Pauwel Kwak - Brouwerij Bosteels

trevorwideman

Manitoba (Canada)

3.38/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

330ml bottle poured into a snifter.

Pours a deep caramel-red colour with about a finger of creamy head that disappears to a thin, wet lace very quickly. Carbonation is minimal. Aroma is of damp leaves and heavy with sweet candi sugar and malt. There's a light backbone of spice as well.

Taste is musty off the bat with with herbal notes and a fairly pronounced fruity sweetness. Ripe apples and bready yeast with a hint of buttery mellowness. Not particularly complex, and maybe leaning on the side of sweet, yet not cloying. Mouthfeel is zippy but not overly carbonated, as I find some Belgians to be. Soft and smooth, slides down easily. This is a decent Belgian pale, but far from the best.

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2009 02:14:44 | More by trevorwideman

adityashekhar

India

4/5  rDev +7%

06-18-2013 03:17:53 | More by adityashekhar

Bobhoya

Arizona

3.75/5  rDev +0.3%

06-17-2013 13:37:13 | More by Bobhoya

IchLiebeBier

Virginia

4.5/5  rDev +20.3%

06-15-2013 21:57:16 | More by IchLiebeBier

mungus

Australia

3.75/5  rDev +0.3%

06-12-2013 03:09:53 | More by mungus

BKBassist

New York

3.75/5  rDev +0.3%

06-10-2013 23:13:33 | More by BKBassist

Fr0stb1te

Wisconsin

4/5  rDev +7%

06-07-2013 20:07:46 | More by Fr0stb1te

leedorham

Washington

4.25/5  rDev +13.6%

06-05-2013 16:34:07 | More by leedorham

jroberts8811

Missouri

3.75/5  rDev +0.3%

06-03-2013 21:20:46 | More by jroberts8811

nineworldseries

Ohio

3.75/5  rDev +0.3%

06-02-2013 23:30:24 | More by nineworldseries

ronaldo_epr

Texas

4.5/5  rDev +20.3%

06-02-2013 23:13:46 | More by ronaldo_epr

apanloco

Sweden

4/5  rDev +7%

06-02-2013 17:07:52 | More by apanloco

Demonsnail

Romania

3.5/5  rDev -6.4%

06-02-2013 13:59:24 | More by Demonsnail

pkenkman

Estonia

4.5/5  rDev +20.3%

06-01-2013 15:51:29 | More by pkenkman

YoDude

Illinois

3.74/5  rDev 0%
look: 5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.75

Pauwel Kwak, aged 3 years in my beer cellar.

Appearance: Poured deep amber with a creamy tan head and lacing.

Smell: Honey and caramel notes, no pronounced hop presence, no obvious off flavors.

Taste: Licorice and toasted malt, with a hint of light Belgian candy sugar.

Mouth feel: Medium body and good carbonation. A candy sweetness lingers along with a slight spicy malt finish. No warming alcohol effect.

Overall: I have a soft spot for this beer as I discovered it on my first trip to Brussels before they began importing to the US. It also has a great back story that goes with the coachman’s glass. That being said, this is a very unique be that can only be categorized as Belgian Specialty. Aging three years is definitely too long as the beer becomes quite one dimensional with sweetness. If you’ve never had, it is definitely worth trying. Get it on draft with the coachman’s glass. Learn the back story and impress your friends.

Serving type: 11.2 oz. bottle and poured into a Pauwel Kwak Coachman’s glass.

Serving type: bottle

06-01-2013 04:06:13 | More by YoDude

crosendahl

California

4/5  rDev +7%

05-31-2013 03:00:42 | More by crosendahl

felipeprates

Brazil

4/5  rDev +7%

05-30-2013 17:20:12 | More by felipeprates

Shemmy

Thailand

4.03/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

For us here in land of zero to minimally quality controlled mass production lager stored for months in 100 degree + warehouses, to find Kwak is like stumbling on the leprechaun's proverbial pot of beer uranium at the end of the rainbow.

Appearance was not too much unlike some other Belgians I can vaguely recall such as Tripel Karmellite, a welcome association in probbaly most people's beer brains. Nothing flash, but you are assured by the toasty golden brown with maybe a slight orange going on that it will be a solid Belgian experience.

On to the taste...a solid buttery, nutty, banana with a shot of whiskey in there somewhere. I was hungry when I had my two bottles, so all of this was very welcome.
I had it with a few slices of white cheddar cheese which may well have brought out some of the damp moldy woodyness as well as the butter.

Seems to me I've heard people complain that Belgians are not well suited to hot weather, the sticky heaviness of them not permitting. Well, most people do have access to air-conditioning, so I don't understand what is the issue, tho' I'd agree, Kwak and others have a heaviness and stickiness which you'd do well to consume in a cool to cold environment.

Mouth feel is nice and well suited I thought. Slightly heavier than many lagers but nearly as fizzy. Quite a bit fizzier than other Belgian ales I thought. Not that its a bad thing, nice to know there's a fizzy one if there's an emergency--zero head tho'.

Overall, I'd say this is one that's got a rich, somewhat complex taste but which is nicely balanced with a relatively high degree of effervesence. It's now on my list list of beers I definitely like.

Serving type: bottle

05-30-2013 12:12:12 | More by Shemmy

Thedrizzle

Florida

3.5/5  rDev -6.4%

05-30-2013 00:39:16 | More by Thedrizzle

cannunzi

Florida

2/5  rDev -46.5%

05-29-2013 19:33:50 | More by cannunzi

johnnylake

Oregon

4.25/5  rDev +13.6%

05-28-2013 04:56:54 | More by johnnylake

RedneckBeerz

North Carolina

3.5/5  rDev -6.4%

05-27-2013 18:23:04 | More by RedneckBeerz

pin

Australia

2.5/5  rDev -33.2%

05-27-2013 04:59:58 | More by pin

IvarNL

Netherlands

4/5  rDev +7%

05-25-2013 15:15:05 | More by IvarNL

ChaseBacon

New York

4.25/5  rDev +13.6%

05-24-2013 20:30:37 | More by ChaseBacon