't Smisje BBBourgondier - Brouwerij Smisje

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.25/5  rDev -17.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

the colour, A cloudy juice with apple and pear. The smell, a yeasty odour with booze, like something not ready to serve. Taste and mouthfeel - so, so, was better than warmed. Faintest whisp of head and lace. Low carbonation, after a bit of pop in the open. Was this to be served 3 years ago, or needs 6 more months to ferment?

Serving type: bottle

04-18-2005 01:29:03 | More by northyorksammy

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

4.03/5  rDev +2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Glowing dark reddish orange that reminds me of the light emanating from a Jack O'Lantern on halloween night. The ecru cap was large to start, filling the vast majority of the snifter before slowly shrinking to a thick, creamy disk. Wisps and tatters of lace decorate the inversely sloping sides of the glass. This is a beautiful beer.

Although the nose is nice, it isn't quite as rich or as complex as most of the best quadrupels; at least the ones I've had so far. It smells a little like port due to its fruity vinousness. There's also a whiff of mild spice that could be coming from the yeast or it could be coming from the two exotic ingredients that Brouwerij De Regenboog uses (see below).

I'm impressed with BBBourgondier, but my socks are still on my feet. I didn't care for beer of this style at first. That was before I drank a few world-class versions. It's funny how one's perceptions can change so radically with a little palate experience. This is still a more than solid version that does most things right.

In some ways, this beer is more reminiscent of an English barleywine that a quadrupel. The malt bill is slanted toward the lighter end of the scale, with nothing darker than caramel malt as far as I can tell. Apples, oranges and white raisins dominate. There are no figs, plums or dark raisins to be found.

The exotic ingredients include valerian (a medicinal herb used since ancient times) and lemon balm (an herb whose leaves smell both lemon-like and mint-like). Now that I consider it, there is a hint of mint... and maybe those oranges are really lemons after all. In any case, without prior knowledge of the ingredients, I never could have determined that anything other than malt, hops and Belgian yeast were used.

I like the mouthfeel just fine. This isn't the biggest, baddest quadrupel on the block, but there's enough volume and enough linger to maximize contact between beer and buds. The 12.0% ABV cuts through the malt sugars like a hot knife through butter.

This is a good quad, but I'm not tempted to wax poetic. On the positive side of the ledger, it's one of the more drinkable high-ABV ales that you'll find and probably ages like a dream (this bottle is at least one year old, perhaps two). I'm sure they have no interest in using it, but my newly created motto for this brewery is 'usually good, always interesting'. BBBourgondier is both.

Serving type: bottle

06-19-2007 21:23:46 | More by BuckeyeNation

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4.5/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

375ml bottle poured into a Goblet

A – Poured a very nice and hazy burnt amber with a nice brownish tint to it, almost a fig type of color. A smallish maybe one finger high head of off white frothy lace came across the top and lingered for a moment before settling down to just a thin layer across the top. There was some decent carbonation streaming up towards the top, but the side glass lace was very nice. Silky like strands that encircled the glass throughout the entire session. Very nice presentation.

S – The aroma was rich with lots of dark yeast and subtle hints of fruit. Some plums and grapes could be picked up along with a bit of a sour note and a very nice touch of sweetness in the back. It was a very upfront aroma with nice complex layers of different fruit like smells. Very inviting.

T – The flavor was wonderful. Very full with the first obvious taste being a deep rooted fruitiness. A nice mellow onset really had to be warmed up before the good stuff started to shine through. A nice touch of plums and peaches were very evident along with a good amount of sour in the back. This was nothing outrageous and sometimes came across quite subtle, but the flavor was really wonderful. Dark and rich hints of figs and grain were becoming apparent along with a ling drawn out finish that had that nice little sour bite at the end and the ever so subtle hint of apple. Very nice indeed.

M – A nice medium bodied ale with good carbonation this was an easy dinner sipper. There was a nice silky quality to it and the depth of the feel let the flavors really roll out and let you explore all the options.

D – Very nice I could have easily had another when this was done. It was something that was to be savored, to be enjoyed over a period of time. This was nothing you wanted to rush as you would have missed out on a great session.

Overall this was unique and wonderful. Something a bit different that I really was not expecting, but that was a wonderful surprise. I really enjoyed how well the yeast was able to morph into different flavors as the temperature changed during the session and found this to be on the whole very warm and enjoyable. I greatly look forward to trying this again in the near future.

