Bière Du Boucanier Red - Brouwerij Van Steenberge N.V.

UCLABrewN84

California

3.96/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a murky orange with a foamy khaki head that settles to a partial film on top of the beer. Small dots of lace slowly drip into the remaining beer on the drink down. Smell is of malt, dark fruit, grape juice, and slight spices. Taste is much the same with honey and grape juice flavors on the finish. There is a mild amount of spice bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a good beer that is tasty and easy to drink.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2013 02:07:17 | More by UCLABrewN84

LiquidAmber

Washington

3.9/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a Gulden Draak tulip. Pours a hazy caramel amber with a half finger off-white head that dissipates slowly into a thck film with decent lacing. Aroma of bready and caramel malt, light and dark dried fruit, Belgian yeast and light oxidation. Flavor of dried dark fruit mixed with light pear and apple juice, a hint of cherry, caramel malt. Finishes mildly tart with residual light fruit; a similar hint of oxidation. Medium bodied with hints of creaminess. A fairly complex, but not intensely flavored Belgian ale. Somewhat dark for a Belgian pale, but consistent with the labelled Belgian red ale. Nice flavor progression and interesting flavor.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2013 03:01:17 | More by LiquidAmber

JohnnyBarman

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Squat, Duvel-shaped 330ml bottle from the LCBO giftpack, received under the tree.

Poured into a goblet. Light caramel amber, good head of classic Belgian ale foam, settles into little islands of head, some lacing.

Nose is sweet, fruity - pineapple, peach, tangerine, a bit of spices (cloves and cinnamon, pepper), yeast is mild.

Nice pale ale actually, if a bit on the sweet side. Yeasty musk is relatively mild, allowing the sweet malt and fruit to get plenty of attention. Similar notes as in the nose, with a distinct peach flavor to the finish. A dry citrus tartness lingers on the tongue, which makes this quite refreshing. Milder carbonation, slightly thick.

A pleasant surprise - this was a nice Belgian ale. I have to admit I wasn't expecting much given the packaging and label, but the brew's taste speaks for itself. Were it not only available in that large gift pack I'd get it again.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2013 21:45:57 | More by JohnnyBarman

SebD

Ontario (Canada)

4.33/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: It has a nice deep golden/amber color to it. It has a nice thick off-white head that dies down moderately and leaves some nice lacing.

Smell: The aromas definitely give out hints of Belgian yeast, bready malts, tropical fruit and peppery spices.

Taste: Like the aromas, it has a nice tropical taste (pineapple, citrus), Belgian yeast, breadiness and some pepper and cloves

Mouthfeel: It has high carbonation with a nice overall balance and feel.

Drinkability: It's a very smooth drinkable beer accompanied with good flavors and aromas. Not the most complex Belgian Pale but a tasty one.

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2012 21:44:14 | More by SebD

TheCrowsNest

California

3.7/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Murky amber with on off-white head that fades quickly to a ring. Aromas of orange complimented by light fruity esters and some lemongrass. Taste is surprisingly reminiscent of lemon and orange with hints of brown sugar and some darker fruits. Mouthfeel is effervescent and rich.

Not really what I was expecting from Van Steenberge's red ale considering the amount of citrus in the aromas and flavors. That aside, still very drinkable and unique.

Serving type: bottle

10-31-2012 02:58:06 | More by TheCrowsNest

hackmann

Michigan

4.1/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: amber body with a nice two finger white foamy head

Aroma: sweet malts, summer fruits, bready, Belgian yeast, light hops

Flavors: sweet candied fruits, earthy yeast, grassy hops, lightly spiced … might be the alcohol coming through

Mouthfeel: smooth, semi-creamy texture, sweet up-front, grassy hops show on mid and finish with a little spice adding some interest, dry finish like an Amber ale

To the Point: it has been a few years since I have had this beer and I really enjoyed it. I wish they (global beer and distributor) tried marketing this more. This ale is tasty and the label is a lot of fun.

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2012 03:17:43 | More by hackmann

Lawl3ss

Texas

3.98/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Chilled 12 oz. bottle into a stemmed tulip. Two of the three opened so far have been gushers. No decipherable bottling date.

Look- Big, billowy, sticky eggshell head that falls slowly. Near opaque medium-deep amber with a hint of rouge. Not as red as expected, but it's got some color.

