Abbaye De St Amand - Brasserie De Brunehaut

bskrtz

Illinois

4.05/5  rDev +18.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

11.2ounce bottle served cold in glass beer challis

A) Heffe in appearance, cloudy with off white billowy head. Settles to quarter inch head which lasts throughout the pour. Brass color with shade of grey

S) Sweet Belgian candy sugar, tart, sour dough.

T) Very sweet with apple, banana, peer, coriander. Classic Belgian blonde. Wonderful

M) Sticky sweet with tons of carbonation. Thick and complex. I truly enjoy these effervescent bottle conditioned beers and this one does not dissappoint.

O) St. Amand is now on my list, though difficult to find I will seek it out. Note of caution: the first I opened was a gusher. You are fore-warned.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2012 00:51:51 | More by bskrtz

rhoadsrage

Illinois

4/5  rDev +17%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

(Served in a tulip glass)
J/13 on the bottle
A- This is a big gusher that fills a full glass of white foam that boils to a thin film with a murky dark orange body. The head sticks to the glass a bit before is slides back into the glass.

S- The cereal with a slight fruity note and some pale malt notes. There is the classic abbey yeast character that I can only imagine smells of monks bad breath.

T- The abbey yeast character has an earthy fruity note that turns cidery as it opens up. There is also a watery taste as it opens aswell.

M- The medium-light mouthfeel and a tight little fizz.

O- The nice pale malt and honey sweetness has some nice abbey character. There is no infection notes just over active yeast.

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2013 15:59:51 | More by rhoadsrage

Ciocanelu

Romania

3.5/5  rDev +2.3%

01-31-2013 19:21:31 | More by Ciocanelu

roblund

California

3/5  rDev -12.3%

08-13-2012 19:48:19 | More by roblund

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

3.85/5  rDev +12.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I can't really say I've had a lot of experience with juniper berries, but they add a nice subtle, yet clearly noticeable tone to this beer. Overall, it's a pretty smooth beer with an easy going Belgian tone to it. I can't really say there is a lot of complexity going on, but it works pretty well. Very easy to drink; probably too much so. A nice beer. Would be nice on a slightly too warm day. The only detractor was that it was a gusher. Nothing worse than popping the cap, turning to throw it away, and coming back to find your beer on the kitchen counter.

Serving type: bottle

08-05-2012 20:25:42 | More by RblWthACoz

bennetj17

Arizona

3.1/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Deep gold color, with thin but lasting white foam. Slow and steady streams of bubbles rise up through the moderately hazed beer. Aroma is pretty boring. Dry, yeasty aroma with hints of sweet malts and a soapy, almost chlorine-like note. Not much going on here, little spice, faint hops, hopefully the taste will offer something more.

Doughy, yeasty malt sweetness up front, becoming even less sweet and more dry toward the middle. Finish has a hint of toastiness but overall there lacks much complexity. Despite the Belgian yeast character the beer is too clean, almost bland. Mouthfeel is pretty unremarkable, sharp carbonation is almost too sharp.

I had never heard of this beer before. The guy at the store threw it in for free, and it was a good thing I didn't have to pay because it was pretty disappointing. There is a real lack of ambition here. It's not a terrible brew, but there's nothing interesting at all about it. Unfortunately I would not try this again.

Serving type: bottle

07-07-2012 04:35:51 | More by bennetj17

bona2vada

3.75/5  rDev +9.6%

03-30-2012 16:08:43 | More by bona2vada

chocosushi

Oklahoma

3.23/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Duvel Tulip
Cellar Temp
A ~ Pours pale amber/honey with a nice white head. Extra fine carb. Unfortunately it was a supreme gusher.

S ~ Dry pear, white grape juice, lemon candy.

T ~ White grape following through with dry lemon & simple syrup on a bed of dry breadiness. . Hints of pepper, but I am really having to search for Juniper, which I do not like in a beer that claims to have been brewed with juniper berries. Searching not be required.

M ~ Simple melange of fruit flavors. . . finish is dry & peppery. No juniper in the mouthfeel whatsoever. Good balance with mild heat.

D ~ Decent enough but it needs more Juniper if it is claiming to be a golden ale brewed with Juniper berries! This is just a good run of the mill BSPA, & nothing more. Don't seek out.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2012 02:50:37 | More by chocosushi

mrip

California

3/5  rDev -12.3%

01-30-2012 00:29:52 | More by mrip

russpowell

Oklahoma

3.28/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Date code of A J 13, maybe a best before date of January 2013?