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2007 11:20:37 | More by mikesgroove

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

2.6/5  rDev -34.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Appearance: Pours a clear, amber body with a khaki-colored head.

Smell: Perfumy aroma of amontillado, dried fruits (bananas and golden raisins), and caramel.

Taste: Caramel sweetness along with the fruits carrying over from the aroma. That's really all there is to it, flavorwise. The mercifully brief finish is a 2-to-1 blend of alcohol and yeast.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Very little carbonation.

Drinkability: I can't honestly recommend this one at all. The words "stop" and "no" pop-up in my mind whenever I see this beer in stores now.

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2007 19:12:30 | More by ChainGangGuy

BEERchitect

Kentucky

4.03/5  rDev +2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

With ultimate strength and a dangerously drinkable notion, this Quadruple Ale celebrates estery fruits, spicy phenols, and a warm tummy.

The beer pours with a deep honey-like amber hue that's less dark than many Stong Dark Ales on the market. The beer builds a very creamy and dense egg shell white head that retains very stubbornly and with mild lace. Very impressive is the head character and staying power.

Wine-like vinous notes, spice, and an underlying musty malt character set the stage for aromas while fruity notes resemble those of cherries, figs, dates, grape, and then rum-like alcohols.

Flavors are vividly of the raison, dates, fig, and cherry fruit flavors- all of the bold and ripe vareities. The stone fruit character is in perfect contrast to the peppery spice of white pepper, black peppercorn, corriander, and dried orange peel. Low-lying sweetness seems to be mostly of candied fruits rather than bready or biscuity malt. Alcohol also lends a hand in the flavor profile with the boozy character of rum or maybe even cough syrups.

Very creamy to start, the carbonation seems to erupt from the palate in a very expansive way. As the carbonation subsides, it takes with it any malty weight and leaves more of an impression of flavor in aftertaste rather than feeling the weight of the beer on the palate- all leads to a very whimsical texture and ease in drinking. The finish brings a dry-fruity character and a hot, prickly feel from the 12% abv.

Where this Quad favors the lighter and brighter balance of nuts and fruit rather than the more chocolaty and richer varieties; it has a very dry and warm identity that should settle well with drinkers of cognac and brandy.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2012 05:06:14 | More by BEERchitect

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

4.47/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Note: Be careful pouring this one... there's a lot of yeast in there, and it'll sneak past you unless you're ready. On the other hand, it's not bad if you do let it go through. Also, my bottles all had the same label which read "brewed in 2002" - I guess this was a special brew made for members of the Burgundian Babble Belt.

Carefully poured from a longstanding bottle, it's a slightly hazy chestnut brown beneath a superbly creamy head of ivory that looks like some kind of creamy soup. The head retention is excellent (particularily for a beer with an alcohol content of 12%!), and it leaves short walls of solid lace just above the surface, and some thin, residual lace throughout the goblet.

The nose is fruity (strawberry, sugared plum) with a caramelish maltiness and an occassional whiff of alcohol.

In the mouth it's lightly zesty on the tongue before billowing out into an airy cushion.

The rich, wide, and satiating flavor is full of strawberry, raisin, cola, tangerine, sugared pineapple, and some mild papaya above a puddle of caramel that's sprinkled with dry cocoa and livened by a splash of alcohol.

It finishes with a receeding fruity sweetness that leaves behind a smear of caramelish malt.

Exceptional!

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2005 23:12:51 | More by NeroFiddled

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

4.35/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a Duvel glass, a rich, burgundy hue, dark, hazy crimson, under a solid layer of white foam...

Ah! Lovely aroma here, instantly reminds one of cognac, port wine, dark fruits, spice, wood, a whiff of leather...love it!

Have to stop smelling and actually taste the guy...large flavor, filling the mouth, bright, yet deep, and boozy, like a particularly wicked spiked punch. Ripe cherries and pungent grapes...sticks on the palate, and stays a spell..Rich, tasty, and relatively easy to down. Very much like a barleywine or an old ale. Delcious!

Long fruity finish, big mouthfeel, full bodied, ...alcohol doesn't stand out, although it should, if it really is 12 %...or is it I who have become inured to big boozy badness?

