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

PDXHops

South Carolina

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

On tap in a tulip glass. Definitely not red; pale amber with a generous cap of thickish foam. A few patches of frothy lace up top, drippy streaks below.

Quite a fruity nose- cherry, apple, pear. Fresh yeasty aromas and a hint of mustiness in the background. Stonefruit flesh and the earthy/sweet combo of the stones themselves. Bubblegum and cloves complete the sweet end of things. Peppery spice and tangy yeast are nice complements to the sweetness. Light and lively with a brief flash of bitterness at the swallow. Very refreshing with a clean finish.

Overall impression: An interesting fruity take on the style. Good stuff.

Serving type: on-tap

05-26-2011 23:54:21 | More by PDXHops

Prime16

Connecticut

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

A: Poured a light reddish/golden color with a off white head.

S: Smelled of candied fruit, light yeast.

T: A little sweet, with banana, cherry, currant and licorice notes with yeast in the back round.

M: Nice and creamy, easy on the carbonation.

O: I really enjoyed this beer. Nice change from a normal Belgian Pale Ale.

Serving type: on-tap

04-22-2011 20:36:14 | More by Prime16

womencantsail

California

3.33/5  rDev -12.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

On-tap at Lucky Baldwin's

A: The pour is a dark orange color with at best a few tiny islands of white foam.

S: Quite a bit of sweet citrus, primarily oranges, in the nose with hints of butter and apricot. There is a weird sweet aroma that I can't quite pinpoint, maybe some funky candi sugar.

T: A similar level of sweetness is present on the palate. Lots of sweet fruits and plenty of citrus flavor. There is a slight astringency at times, too.

M: The body is medium and the carbonation is surprisingly low and what is there seems to just sort of sit on the tongue.

D: A pretty meh experience. A few high points, but at least an equal number of lows.

Serving type: on-tap

08-17-2010 18:50:52 | More by womencantsail

atsprings

North Carolina

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

On-tap for rare beer night at Flying Saucer served in a tulip glass a slightly hazy red with a decent lasting head. The aroma is sweet fruits and sweet malts with slight spice. The taste is an interesting blend of sweet fruits with a nice hop balance. The beer is slightly heavy, but tolerable. This one is a very decent beer, at least worth trying.

Serving type: on-tap

06-26-2009 03:06:33 | More by atsprings

mikesgroove

South Carolina

2.98/5  rDev -22%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Had this one tonight at Barleys as well, and to be frank wish I could say I enjoyed it as much as some of the other s I tried while I was there. It was just not my cup of tea, really. I am normally up to trying lots of new brews, but this one was just not doing it for me tonight.

A - Poured a hazy, cloudy red with a decent, but small whitish head on top. Lots of carbonation and sediment could be seen coming off of it.

S - Aroma was kinda sour, touchs of bitter grapes and alot of yeast were present. A slight grainey or breadiness about it for sure. Just not overwhelming me in the least. It just seemed kinda dull to be honest.

T - Ehh, I could easily forget this one. It was like a cross between a plae and a flanders red, and just not very good, like the bad qualities of each were represented. It was just alot of yeast and grapes, mixed with a touch of bittering hops, but it was just muty and too bready for me, not really what I was looking for.

M - Decent enough feel, it had quite a nice full body to it and came off well when drinking, it just never really got off the ground for me. Could have been a whole lot better I thought, but at least it felt good going down.

D - Nah I will pass. I will give it average as I am sure there are those out there that will find this one quite appealing however not me. It was just random and not a strong finish.

Overall I had it and I love trying new things so that was a positive, however I will not be going back to it, not at all. It was just not that good for me and I really could have gone with something else, but hey if its your thing go for it.

Serving type: on-tap

09-16-2007 02:31:03 | More by mikesgroove

Boilermaker88

California

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

Served on-tap at Lucky Baldwin's Sierra Madre outlet pub. Served up in a smallish Bière Du Boucanier tulip glass. Cost: $6.50.
Appearance: clear copper color topped with a large white head that maintained itself quite well thanks to the copious carbonation. A swirl of the glass halfway through resulted in the head ballooning back to life. Quite attractive.
Smell: definitely not an American red ale, this Belgian brew has got all those aromas I love about Belgian ales: lots of fruity sweetness - apricots, nectarines, apples and citrus - and peppery spices.
Taste: candied fruits figure prominantly throughout. Sugary sweetness just doesn't quit here. Added to the glazed nectarine-and-apricot is the tang of orange peel and pineapple. Zesty, peppery flavor packs a punch that nicely offers up a counterpoint to all that sugary sweetness.
Feel: medium-bodied, rather fluffy, with a smooth finish.
Drinkability: pretty darn good. It was tough not to give in and damn near gulp it down. Alcohol content, already not absurdly high, was quite well disguised, something not always the case with Belgian beers of this style. Well worth the money and cetainly recommended.

Serving type: on-tap

03-12-2006 17:39:52 | More by Boilermaker88

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