. Smooth. Huge caramel in the backround with notes of peach, pears and apples.

This beer makes me think that Huyghe can actually brew but oddly enough, it is very similar to the Tremens....

Serving type: bottle

07-22-2004 23:37:47 | More by Crosling

RuudJH

Netherlands

4.1/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a nice 33 cl. bottle, typical from Huyghe brewery.

Very active from the bottle, golden colour with good head and carbonation, floaty bits, good lacing in the glass.

Smell is very pleasant of malts, fresh fruits and herbs.
Equal taste, but now it's also very much bitter hoppy too. Classical tripel, I would say: dry bittersweet aftertaste.

Medium body. Alcohol is only slightly noticable.
This beer is a good one from Huyghe. I've had some of theirs in the past. This beer is maybe only very little different from the others.

Serving type: bottle

07-30-2010 09:15:14 | More by RuudJH

errantnight

California

4.08/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Hey now! Brouwerj Huygne has a ton of beers that aren't Delerium ___, huh?

Picked this one up in gay ole Paris when I was there last November.

Pours into my Bruery tulip with a thick, luscious head, great retention, moderate lacing. Not quite the truly astonishing head on a Duvel or an Orval, but this looks really beautiful. Until I accidentally tip a little yeast into the bottom. Not a problem taste-wise, but still.

Aroma is... well it's strong, it's delightful, but it's also a mystery. It reminds one strongly of a Duvel or Delerium Tremens, but against the backdrop of traditional Belgian esters and phenols with all their bubblegum, banana, and warm spice goodness (and requisite delicate malty sweetness), there's this OTHER aroma... my mind turns to cucumber by way of coriander and maybe pepper and perfume. I'm intrigued, but I'm more intrigued then I am hooked.

On the palate that mysterious aroma takes a back seat to an extremely well constructed brew that's moderately sweet and full up front that cleans up with a bone dry finish and a hint of spice and just the right amount of bitterness. Clean and easy to drink.

I really enjoy this, and I'm dying to try another one with a more developed palate to figure this out, on the other hand.... I'd rather have a Delerium Tremens.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2009 04:43:48 | More by errantnight

smulkowski

Idaho

4.08/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

This beer was poured into a chalice, light honey-colored with a short but lingering head. The nose was slightly funky, with a typical Belgian yeast profile and spice, a bit of funk, and a bit of fusel alcohol. The flavor matched, but was a bit more muted...in the mouth, the texture was creamy due to the relatively high carbonation. Overall, this was a well-carbonated, very easy-drinking Belgian Pale, I look forward to drinking it again.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2012 04:41:39 | More by smulkowski

rinhaak

Massachusetts

4.08/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours crystal clear with a very airy head that fades very quickly. A modest nose with aromas of raspberries, alcohol, and cough syrup.

Well balanced in the mouth, the beer is a little bitter up front, takes on a slightly sweet, almost cherry-like flavor in the mouth, then moves to a dry finish that reminds me of fresh cut weeds. Very bubbly in the mouth with crisp carbonation, despite smelling a bit boozy, there is little hint of the 9% (as listed on my bottle) as I sip.

Overall a nicely made offering that drinks easily and offers a worthy alternative to Duvel.

Serving type: bottle

07-09-2012 17:34:25 | More by rinhaak

dauss

Colorado

4.05/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Presentation: 33cl brown bottle coated with this cream colored coating thats beginning to crack off. A bright red foil covers the bottle cap on the top of the bottle. There were notches on the label, but I'm unable to decipher what it meant. This beer was purchased in Taiwan 8 months ago and brought to the US.

Appearance: Clear golden yellow. At first a lage white head had formed, but quickly dissappeared. It is very effervescent, tons of little bubbles just streaming through the beer.

Smell: A thick and sweet malty nose with a bouquet of fruit. General fruity esters with green apples accompany a spicy phenolic nose.

Taste: A full bodied malty and lightly sweet entrance with a lot of fruit flavors. Strong carbonation turns the beer into a bubbly and almost creamy consistancy. Mild phenols and alcohol begin to peak near the finish with a light drying sensation and a malty grainy taste in the end with a full mouthfeel. The 9% ABV is really noticible when the beer warms up.

Notes: I wish this beer had some sort of head retention or lacing, but at 9%, I can understand why it doesn't. This beer has mellowed out into a smooth and fruity Belgian beer. The alcohol is still quite strong after spending so much time in the bottle, and the heavy carbonation makes this a slow sipping beer. Its still very good.

Serving type: bottle

09-05-2005 01:07:38 | More by dauss

lacqueredmouse

Australia

4.05/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Nice foil-topped faux-ceramic 33cl bottle. Opens with barely a sound of carbonation - I was a little worried, as this one had a fair bit of age on it, but my worries were premature.

Pours a thick, cloudy light orange-beige colour, with a yellowing white head of compact bubbles. Carbonation bubbles make slow progress upwards from the base of the glass. Heavy body leaves excellent lacing. A great looking beer.