A bit expensive, but worth trying, for sure. And certainly a sweet one, getting warmer as we go along...almost done now, and it's creeping up on me!

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2007 10:18:13 | More by feloniousmonk

metter98

New York

3.98/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: The beer is hazy brownish amber in color and poured with a thin collar of bubbles around the edge of the glass.
S: Aromas of fruits are present in the nose along with notes of caramel malts and hints of yeast.
T: Like the smell, the taste is complex and has some sweetness with flavors of caramel, dark fruits and yeast.
M: It feels medium- to full-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer is very easy to drink considering its strength because the alcohol is well hidden from the taste.

Serving type: bottle

10-29-2012 13:46:57 | More by metter98

Gavage

New Jersey

4.15/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: hazy brown in color with a thin surface foam for a head. No lacing develops.

Smell: sweetness abounds, mostly brown sugars and malts.

Taste: flavor follows the nose, as a thick malt backbone of brown sugar and caramels is nicely balanced with a slight earthiness, mild bitterness, and mildly noticeable alcohol.

Mouthfeel: smooth at the start and syrupy at the finish. Sweetness lingers briefly, and the tongue feels like it has a slight coating of liquid stuck to it. Heavy in body.

Drinkability: pretty good for a quadrupel since the alcohol is not overbearing, but the sweetness may get old after a glass or two. Definitely worth trying.

Serving type: on-tap

02-21-2006 22:52:20 | More by Gavage

tempest

Pennsylvania

3.68/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had a bottle for $10 at The Farmhouse in Emmaus, PA. Poured murky brown with a short tan head. 12% is a lot for a Belgian and it shows. This beer is more barleywine than anything, though the Belgian influence is there. The big fig and cocoa malt flavor are certainly rich, but the body is thin and dry enough (like a good quad) to make this drinkable and avoid a syrup-y feeling. Still the flavor isn't terribly complex. I'd call this more of a strong dark as it doesn't resemble your average quad.

Serving type: bottle

08-27-2009 13:43:36 | More by tempest

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

3.98/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a clouded dark amber brown with a small amount of tan head that does not stay around too long. Nose is strong with raisins and a bit of caramel. Also musty tones lingering as well. Flavor is smooth and sweet. Not a huge range of character, but still well made. The alcohol is extremely well hidden for being 12%. Feel is the expected with not a huge amount of carbonation. Definitely drinkable. May not be the greatest quad ever, but it is certainly well made and is good to try.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2007 21:18:04 | More by RblWthACoz

jdhilt

New Hampshire

3.5/5  rDev -11.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a two finger light tan head that fades quickly to a thin layer leaving some lace. Cloudy amber color, ton of yeast in bottom of bottle. Light carbonation and medium-heavy bodied. Cognac/raisiny nose. Starts sweet and raisiny, smooth, high ABV is barely noticeable. Their Dubbel is very similar. $4.49 for a 330ml bottle from John's Grocery Iowa City, Ia.

10oz glass, $8, on-tap at Ebenezer's Restaurant and Pub Lovell, ME. Seems to be quite different from the bottled version - white head, flavor is sweet and tart with a nose that has a tartness to it. Clean finish.

Serving type: on-tap

08-24-2007 18:22:06 | More by jdhilt

rhoadsrage

Illinois

3.9/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

(Served in a tulip glass)

A- This beer has a dark pecan colored body with a yellowish-beige thick head that makes ring marks with each sip. The body is a bid dense but microbubbles of carbonation can be seen gliding up the sides of the glass.

S- This beer has a faint banana smell with a light candy sugar and toffee smell to it slightly similar to bananas foster. There is a light herbal green lemon note in the finish.

T- This beer has a smooth sweetness with a faint plastic and caramel taste to it. There is a faint banana taste in the background with a light floral lemon note at the finish. A soft bitterness of an herbal quality finish the aftertaste but doesn't linger.

M- This beer has a medium mouthfeel with a soft alcohol heat at the finish that does a nice job of balancing the sweetness.

D-This beer has some nice big sweetness with a nice alcohol finish but not much depth in the flavor. The plastic note as a bit odd but the rest of the flavor compensated for it.