Smell- Raisin, nutmeg, toffee, vanilla, quite sweet. Almost cider-like fruit aroma. Swirling brings out a bit of cherries and overripe pineapple. Slightest hint of booze. Takes on a buttered raisin toast aroma as it warms

Taste- Follows the nose. Starts cidery, tart, almost-mealy cellar apples. Caramel, white raisin, clove, walnut, underripe peach follows. Finishes with toasted biscuit, chalk, and weak green tea. Vague spices; mace, white pepper, ginger. Light to moderate oxidation. Moderately sweet at the start, but becomes less so.

Mouthfeel- Sharp carbonation comes out on the sip. Medium-full mouthfeel, chewy. Silky on the swallow. Finishes dry, mild warming.

Overall- Nice, but fairly inconsistent between the three bottles opened so far- everything from color to carbonation to ester levels. Perhaps the bottles got shuffled between packs or something. Interesting, the bold caramel is a welcome touch. Anyways, it's definitely a better-than average Belgian pale, worth trying.

Serving type: bottle

08-12-2012 07:17:49 | More by Lawl3ss

BeerDocT

Georgia

4.13/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a chilled tulip glass.

-Appearance 4.0: Poured out a beautiful, golden-red color. Semi-translucent with a half inch head that dissipated leaving swirling foam on top. Big carbonation bubbles began to form and cling to the side. Lovely.

-Smell 3.5: Subdued bouquet, but I do smell that lovely Belgian yeast, a light caramel sweetness and a very light barley tone.

-Taste 4.5: Front is actually tangy, slightly sweet and very pleasant. Middle is yeasty and also somewhat sweet, but very light. Finish is a smooth, medium barley taste with subtle yeast undertones and that same cloying, slight sweetness. Aftertaste is where I detected the malt. All elegantly understated and very refreshing. This is 7% ABV????

-Mouthfeel 4.0: Above average. For a Belgian, this beer is lightly carbonated and the smaller amount of bubbles really added to my enjoyment of the brew.

-Overall 4.0: Excellent Belgian beer that exhibits so many characteristics which brewers from other countries would do well to emulate. Subdued, balanced, elegant and never overwhelming, this is beer on another level. Recommended.

Serving type: bottle

06-28-2012 03:57:56 | More by BeerDocT

gfreed

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Arrrgh, etc. Add this to the list of decent, understated Belgian ales that could teach a few over-hormoned American brewers a lesson or two in balance and taste. Yeasty, bready, slightly bitter but overall well-malted, etc. Everything you like in a Belgian ale with some ABV warmth that is well modulated. Plus the gap-toothed goon on the label provides some amusement. Worth hunting down.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2012 19:52:26 | More by gfreed

Rijtjeshuis

Ontario (Canada)

3.9/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

L ~ poured an rich gold or pale amber color. Head is a bit of a disappointment: jut off white, rising to only about one finger off a hard pour, and reducing quickly to a film without any real lacing. Overall good clarity (maybe a bit of haze, but I like to pour disturbed with the lees from the bottom of the bottle).

S ~ lots of malt right up front, leaning toward a bit sweet. I get biscuit and some caramel-like notes, which seemed a bit too cloying for style. There's also a good helping of fruity and floral notes from, which I'm guessing are from the yeast. These are reminiscent of pears and fresh apricots or very firm peaches. Some perfume-like floral notes as well, but they seem to support the fruit notes. No real strong hop aroma.

T ~ very similar to the aroma. The malts have the same sweet biscuit, slightly caramel character. The sweetness really lasts into the end without any real hop bitterness or flavor to dry that out. The fruity/floral notes are largely the same, with the taste of pear really coming to the forefront. A little bit of black pepper was on the finish that wasn't noticable to the nose, as well. That helps a bit with the sweetness.

F ~ medium body (a bit higher than I'd expect), with a bit of a syrupy feel to it. Carbonation was high, which did a good job of drying out the otherwise cloying sweetness and bringing out the subtle spice profile. Only slight alcoholic warmth.

I found this a bit too sweet and the balance was a bit too malty, though this got balanced out pretty well by good carbonation. This took away a bit from that 'perfect balance' brew you're looking for with a BPA. Nonetheless, the flavors worked well and produced a malty/fruity, drinkable brew. Good marks because this one seems to be a 'loose' interpretation of the BPA style anyway, so I'm not going to hold it too tight to guidelines.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2011 22:52:11 | More by Rijtjeshuis

tbeckett

Ontario (Canada)

3.73/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A - Pours a light copper with very strong carbonation. Bright. One finger eggshell head with fairly big bubbles. Nice rings of chunky lace and a solid half finger of creamy looking head.

S - Yeast, tropical fruit, bread. A little mild.

