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

Jetulio

Spain

3.66/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

33 cl bottle poured into Big Tulip glass (Gulden Draak glass)

Aroma...some caramel, resin, alcohol,
Appearance...hazy, golden, with a tiny white head
Taste...sweetness, not too much pressence of hops
Palate... medium body, thin texture with medium/soft carbonation
Overall....good malty and sweet aftertaste. Nice but not amazing.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2013 13:21:07 | More by Jetulio

BeerNut402

Nebraska

3.15/5  rDev -17.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance - Light Golden and cloudy appearance with an immeadiate frothy and fast head.

Smell - fruity tones and I get some banana smells as well.

Taste - cirtus and banana, carbonation is good, somewhat hoppy aftertaste it might be the higher alcohol content that is giving me that taste.

Mouthfeel - Good carbonaton, kind of a tart feel to it.

Overall - The taste grows on me as I drink more of the beer the initial taste threw me off a bit. I enjoy this beer for what it is trying to be not how I personally feel about the beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2013 05:32:53 | More by BeerNut402

SebD

Ontario (Canada)

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

Appearance: It has a beautiful semi-cloudy golden color with a nice thick off-white head that dies down moderately slow and leaves nice lacing.

Smell: The aromas definitely give out hints of Belgian yeast, peppery spices, citrus and grains.

Taste: Like the aromas, it has a nice Belgian yeast presence, slight spiciness, some citrus and some grainy malts.

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

Drinkability: It's a very smooth drinkable beer accompanied with good flavors and aromas.

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2012 21:22:30 | More by SebD

TheCrowsNest

California

3.43/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Slightly hazy with rich straw coloring topped off with a light white 1 finger head that falls back to a soapy film. Rich aromas of dried apricots, vanilla, and alcohol. Sweetness dominates that's mostly contributed to by the 11% ABV, more vanilla and light dried fruit understones. Finishing with a rich mouthfeel that fades into a nice warming from the alcohol.

Surprisingly sessionable for an 11% Belgian ale.

Serving type: bottle

10-31-2012 02:46:31 | More by TheCrowsNest

LiquidAmber

Washington

3.95/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a Gulden Draak tulip. Pours a medium golden amber. Massive fine white head with good retention and tons of lacing. Aroma of light fruit, swett malt, Belgian yeast and spicing. I thought I caught a hint of funk on opening, but not in aroma from the glass. Pleasant flavor of sweet fruit, mainly stone fruit, Belgian yeast and light citrus; spicy. Finishes slightly sweet with light fruit and a hint of alcohol. Overall the ABV is covered well by the flavors, but is warming. Medium bodied. Not overly complex, but a pleasant strong Belgian pale ale.

Serving type: bottle

10-11-2012 04:34:15 | More by LiquidAmber

UCLABrewN84

California

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

Pours a murky honey orange with a foamy off-white head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Small dots of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of grain, fruits, yeast, spices, and alcohol. Taste is of fruit, spices, yeast, alcohol, and some grain flavors on the finish. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a good beer that is tasty and dangerously drinkable for its ABV.

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2012 03:11:10 | More by UCLABrewN84

BeerDocT

Georgia

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

Poured into a chilled tulip glass. Another night, another Du Boucanier. This one is listed on the bottle as the "Grand Cru," which is French for "Great Growth" and refers to a well-respected vineyard. Oh well.

-Appearance 4.0:: Color was a straw yellow, with big carbonation bubbles and a quarter-inch head. The small head dissipated into pleasant foamy swirls on top.

-Smell 4.5: Wow, wow. Beautiful bouquet. Spicy Belgian yeast and vibrant citrus, along with what I can only describe as sugar-preserved fruit. There is also a very slight hint of grains in this bouquet. Superb.

-Taste 4.0: Somewhat similar to the ale I previously reviewed from Du Boucanier, the front of this beer has a very pleasant tanginess. However, the sweetness is amped up in this ale, because of its high alcohol content. Middle is a strangely light sweetness, with a definite barley taste, but this is very subdued. Finish is medium bodied and sweet, with a distinct golden raisin (sultana) flavor. Aftertaste is long and luxurious, but difficult to describe: the best I could come up with is comparing it to a very light maple syrup. The fact that this is 11% ABV is hard to believe.

-Mouthfeel 3.5: Above average, but just barely. The carbonation level of this brew almost interferes with the enjoyment of the beer.

-Overall 4.0: Excellent tripel-style Belgian ale. This claims to be a "Belgian Strong Pale Ale," but I could detect very few hop overtones in this pantaloon-kicker. Restrained, elegant and refreshing, this is a beer to be savored. Recommended.