Serving type: bottle

12-13-2007 23:38:11 | More by rhoadsrage

Billolick

New York

4.33/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Stuby Belgian small bottle, brewed in 2002 according to the label. Pours dark brown, cloudy, tan head, with yeast chunks floating around, nice lacing evident.
Nose is medicinal, earthy, hint of horse blanket, musty.
Notes of raisins, minty, yeast notes,alcohol evident but somehow kept in the background (even at 12%!), chunky malty center, spicy hoppyness clears things out for a long and complex finish. Get out the stinky cheese and crusty bread, this is a hearty brew, complex, flavorful and pungent. Belgian strong dark ale lovers rejoice

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2004 01:55:57 | More by Billolick

Zorro

California

4.05/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Clear reddish brown colored beer with a good tan head that forms and falls. Hell of a lot of sediment in this bottle and it doesn't form a solid plug either, pour carefully!

Smell is sweet and quite strong with the fig aroma. Decently strong scent of lemon also, guess that is the lemon balm mentioned on the label, wonder if that is the same as lemon zest? Brown sugar with spice cake. Alcohol fumes carry more aromatic compounds mainly of citrus and strongly of ginger. Good stout bitterness holds the sweet in check.

The taste starts out sweet and malty with some orange and spice. Lemon is mostly an aftertaste like lemon. Not bad at all.

Mouthfeel is good.

Nice sipper I didn't really expect the strong citrus flavors in this beer. Haven't quite decided if I like this one or not, but it surely isn't a weekly flavored beer. Really need to find a big bottle of this and give it a further more intense analysis.

Serving type: bottle

12-05-2008 01:56:11 | More by Zorro

corby112

Pennsylvania

4.2/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On-tap at Monk's Cafe, Philadelphia, PA.

Poured a dark plum color with a slight cream colored head. Aroma of sweet berries balanced out by a nice sour scent. I was expecting this to be very sour but was surprised by the nice balance of dark fruits and bitter sourness. Very drinkable enjoyable beer.

Serving type: on-tap

12-01-2008 08:41:43 | More by corby112

johnmichaelsen

Oregon

3.88/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On cask at Max's today.

The beer pours an orange, tannish brown color with OK head retention and lacing. The nose offers up brown sugar, orange and considerable spice. On the palate this beer is definitely on the sweet side, with brown sugar, chocolate and spice. The spice helps to cut through some of the sweetness, but there's no denying that this beer is on the sweet side. Mouthfeel is surprisingly light for the sweetness and alcohol, though on the other hand, there is plenty of flavor. Drinkability is pretty good for the sweetness and alcohol, though there's no denying that a little bit goes a long way.

Nice beer on cask.

Serving type: cask

02-12-2010 16:55:58 | More by johnmichaelsen

Gusler

Arizona

4/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The beer after its escape from the 11.2 ounce brown bottle sets in the glass a smazy brown, with a colossal head that is spumous in texture and the color a toothsome tan, the resultant lace forms a glutinous blanket to obscure the glass. Nose is that of very ripe plums, hints of yeast and a bit of fusel alcohol, start is sweet and thick with malt, top id moderate to full in its feel upon the palate. Finish has a staunch acidity, the hops pounce on your palate along with the 12 percent ABV to make it spicy, aftertaste quite dry and long lasting, a quite decent beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-02-2004 21:09:05 | More by Gusler

beerthulhu

New Jersey

3.9/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Pours a dark cranberry red color, with virtually no head. 12% abv with lots peppery floaties.

S: quite strange with a sweet caramel peanut butter aroma and some bread.

T: The flavor was full of nice dark fruit, plums, prunes and raisins. Nice warming caramel with some alcohol detection but is very well hidden other wise. Also some fresh apples and toffee is detected in flavor. Upon warming alcohol stands out, caramel apple and warm fruit.

M: active from the carbonation with a nice silkiness texture to it. Slippery on the tongue.

D: The abv of 12% is very well hidden, perhaps to much so. Very sweet and a very good try.

Serving type: bottle

08-04-2008 22:26:09 | More by beerthulhu

Georgiabeer

Georgia

4/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a hazy chestnut with a decent head that mostly fades , but sticks around as a thin, swirly cap. Fruity and slightly funky with persimmon and apricot. No hint of the bandaid aroma that you sometimes get with this brewery. The taste is quite a bit more sour, but with more sweet persimmon to balance the the flavors. A touch of lemon and sweet red apple rounds it out. Quite tame and smooth for the style, and the alcohol is unbelieavably well hidden. Nice, if a bit on the soft side.