Opens as a gusher, lost at least 3-4 oz of the bottle with a glass near by, ugh. Pours a semi hazed apricot with a thumb of beige colored head. Good lacing, average head retention, still hazed all the way through

S: Bready, pears, yeastyness, lemons & medicinal notes

T: Pears, candi sugar, cinnamon, apple peel & blossoms & a touch of pineapple, a bit all over the map. A combination of pine apple, apple & a touch of boozey lemon & maybe some oxidation as this warms. Finishes with orchard fruit, a touch of lemon drop candy sweetness & a bit of pineapple & leafy hops

MF: Medium bodied, fairly light carbonation, somewhat grainy

An alright Belgian PA, not getting any juniper, this one is kind of weird but not one I would buy again

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2012 03:15:39 | More by russpowell

ales4baldo

California

3.68/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Presentation-Small little funky bottle. Metions the Juniper berries. ABV is small at 7%

Appearence-Seems pretty bubbly with a decent size head. About a fingers worth. Really foggy, almost like a DIPA. Amber color. Hefe style look as well.

Smell-Has a Hefe smell to it. Yeast and malts arise when i go in for a sniff. Straw, and small amounts of alcohol. Im getting lemon notes and light hops.

Taste-Nice. Seems to have a balanced all around delicate smoothness to it. The malts and the yeast are there. Get a bit of a zing to it towards the back of my tongue.

Mouthfull-Has a nice crisp to it. Nice subtle carbonation as well. Has a frothy like body to it. All around nice.

Overall-I wasnt expecting too much from this beer but i actually do like it. Its simple, nice, well rounded i would say and good. I would pick up another one.

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2011 03:48:19 | More by ales4baldo

robwestcott

Indiana

2.5/5  rDev -26.9%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2

thanks to erikkoppin for this one.

poured cold and bubbling over from the bottle a murky honey gold to a dogfish head signature glass with a full finger, long lasting, snow white head leaving a ton of lace to the rim after each sip.

aroma - hmm, not great, maybe i'm missing something but this smells like a budweiser.

candy corn, cotton candy, cloyingly sweet.

big bodied, super creamy, but strangely sticky to the teeth, like really and truly sticky, my teeth and sticking together. no joke.

overall - very strange experience. i'll not head down this road again.

Serving type: bottle

09-29-2011 23:28:11 | More by robwestcott

BeerAdvocate

Massachusetts

3.73/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Review from BeerAdvocate Magazine Issue #53 (June 2011):

Loud “psst” when we cracked the cap; not a gusher, but certainly lively. Hazy, dirty straw color; enough lacing to get by. Hints of orange blossom, nougat, doughy yeast and a very faint juniper in the nose. Deep crispness, very smooth. Light honey-like maltiness, floral flavor throughout. Yeast flavor is mildly nutty and the juniper berry flavor is hard to pick out, but its sting aims more toward the finish. Ripe pears, subtle pear cider. Light kiss of alcohol. Semidry finish. No doubt this is a tasty little brew; while somewhat complex, nothing really jumps out, nor does the juniper make much of an appearance.

Serving type: bottle

08-25-2011 00:44:26 | More by BeerAdvocate

puboflyons

New Hampshire

3.33/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Sampled at Julio's Belgian Beer Fest on August 14, 2011. It pours pale yellow with adequate clarity and an off-white, fizzy head. The aroma has a dose of malts along with apples and juniper. The body tended to be fizzy and thin but not watered down. Malts were evident in the taste but nothing really jumped out at me here. It was basically a very average brew.

Serving type: bottle

08-14-2011 21:09:47 | More by puboflyons

Offa

California

4.03/5  rDev +17.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Slightly hazy dark gold, very big faintly off-white head slowly shrinks to foamy ¼” top and lots of foamy lace. It looks very nice.

Aroma is lots of yeasty bread – fresh bread baked with honey, pear, herbs, faint hint of banana and clove. It smells like a very nice version of a Belgian blond ale.

Taste is nice, characterful Belgian blond ale – yeasty, fruity, bready with nice tingly-zesty herb character along with honeyed bread, pears and apples, definite herbal character but no obvious juniper taste. It is highly drinkable, balanced, well-rounded with some light complexity and winey hint. It’s not super complex, but it is excellent nevertheless.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2011 19:06:02 | More by Offa

4000qtrap

Missouri

3.4/5  rDev -0.6%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Source/Serving: 11.2 oz. bottle, expiration Jan 2013.

S: lemongrass, light but complex spiciness, fresh apple cider edge and a wiff of fresh herbal hops. Champagne-like. Pleasant, lively, and refreshing but not too intense. As it warms it gets a little solventy which is unfortunate.

T: Semisweet up front with a moderate amount of fresh bread and yeast that are accented by juicy citrus and spice. Middle dries out a bit (partly due to alcohol) with balanced levels of toasted bread and spice that is well balanced by bitterness. Nice herbal hop flavor rises just up to predominant levels. There is a pleasant depth and complexity to the whole mix (maybe it’s the juniper but its not overt) with the spices and hops playing off one another delightfully. Not at all sweet and very crisp. Carbonation is quite perky and medium-light bodied. Could use a little more body. Alcohol comes through a bit and its quite warming, not hidden but not overt. Finish is dry and crisp with a nice subtle hop snap and lingering bready grains that are ever-so-lightly spiced with the juniper coming through.