Serving type: bottle

06-29-2012 04:24:51 | More by BeerDocT

AdamBear

Pennsylvania

3.58/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

A-cloudy gold with a thin white head

S-salted caramel. honey. light stale grass scent. its an odd mix.

T-very odd beer. comes in with a grassy taste of salted caramel and stale hops. its a warming taste with a honey after-taste. once again, its an odd taste. some apples in there as well.

M-near perfect, its high carbonation but with syrupy semi-dry finish

O-my description makes it sound terrible. it really isn't a terrible beer. its probably one of the last Belgians I'll ever buy again, but i did slightly enjoy this. its nice to try a belgian that doesn't remind you too much of any other belgian.

Serving type: bottle

02-07-2012 01:49:21 | More by AdamBear

darkhorseT

Maryland

2.48/5  rDev -35.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Whatever pros this beer has, the abv kills them. The beer can't handle the abv and the taste is very astringent. It is a beautiful orange/amber with a nice head. Yeasty smell w/ a very little citrus. The taste is peppery and a little apricot but quickly dissolves into a hard core ethanol taste that puts me off. Will not buy again. Didn't really want to finish either.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2011 19:48:16 | More by darkhorseT

tbeckett

Ontario (Canada)

3/5  rDev -21.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

A - Pours a nice dark golden colour. Yeast haze present. Strong carbonation. Nice one finger fluffy/soapy white head. Nice thick retention at one finger and a good amount of chunky lace.

S - Some light orange and grain. Mild. Maybe a little extra fruity esters when it opens up though.

T - Orange, alcohol heat, yeast, grains.

M - Strong carbonation, foams up in the mouth instantly, slightly sweet finish, full body.

O/D - Not all that interesting. Not flavourful, alcohol is strong. Just no depth or good flavours to make it worth finishing.

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2011 02:07:03 | More by tbeckett

impending

California

2.65/5  rDev -30.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

C-

33cl into a tulip. Pours a nearly crystal clear light copper yellow, dense off white head retains nicely, great lacing.

Aroma lacks definition, just a generic sweet yeastyness, a quiet solvent alcohol note finishes the sensation.

Taste too, while pleasant, lacks definition, no depth of personality. Alcohol while obvious fits the flavor. The aftertaste evolves significantly within a bland range, finishes with a hint of zinc. Thin to medium bodied slightly cloying mouthfeel.
Not bad, just guilty of mediocrity.
cheers
jd

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2011 06:51:14 | More by impending

Stocean1

Ontario (Canada)

3.88/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Grabbed this at the LCBO along with their red and dark ales. Poured a huge three finger white pillowy head atop a golden semi-hazy body. Huge retention with a one finger head still lingering afer five minutes. Lots of frothy lacing ringing the pint glass.

Smell is a little grainier than I expected with some citrus and grassy notes. As it warmed lots of banana and other light fruit emerged.

Taste is more to style than the nose, with lots of malt, yeast, orange peel and coriander coming through. Some metallic and mineral notes and pepper. The abv is really prominent and although I like its warming glow it was a little corrosive on my esophogus. As the brew warmed the alcohol really started to dominate throwing this one out of balance a tad. I scored it based on the first half of the brew before the abv took over.

This is a medium bodied brew with a well balanced bitterness. Plenty of carbonation although not as much as I expected when the head almost billowed out of the glass on the pour. Would be relatively smooth but for the unmasked alcohol which plays a prominent role and at times takes an almost alcool character.

Overall, an enjoyable brew with plenty of complexity and one which I will definitely sample again. Looking forward to trying the dark ale next.

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2011 18:24:46 | More by Stocean1

WestValleyIPA

California

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

Poured from a 330ml bottle into my Chimay goblet. Golden as it proclaims to be, frothy frothy finger of head. The head initially recedes a bit, but because the yeast is so active, the head actually builds back up. Lots and lots of persistent bubbles. Smells of overripe banana, alcohol, caramel, sweetness, and some Belgian Yeast spiciness. The flavor evolution on the palate is very interesting. Soft sweetness to start with, then the banana and spices, then caramel sweetness, followed by dank dry bitter hops. Lots of overpowering alcohol though. Very creamy and sticky on the mouth. Interesting all around, though the excessive alcohol is a detriment.

Serving type: bottle

09-27-2011 05:48:48 | More by WestValleyIPA

Cylinsier

Pennsylvania

4.47/5  rDev +17%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

30 cl

Pours an almost clear light but deep gold with a medium pillowy white head. Retains for a few minutes.