T - Nice tropical fruit, maybe banana, and some pear, with yeast and bread again. A very soft yeast character. The fruits definately dominate with a nice mix of flavours produced.

M - Nice tingly carbonation and a medium body with a sweet and slightly dry finish.

O/D - A drinkable Belgian Pale. I would have expected a dryer, more yeasty character from the beer. But I enjoyed my glass.

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2011 01:03:05 | More by tbeckett

Stocean1

Ontario (Canada)

3.98/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - poured a one finger head that quickly dissapated to a thin collar. Amber colour with a slight reddish hue. Little lacing with semi-clear clarity.

S - is tropical fruit, yeast, pale malt.

T - is pale malt with sweet tropical fruit, pineapple and peach, sweet, some pepper on the back end.

M - is light to medium bodied with little carbonation, a little tart with some bitterness.

O - a very interesting brew, with a complexity in the taste I could not quite figure out.

Serving type: bottle

11-14-2011 03:24:25 | More by Stocean1

Digimaika2

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Pours an amber-peach colour with a single finger of creamy beige foam head. Recedes fairly quickly to a very attractive surface composed of several milky bubble clusters.

S: Banana, pineapple, passionfruit, herbal aromas, honey, and faint spices of clove. Quite tropical and very appealing.

T: Similar to smell with those bold tropical fruits coming through. Followed by a bit of clove and pepper spice. Interesting with a very slight sourness in there. Not overly sweet, with a nice crisp dry lingering taste and finish. Very nice.

M: Good overall mouthfeel for the style with a medium (ever slightly oily) mouthfeel and moderate carbonation (not excessive by any means).

D: Quite a good Belgian Pale Ale that I would have again. Good balance found with an appropriate level of sweetness and dryness.

Serving type: bottle

10-04-2011 04:40:18 | More by Digimaika2

OWSLEY069

Pennsylvania

3.4/5  rDev -11%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours a clean orange-ish to amber in color with a big off white head. In the aroma, floral and candy sugar. In the taste, a small roast, floral, and a small candy sugar. A small bite and a medium to lighter bodied mouthfeel, with a semi dry caramel and flower like aftertaste. Mellow and really not that exciting, good but average.

Serving type: bottle

07-26-2011 14:29:53 | More by OWSLEY069

impending

California

3.5/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

33cl into a tulip. Pours a nearly transparent orange copper. Minor head subsided to leave a long lasting surface cap, nice lacing.

Aroma is sweet and fruity atop yeasty white bread. Clean

Taste too is sweet and fruity. Zero bitter zero dry, just fades away from the tongue. Rather simple, little complexity, fully balanced without being too bland. Medium bodied creamy mouthfeel.
cheers
jd

Serving type: bottle

07-09-2011 05:19:01 | More by impending

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Biere Du Boucanier Red

Pours a murky brown, off white head. Aroma of dark fruits, nutty roasted malts, raisen and plum. In the flavor, grape, dark fruits and cherry. Alittle on the sweet side, with a belgian yeast fruityness. Medium to low carbonation. Overall, a nice brew and was a good compliment to pork tenderloin.

Serving type: bottle

06-29-2011 00:56:12 | More by Stinkypuss

keithmurray

Louisiana

3.85/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance - murky brownish red color with tan head that dissipated almost immediately

smell - green apples, peaches, rum, dark fruits

taste - this is sort of a unique taste for a BPA - i'm getting a cider like taste, apple juice and a hint of black cherry is present

mouthfeel - highly carbonated, sweet upfront, carbonation is sharp and prickly on the tongue, the finish is sweet and slightly sour, again, unique for the style

overall - if you want a curveball of a beer that has been defined as a BPA, I think this is worth a shot.

Serving type: bottle

06-07-2011 04:09:23 | More by keithmurray

Gmann

New York

3.73/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a slightly hazy honey amber color with a short dense head that settled into a solid ring.

The aroma has a strong scent of raisins. There are some pepper and toffee notes as well. There seems to be the lightest hint of spiciness from the yeast.

The taste is sweet from a mixture of raisin flavor and caramel. There is noticable pepper, banana, and clove from the yeast but not as pronounced as others in the style. There is almost a raspberry like fruitiness in the flavor.

Moderate body with crisp carbonation. Quite sweet on the palate but the yeast brings some balance. Finishes a touch sticky.

