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't Smisje Fiori
Brouwerij Smisje

't Smisje Fiori't Smisje Fiori
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From:
Brouwerij Smisje
 
Belgium
Style:
Belgian Pale Strong Ale
ABV:
9%
Score:
76
Avg:
3.12 | pDev: 22.76%
Reviews:
19
Ratings:
24
Status:
Active
Rated:
Mar 26, 2017
Added:
Dec 13, 2008
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
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Ratings by Soozy:
Photo of Soozy
Reviewed by Soozy from Tennessee

3.34/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3
This is an average Belgian strong ale.

No freshness or brewed on date on the bottle.

Smell kind of different, but I kind of like it honestly. It's got a hint of apricot, some cucumber, a hint of alcohol. There's a little bit of a medicinal smell that smells off. In general, definitely different and not what I was expecting.

There's a lot of spicyness to the taste. It has a slight medicinal off-flavor to it as well. Pretty bland in general. There's the herbal/cucumber flavor in the back of the profile. 9% is masked well.

Overall, this isn't an AWFUL bee, but I would not buy it again.
Jul 31, 2011
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.5 by Birdlegs from Washington

Mar 26, 2017
Photo of pat61
Reviewed by pat61 from Minnesota

3.79/5  rDev +21.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Tart nose with biscuit, fruit and a hint of bacon and spice. Pours hazy orange tinted gold with a thin white foam cap. The palate is all fruit and spice suspended in a very effervescent texture that finishes ith a citrusy bitter hop accent. The carbonation’s fine bead gives it a creamy smoothness. The body is medium.
Mar 17, 2015
 
Rated: 2.75 by lmaduells from Spain

Nov 09, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by DrBier from Pennsylvania

Jul 24, 2014
 
Rated: 2.25 by ChrisCBeets from Florida

Oct 18, 2013
 
Rated: 3.25 by ajzy from Wisconsin

Jun 10, 2013
Photo of mrfrancis
Reviewed by mrfrancis from Kentucky

3.85/5  rDev +23.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A: Pours a cloudy gold with a creamy, lingering white head. Hazier than the average Belgian strong pale ale.

S: Strong aromas of vanilla bean, heavy cream, coriander, and oak. I didn't detect much in the way of hops here, but the smell is unique to say the least.

T: The beer enters smoothly with notes of smoky malt, vanilla bean, cream, toffee, coffee, oak, coriander, and a smattering of grassy hops blossoming forth in an immediate fashion. Finishes with notes of smoke, cream, vanilla, and toffee. There is nothing subtle about this beer's flavor profile. One will likely love it or hate it.

M: I definitely feel that this is a full-bodied beer. Very substantial in the mouth with a milky, silky feel to it.

O: I'm probably alone in liking this beer, but that's cool with me. It's definitely not your typical Belgian strong blonde/pale ale. Very unique and challenging.
Oct 04, 2011
Photo of impending
Reviewed by impending from California

1.65/5  rDev -47.1%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 1
33cl into a tulip. Pours a hazy dingy dull orange, minor head receded slowly to the surface, ok lacing.

Aroma is very highly spiced mixed with minor medicinal phenols which are clean and crisp none the less. Sweets add to the confusion. Weird, I can't decide if I like it, I sniff perversely.

Taste is a mess. When I taste something like this I oft wonder is this what the brewer tasted? I don't for a moment think I have a bad bottle . . . just . . . someone had to say this was delicious. Why else would they put it on a truck, a boat and a truck again to bring it to me 6,000+ miles away. Sad to say, its not worthy of the effort nor of my coin.
no cheers
jd
Jun 11, 2011
Photo of drpimento
Reviewed by drpimento from Wisconsin

2.36/5  rDev -24.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2
A lot of this brewery's beers have a mineral taste in common that isn't so good. This one isn't an exception. Bottle started to foam over just before pouring and shortly after opening. Poured with a large off white head and some lace. Color is a cloudy amber with sediment. Aroma is complex but not all good: malt yeast spice honey mineral must skunk burnt matches. Flavor's pretty much the same, but the bitter mineral stands out. Finish is like flavor. Body is decent and so is carbonation. Not a fan.
May 17, 2010
Photo of Beerenauslese
Reviewed by Beerenauslese from California

2.88/5  rDev -7.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5
Pours cloudy gold with a small head that dissipates quickly, leaving a small ring of foam. Leaves some lacing on the glass.

Aromas of funk and smoke.

Tastes of smoked malt, ginger, Indian spices, citrus peel, and is a bit sour and funky.

Body is light with good carbonation.