Notes: Highly drinkable and delicate. Maybe just a little too delicate and lacking that extra punch of intensity I'm looking for. Its hop-light for the style but any more would disrupt the nice balance with the spice. Quite pleasant.

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2011 03:52:39 | More by 4000qtrap

timtim

District of Columbia

4.03/5  rDev +17.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

someone correct me if i'm wrong (read this in randy mosher's book?), but gin was made illegal in belgium some time ago for quite a few years. during that time, strong beers with flavor profiles similar to gin became very popular, and basically evolved in to what we now know as tripel. it says on the bottle that this is an homage to tradition, so maybe that is what they are going for here? looks gorgeous. gusher, but no chunkies. glowing, hazy white gold with a white head that holds forever and leaves great lace. nose is fruit (peach, pear, nectarine?), citrus, sweet bread and herbs with alcohol just poking it's head through a bit. boo ya! there it is in the taste... i wouldn't necessarily know it from the nose, but the taste is sweet fruit at first that is cut through by herbiness and a very pleasant warming sensation that is herbal like eucalyptus is warming (but tasting more similar to pine branch/sap) yet ultimately heart-warmingly boozy. very similar to an old-school style cocktail made with real sugars, fresh herbs and gin. good balance and medium body that is surprisingly creamy with an herbal finish that lingers. very nice. good fun. definitely for the gin lovers in the beer world, or your friends that drink gin but don't "like" beer!

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2011 00:52:13 | More by timtim

impending

California

3.75/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

33cl into a tulip. Pours a hazy light orange gold, ok pure white head, minor lacing.

Aroma is light fruits and yeast atop citrus.

Taste is ripe sweet fruits covered in powdery yeast. Bitter nor dry is the finish but it is mildly tangy. The juniper becomes evident in the finish and fronts the lingering aftertaste. Medium bodied, slightly viscous mouthfeel.
cheers
jd

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2011 01:23:02 | More by impending

kaseydad

California

2.93/5  rDev -14.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Cracked the top and got an endless flow of foam fuming out the top. Quickly poured it into my large Duvel glass and the beast subsided. Poured a hazy orange ale with a nice white foamy head that quickly subsides to a small layer of foam. The smell consists of floral and orange. Smells sort of orange-julius-ish. Not overly impressed. The label says the brew was brewed with juniper berries but I'm not sure if they are here...or the taste for that matter. Taste is somewhat fruity with an astringent swallow. The taste is definitely crisp. There is an tinny kind of rubbing alcohol aftertaste that is not pleasant at all! The drinkability is lower as I hard a hard time putting this down. Maybe this translates out well from the source, but in the bottle I am not a huge fan of this.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2010 01:54:17 | More by kaseydad

SolomonGrundy

California

3.03/5  rDev -11.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a slightly hazy gold with a nice creamy finger of persistent head. Little to no lacing. Smells a little bit vanilla-ish among all the standard Belgian notes. Actually, does leave lace...a LOT of it. Didn't notice until I had a sip or two, but it's REALLY there. Flavor is thin for a Belgian blond. Kind of bitter up front and quickly disappears into a watery finish that bitterly collapses onto your tongue. Disappointing to say the least. Nice carbonation and smotthness makes this very drinkable, along with the price tag of $2.99/11.2oz. bottle. 7% ABV is not hidden but isn't overpowering. Overall shows promise but ultimately isn't good enough to justify tracking it down.

Serving type: bottle

08-04-2010 00:59:40 | More by SolomonGrundy

Stavage

Australia

2.73/5  rDev -20.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Poured into my Duvel tulip glass, it has a nice golden amber colour, a little hazy but not very. Forms a nice big frothy white head and it's debatable whether the head lasts until the end or whether it becomes an incredibly thick lacing.

Smell is champagne like, the same kind of fruitiness. Not particularly complex though, and there is a strong hint of alcohol in the smell. Little whiff of malt at the end.

Taste was incredibly disappointing. Immediate taste was of alcohol mixed with fruit. Gin like bitterness as a back note. Possibly due to the juniper berries? The flavour lasted barely an instant before fading away into nothing though. All in all a very weak flavour. After a few sips it tasted like soda water with a splash of gin in it.

Mouthfeel was average. Medium bodied, average carbonation though the carbonation seemed artificial.

Not very drinkable to me. Not something I could chug down and not pleasant enough to sip.

I'd try it again just in case this was a bad bottle, but it didn't seem like a bad bottle. The flavours weren't bad, just non existant. No skunkiness or other tell tale signs of a beer being off. A couple years within its recommended drink by date. Maybe something horrible happened throughout its transportation or storage at the bottle shop.

Not a bad experience, just not a good one, especially considering its price.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2009 12:11:12 | More by Stavage