Serving type: bottle

11-15-2008 03:31:01 | More by Georgiabeer

JohnGalt1

Idaho

4/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Squat 11.2 oz bottle picked up at the Boise Coop sometime last week for ~$5.. poured into my New Belgium snifter.

Not much head at all and what is there dies down very quickly leaving no lacing behind.. amber with red highlites.

Dark caramel and dried fruit and spicy alcohol notes intermingle with some lite Belgian yeastiness... light figs, dates, raisins.. bready and peppery... subtle orangey aroma as it warms.

Flavor mirrors the nose.. rich caramel and long spicy finish.. medium sweetness has enough bitter backbone .. not getting much as far as hops, but again there is a whiff of citrus toward the end of the palate... cherries appear as it warms.

Reminds of what a Belgian take on a Barleywine would be like.. alot of malt.. fair amount of yeastiness.. a little spiciness and sit back and enjoy. This brew has been available in Boise on and off over the last few years and this is probably my 4-5th time sampling it....I will buy it again, but sparingly.. a little pricey.

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2008 07:59:51 | More by JohnGalt1

thagr81us

South Carolina

3.85/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Served from bottle into a Trappistes Rochefort chalice. Poured a slightly red-orange with a one finger off-white head that subsided to half a finger very slowly. Maintained decent lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, sugar, citrus, lemon rine, and dark fruit. The flavor was of sweet malt, dark fruit, alcohol, sugar, citrus, lemon rine, wheat, and bread. It had a medium feel on the palate with very high carbonation. Ovearll this was a decent brew. Based on the aroma I really wasn't expecting much from this brew. However, the flavor was quite complex and pretty good. Not sure how the citrus aspect was supposed to tie into this brew, but it didn't kill it in any way; just didn't enhance it. Worth trying for any fan of the style.

Serving type: bottle

10-11-2011 17:14:03 | More by thagr81us

ccrida

Oregon

3.65/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

33cl bottle (with a small square of white paper with "002" written in black pen affixed to the back of the bottle with scotch tape) I picked up a few months ago, served at cellar temp (~55F). Poured into my large St. Feuillien goblet, 't Smisje BBBourgondier is a murky pale, rusty brown, like apple cider, with a modest, off-white head that leaves decent lace.

Smell is very strong. Sweet caramel malt and lemon balm (as cited on the label), with a bit of a tang to it. Frankly, its too much - from the first whiff, I was scared of what this would taste like (which proved unfounded).

Taste is pretty good, very robust, there is a sour, spicy bit from the lemon balm, a rich maltiness but more bittersweet, with peppery esters and a bitter, astringent finish that I'd guess is more spices then bittering hops. Not your average quad, more like a kitchen sink BSDA. The aftertaste is rather tannic.

Mouthfeel is full of creamy carbonation, medium bodied.

Drinkability isn't too high, even though it was a pretty enjoyable experience. This is super strong, and while the ABV is well hidden, the flavors are intense, and it's not something you'd want a second glass of, even if you really enjoyed the first. While far from pedestrian, I thought it was overall of average quality.

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2008 04:34:17 | More by ccrida

avalon07

South Carolina

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

A: Poured from a bottle to a goblet. Had a brown color and murky consistency. There was an inch and a half of creamy, fairly long-lasting head. Average lacing.

S: A good, solid aroma of fruit, yeast, and some spices.

T: Tasted of Belgian yeast, spices (pepper), fruit (apples), and some malt as well. Not exactly a groundbreaking flavor, but focused and tasty.

M: A huge amount of carbonation with a smooth finish. Medium-bodied.

O: A solidly made, well constructed, drinkable brew.

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2012 20:11:23 | More by avalon07

stcules

Italy

2.8/5  rDev -29.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

The foam is thin, but persistent. The smell is quite variegated, from the fruity (even inclined to the too matured fruit) to the cheese?
The colour is mud, no other way to describe it.
It has a creamy flavour, fruity. The taste is even too fruity, maybe raisin. The hop is present in the carpet of flavour. The beer is unbalanced to the sweet. The bitter is noticeable just in the aftertaste. I've tryed this beer on tap at the 24 hour of Antwerpen last year, and I remember it very different (and much better...). Maybe it is the bottle.

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2003 11:00:35 | More by stcules