A unique beer, overly spiced in my opinion, like an over-spiced spice cake. Fortunately, I am having daal and rice tonight, so it might work with dinner. I wouldn't want any more than one of these in an evening or maybe even a month.
Apr 28, 2010
Photo of metter98
Reviewed by metter98 from New York

3.06/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
A: Poured cloudy brown-yellow into a tulip glass with a large, white head, which slowly dissipated into a thin layer of bubbles. There are lots of yeast particles floating around near the bottom of my glass.
S: There's a funky musty and sour aroma of yeasts, spices and floral essences, a type of smell that I've never quite encountered before and is therefore difficult to describe.
T: The flavors share a lot of similarities with the smell, except there's lots of spices and a little bit of added bitterness from the hops. Like the smell, I've never experienced this type of taste before in a beer.
M: It feels medium-bodied and there's a lot of carbonation.
D: It was very difficult to drink this; maybe it's a taste that first needs to be "acquired." However, it got somewhat easier to drink the beer as it warmed up and I got more accustomed to the unique taste.
Apr 14, 2010
Photo of GRG1313
Reviewed by GRG1313 from California

2.11/5  rDev -32.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5
Pours a hazy amber with a short white head.

Nose of chlorine and house cleaner.

Thin body with little character.

Tastes like it smells - like house cleaner. Has a weird and unappealing fruity character.

No need to try again, unless to confirm; perhaps a bad batch?
Feb 04, 2010
Photo of BuckeyeNation
Reviewed by BuckeyeNation from Iowa

3.53/5  rDev +13.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
"I like flowers. I also like children, but I do not chop off their heads and keep them in bowls of water around the house."

--George Bernard Shaw

Radiant apricot with multiple lively streams of uprushing bubbles that have created a truly Belgianesque head of ivory colored foam. The suds are both thick and sticky, producing a glass that is already impressively coated with lace.

Brouwerij Smisje is one of those Belgian breweries that adds all sorts of wacky, off-beat stuff to their beer. This one smells more interesting than good (though it isn't bad). The nose is herbal, spicy and musky. Coriander is appreciated, as is something else that isn't immediately obvious.

Some Smisje beer is solid and drinkable. Some is less so, but is still above average. Fiori is one of the latter. One source says that the ingredients list includes (in part) Hallertau and East Kent Goldings hops, dark and white candi sugar, vanilla and coriander.

That could be, but this big ale tastes more herbal and weedy than that. It has more than a passing resemblance to Great Lakes Grassroots Ale, a saison that uses lemon balm, lemon basil and coriander. White pepper notes are appreciated as well, especially with warming. In the end, it doesn't add up to anything even remotely special.

In contrast with some offerings from this brewery, the body/mouthfeel is no great shakes either. It struggles to reach medium for the style and doesn't possess enough voluminous creaminess. By the way, most sources say the ABV is 7.0%.

If you're interested in drinking something from Brouwerij Smisje, stick with Calva Reserva, Dubbel, Blond and BBBourgondier. Fiori ('Flowers') is too odd, too far off the beaten path to be more than a curiosity.
Jan 08, 2010
Photo of emerge077
Reviewed by emerge077 from Illinois

2.38/5  rDev -23.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2
This was a new one to me, found it up in WI. I thought it was a holiday beer variant, a la Kerst... too bad I was wrong.

For a BSPA, there wasn't much there visually to make the connection. A feeble head, maybe a 1/2" at most that faded to a splotchy skim. It was a murky orange-amber with floating unfiltered chunks.

Aroma had that weird telltale plastic-y infected smell. Some bready sweetness under that, but it was overshadowed. Flavor was cidery and astringent with an earthy, dirty, bitter aftertaste. The hops gave it some notes of bitter aspirin and potting soil. Not sure what spices this was brewed with, but it has an astringent tea-like bitterness. Unpleasant aftertaste. Can't say I want to finish this, but it would be wasting money not to.

This is the last infected Smisje beer I buy, $5 is too much to waste to find out...
Nov 29, 2009
Photo of GClarkage
Reviewed by GClarkage from California

2.58/5  rDev -17.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2
09/15/09- Purcased at K&L WIne Cellars in Redwood City, CA.

Presentation- 11.2oz bottle with no freshness info. Poured into my Duvel tulip.

Appearance- Burnt orange-caramel colored pour. Nice full one inch thick bubbled head. Good staying power with a solid rim. Some good streaks and pacthes of lace left behind.

Smell- Odd scent. Some phenols...mild plastics, but also some cardamom, some citrus and an odd scent of what seems like a smoked paprika. Not really bad, just funky and different.

Taste- Was thinking it may have a bit of smoke flavor because of the nose and it does. Not a good one though. A bit of a smoked beer or rauch-like flavor, but in a bad way. This beer has a first flavor taste as if you licked the bottom of a shoe...after it had walked all day in downtown and in the subways and in the public bathrooms. Really nasty first flavor. Fortunately, it turns to a light citrus and cardamom flavor with some very minor hops and a bit of honey. A bit sour and a bit sweet with a touch of brett.

Mouthfeel- Medium carbonation level..really can't detect the 9%...medium mouthfeel.