An slightly above average beer. It is a bit too sweet for the style and not enough yeasty goodness. Could be a touch more dry as the raisin flavors linger a bit too long.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2011 19:41:25 | More by Gmann

pinkano

Czech Republic

4.05/5  rDev +6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - little hazy gold color
S - nice peach, apricot, citruses, orange, honey and other beautiful fruit tones
T - apricot, peach, yellow melon, strawberry and tiny clove.
M - medium to light body with medium carbonation
D - very drinkable, especially because of the fruit tones in the smell and taste, so you are always trying to discover more, however, pretty strong, so be careful

Overall the beer is very interesting.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2011 21:11:29 | More by pinkano

ryandesign1

Ohio

4.75/5  rDev +24.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Received this beer as a gift along with multiple other Belgian beers from a well stocked beer market. I was pleasantly surprised by its slight sweetness and incredibly smooth taste. The bottle has one of the most interesting labels as well. I took a picture to keep on hand to find in the future, as it had become one of my favorite beers instantly. I am a big fan of sweeter Belgians and this red ale was the perfect balance. It was not overly sweet, just mixed perfectly to create one of the smoothest drinking Belgians I have had.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2011 19:47:18 | More by ryandesign1

BBP

Ontario (Canada)

4.38/5  rDev +14.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A- Pours yellowish golden with good carbonation and a decent head. Laces nicely.

S- Apple and pear, caramel, belgian yeast, slight spiciness.

T- Tastes much like a BSPA. It's stronger than a BPA, but it's just as smooth as one. After you sip it you're welcomed by sharp apple and pear fruitiness, followed by yeast and spices. A tad of clove. Enough to taste it, but not too much. Has the kind of sweetness that isn't in your face, but is quite pleasant. Very good fresh fruit flavor. Spiced smoothly, and it works great while you drink it, but it's a bit too noticable in the aftertaste.

M- Medium full. A bit heavy on the tongue, which I think is a good thing. The carbonation is spot on. Moderately dry, and slightly sticky.

D- Extremely drinkable. There's very little indicator that it's 7%. It goes down like a BPA.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2011 01:10:04 | More by BBP

MattyV

Ontario (Canada)

4.28/5  rDev +12%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.5

Pours a crystal clear light copper colour with a relatively dense white head.
Nose is of banana, spice, a general fruitiness that I can't pin down, some caramel/nuts.
Bready malts are apparent right away, which lead into caramel and fruits. Very light citrusy hop finish with a spicy, fruity aftertaste.
Good carb, but feels a bit thin and watered down in general.
I surprisingly enjoyed this one more than the dark and golden. It showed great complexity and a unique and enjoyable flavour profile.

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2011 06:53:58 | More by MattyV

spinrsx

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz Bottle

Appearance - The beer pours a clear amber colour with a very large size frothy off-white coloured head. There is an average amount of carbonation and there is some really nice lacing all over the glass - running down in stages as I drink the beer. The head lasted for quite a while.

Smell - malts, banana, cherries, breads/grains

Taste & Mouth - The beer has an above average amount of carbonation and it feels light yet creamy on the tongue. I was actually pretty surprised by the taste of the beer, I was expecting something harsh since there were pirates on the label, but instead it tasted fruity and refreshing. I could taste breads/grains, malts and a fruity mix of cherry, banana, and oranges. The beer finishes with a malty/fruity aftertaste.

Drink - I really enjoyed this beer and I'm excited to try the other varieties from this brewer. The alcohol is really well hidden.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2010 13:07:42 | More by spinrsx

kwjd

Ontario (Canada)

3.85/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

A six pack containing 3 different bottles just came to the Control Board in Ontario, so I decided to try it out. Pours an amber-orange colour with thick white head and some nice lacing around the glass. The smell is quite fruity and lively, but I'm not able to put my finger on which fruits I'm smelling. Can definitely smell the Belgian yeasty aroma as well. Flavour has a bit more bitterness than I was expecting, very dry tasting. Really nice carbonation. Easy to down this bottle quickly and I look forward to the 2nd bottle of this that I have.

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2010 05:51:18 | More by kwjd

msmezher

California

4.22/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Bière Du Boucanier Red is a magnificent Belgian Red Ale. A crisp, frothy, off-white head bulging over the top of the tulip glass. The beer is medium to light bodied with a hazy red coloring. A sharp bite of belgian sour candy, honey, and fermenting fruit fills the palate. Less alcoholic than its Blonde and Dark counterparts. While I'd love one again down the road I rate the drinkability a little low because I don't know if I would want more than one at a time.

Serving type: bottle

10-17-2010 02:18:24 | More by msmezher