Light, fruity note on the nose: cider, pineapple with hints of darker, yeasty elements. As it warms, more organic tones of leather and earth creep in, providing a decidedly unusual character for such a light-coloured beer.

Crisp entry on the palate, with pine resin characters, rye bread and spices. Rather reminiscent of the loaves peppered with caraway I had in Austria. Very noticeable, robustly bitter back palate stays long and sharp. There's a strong note of alcohol heat to numb the palate slightly as well. Despite this, the body is quite creamy and full - more so than many invert-sugar reliant Belgian ales.

This is a very drinkable brew, and one that is smooth with age. I imagine there's some fresher characters in the younger version that I may have missed, but the mellow, creamy, languous version I have here is just fine with me...

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2008 06:21:30 | More by lacqueredmouse

adamette

Ohio

4.05/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Live review. Poured from a 330 cl bottle purchased at De Bier Temple in Brussels before I left there. Smuggled home in my suitcase and then chilled for the past 24 hours in my fridge. Poured into my Ommegang gold rimmed goblet.

A One inch kind of basic off white head that stuck around for a few minutes over a Belgian Strong Pale Ale body with lots and lots of sediment floating around. Moderate lacing left in my glass. 4.5

S Sweet malt that I expected, a nice Strong Belgian Pale Ale smell but then an unwelcome rubbing alcohol smell that was too strong and obvious. I know that this is an 8.5 to 9.0% ABV beer but the smell does not hide it very well. By the way the front label mentions 8.5% and the back label mentions 9.0%. 3.5

T Well the rubbing alcohol smell did not carry over into the taste I am glad to say. Sweet malt in a Pale Ale dominates, a muted hop profile and a kick of alcohol but it is well eclipsed by other tastes. There is a nice muted citrus taste as well that I appreciated more as this beer warmed. 4.5

M Moderate with big sweet taste, the kick of alcohol but it finishes nice and easy with a pleasant barley malt aftertaste. 4.0

D Fair. This is a big ABV beer so I would say one and done. 3.5

Notes: I was attracted to this beer since the bottle looks much like another beer brewed by this brewery, Delerium Tremens, and I am glad that I followed through on getting it. While it does not reach the level of Delerium Tremens it is a very good beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-15-2009 13:28:59 | More by adamette

Cwrw

Alberta (Canada)

4.03/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A dour name for a beer, La Guillotine I assume makes reference to the effect this beer could have on an unsuspecting drinker quaffing it quickly--indeed, the alcohol hits quickly like the drop of the blade.

Mammoth head, near brilliant white, and very fine-bubbled, milk-like. The lacing moves quickly, but it does stick. Cloudy, peachy, yellow in some light, light brown in others. The appearance is everything a Belgian strong ale should be. The aroma is super sweet, strongly fruit-filled, and syrupy. Apricot, peach, and tart candy. Mmm. The strongly sweet aroma gets high praise from sweet-beer lovers. There is a creamy quality about the aroma as well, and the yeasty freshness is superbly appetising. The taste is very much like wine or sherry, along with some ultra-sweet fruit brandies I have tasted. The phenolic taste is not overwhelming, though very tangible: otherwise there are sweet malt, apricot and berries of various sorts, mint, and earthy yeast tastes, leaving a dry puckering mouth sensation. The finish, though, is extremely alcoholic, leaving the tongue with a warming, burning feel, which is the only reason this is not an easily drinkable beer. High carbonation, and full-bodied. No, this is enjoyable only perhaps occasionally, and certainly no more than two in the same session. High carbonation, and full-bodied. This is more akin to a fruit brandy or port. Phenomenal.

Serving type: bottle

07-18-2004 09:56:03 | More by Cwrw

davidchollar

Washington

4.03/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I really like the bottles and labels from this brewery, very artistic and distinct! This BSPA poured into my tulip glass presents a fine looking beer. A hazy, golden honey with a gorgeous thick white head. Note: This very well may be a beautiful ale, or it could be that I just haven't had a classy beer in a while, been swilling lately to beat the heat.

My first impression of the smell is good. Strong and fruity, I get the typical "Belgian Strong" smells. I just realized it kind of reminds me of Hoegaarden's Forbidden Fruit, in it's nearly over-the-top fruitiness. Apricot dominates, also some pineapple and candy, nothing spectacular here but certainly not bad.

The taste, however, is a little better. Well balanced, with a bold, sweet and SPICY taste up front but a pleasantly bitter kick at the finish. Very smooth and easy to drink. This is 9% abv ?! Nothing bad to say about the taste. If anything, I would say La Guillotine falls short of the 90 mark for lack of originality - it just doesn't seem that memorable. I'd get it again, but at 470 yen ($4.50), it's kind of expensive. Along with the other Brouwerij Huyghe offerings I've had ... Recommended.

Serving type: bottle

07-14-2007 15:16:24 | More by davidchollar