Drinkability- I'm halfway through it now and really am having the urge to drain it. I can barely get passed that first flavor I taste...think I can forge on though.
Sep 16, 2009
Photo of Sammy
Reviewed by Sammy from Canada (ON)

3.6/5  rDev +15.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3
Belgian ale, less yeasty than used to, a bit more bold spice than used to, a sipper and something a big different. Pours transparent with big bubbly white head that dissipitates. Moderate spicey aroma. A bit above average mouthfeel. Drinkable, some cardemon and a tad citrussy.
Aug 21, 2009
Photo of JohnQVegas
Reviewed by JohnQVegas from Tennessee

3.93/5  rDev +26%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Bottle into chalice.

Pours a murky copper, white head that refuses to let go of the walls as it sets into a nice solid cap.

Nose is nice - pears, apples, and bready yeast, doughy, a bit peppery and dry, with tons of spices peeking out - orange peel for sure, I wish I could even start to place the rest.

Taste is loaded with spice. Grassy up front, almost vegetal in an odd but not entirely unappealing way, doughy and yeasty, earthy spiciness. Coriander is in there, maybe some clove. Oooh, I have it - raw peanuts. Not huge, but it's there underneath. Finish is yeasty, lots of lingering spices. This is a very, very interesting brew.

Mouthfeel is smooth, a bit creamy, dry. Full bodied.

Drinkability isn't bad at all. Lot of stuff going on, but none of it is really a bad thing for the palate. Just kind of unexpected. I really wanna drink this with some thai food.
Jun 04, 2009
Photo of prototypic
Reviewed by prototypic from Ohio

3.48/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Huge thanks to BuckeyeNation for this one. You send me some obscure stuff, brother.

Fiori pours a moderately hazy gold color. It's far from opaque. There's no yeasty sediment swimming around, but it's nice and cloudy. A very firm vanilla colored head stands an enormous three fingers all and is very, very slow to recede. Thick waves of lace line the glass as it descends.

The nose is lacking in overall strength and could use a little work. It's predominantly spicy and features a mix of orange peel, coriander, and pepper. There's probably other ancillary spices. Earthy and grassy notes resonate throughout. Light citrus orange and lemon creep in and out every so often. Belgian yeast is present, but is rather subdued. I'd like for that to be a little more pronounced. It smells a little sweet toward the end. Hops are faint, but noted. They smell mostly floral and grassy. Alcohol is masked very well. I was expecting a little, but it's not. Not bad, but more muscle is needed.

The flavor profile is kicked off with a light, but sweet malty flavor. Coriander and pepper follow and give it a spicy punch. Orange peel is noted, but is not very strong. Again, there's probably more here in terms of spices, it just gets a little blurry past this point. Light citrus lemon is noted. It's definitely grassy and earthy due to a floral variety of hops. They give it a nice little buzz. Toward the end, it tastes like there's some spicy hop flavor, but that could easily be attributed to the spices. I just can't quite tell. Belgian yeast is very faint and its muted presence hurts the flavor overall. I really like that flavor quite a bit and I am left wanting for more here. Alcohol is mildly noticeable, but it's blended very well overall. I wouldn't have guessed that this is a 9% beer. It's got a pretty good flavor overall, but a couple of tweaks would improve.

Fiori's body is light and a bit too thin. Carbonation also seems too light. It lacks a smooth feel and a crisp bite would help. It's above average, but not by much. Drinkability is also just above average. The flavor's alright. Far from bad. But, it doesn't have nearly enough to compete with Duvel or some other top BSPAs out there. Nonetheless, it's going down pretty well and I probably wouldn't object to another.

Fiori's a pretty good BSPA, but doesn't compete with the best out there. Its biggest problems are its unrefined flavor, thin body, and light carbonation. Despite the fact that it is an authentic BSPA, it doesn't measure up to its siblings. A more substantial Belgian yeast presence, more body, and higher carbonation would improve it dramatically. As it is, it's more than decent and is worth a try if you run across it. Thanks, Brad.
May 13, 2009
Photo of brewandbbq
Reviewed by brewandbbq from New Hampshire

4/5  rDev +28.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
11.2oz stubby bottle with bags of spices or flowers on the label.

Pours hazy, dark orange with a quarter inch head of off-white. A solid skimcoat remained on the surface for the duration of the glass with plenty of smeared lacework.

Orange zest, cut grass, lime leaves, and cloves lead of the nose. Spice-laden bubblegum and pungent floral qualities follow through. A hint of burnt palstic and band aids finishes through.

Light bodied with a soft, slightly oily mouthfeel.

Earthy spice and heavy phenols start the palate. A tonnic-like dryness steps forward along with hints of juniper, lime, coriander, and candied lemons.

Finishes with a honeyish sweetness, fading grassy spice, and warming alcohol.

This one has a really interesting blend of spices and does not get overbearing or boring. Quite unique.
Apr 20, 2009
't Smisje Fiori from Brouwerij Smisje
Beer rating: 76 out of 100 with 24 ratings