Smells of coriander, citrus, fresh grains, banana esters, orange peel and spices.

Tastes rich with esters and citrus, along with the aforementioned coriander. Maybe also some honey and cloves. Rounded out with fresh grassy grains.

Feel is medium to full with prickly and billowing carbonation.

Delicious and decadent, doesn't overwhelm in spite of the abv. Lovely beer from a proven brewery, would definitely have this again.

Serving type: bottle

05-29-2011 00:08:11 | More by Cylinsier

StevenBilodeau

Connecticut

4/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Wow...just wow...

So, I had Piraat...obviously, which is good. This one is very good.

The smell is strong, floral, hoppy... strong... and grassy.

The flavor is explosive, and clean for such a hoppy beer...

I really enjoy the light grassy, citrus bitter notes with this one.

I will get this one again.

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2011 01:56:59 | More by StevenBilodeau

spinrsx

Ontario (Canada)

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

12oz Bottle

Appearance - Slightly hazy yellow colour with a massive size fizzy and fluffy white coloured head. There is a lot of carbonation is showing and there is some good lacing on the sides of the glass. The head lasted for 5 minutes before it began to dissipate.

Smell - wheat, cloves, breads/grains, lemon, honey

Taste & Mouth - The beer has an above average amount carbonation and it feels very light and lively on the tongue. Most of the flavour consists of breads/grains, lemons, and cloves. I could also pick up on some grapes and a bit of a honey sweetness. Unfortunately I could also taste the alcohol quite a bit. It finishes with a slightly bitter and dry aftertaste.

Overall - The beer packs a punch and you can definitely notice the 11% alcohol. It has a nice variety of flavours going on that keep it interesting throughout. I'd be happy to have this a couple of times a year.

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2011 19:18:50 | More by spinrsx

burnstar

Pennsylvania

4.08/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a bright clear effervescent gold. Descent sized white fizzy head. Aroma is yeasty. A bit phenolic. Bananas. A touch of alcohol. Huge malty taste. Somewhat sweet but sweetness is overshadowed by the other flavors. Significant bitterness in the middle and through the finish- perhaps more so than in most belgian pales. Lots of yeast notes. Light fruit. Grassy. Herbal. Virtually no booze is noticeable. Full bodied and heavily carbonated. Fairly drinkable for its strength. A solid and very tasty belgian pale.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2011 01:33:50 | More by burnstar

Swedes21

Ontario (Canada)

3.58/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Appearance -pours a hazy ale colour with a white head. About 2 finger head, fairly foamy. Some good lacing. Not a lot of carbonation but some.

Smell - found the smell to be sweet based. there are nodes of banana and wheat, I can also pick up hints of a grape in there.

taste - found the taste to be a lot like the smell, banana and grapes. ther wheat is fairly well hidden. Alcohol was not a factor either, little bitterness near the end.

mouthfeel - this was ok, i found the alcohol REALLY came through. Made the beer have an extreme bitter taste, lasting as well.

drinkability - meh, not a bad beer, not something i would go after again in the future.

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2011 16:16:25 | More by Swedes21

Gmann

New York

3.13/5  rDev -18.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Pours a hazy golden color. After a careful pour to avoid yeast, the head was rather small yet dense, left a solid ring after it settled.

The aroma has a strong scent of golden raisins, which is a bit odd in a golden belgian ale. Perhaps a touch of oxidation occurred. Has some vinous characteristics.

The vinous notes continue onto the flavor, almost has a grapejuice flavor. Some pepper spice but nothing strong. Actually not much flavor from the yeast. I expect these flavors from a dubbel or BSDA not a pale.

The feel is light to moderate to very fizzy carbonation. Carbonation almost burns. Sweet on the palate and finishes dry, which is spot on for the style.

Not what I expect from a BSPA, almost opposite. Very fruity with strong raisin presence and almost no yeasty flavors. Tastes like its old but it feels fresh.

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2011 01:44:08 | More by Gmann

peensteen

Ontario (Canada)

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

Pours a deep golden colour, 3 fingers of thick white head, sticky, decent lacing. Smells of yeast, citrus, notes of candy, leafy hop and wafts of alcohol. Taste is yeasty, sugary sweetness, mildly hoppy, a dry hop presence is detected there is also a nice alcohol warmness that is mild considering that the ABV is quite high here. Medium weight, coats the palate well, fairly high carbonation that helps the drinkability of the beer. Very drinkable, ABV is quite high and that takes away from overall drinkability, one of these every few months or so would be a pleasure.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2011 18:41:25 | More by peensteen

Cozzatoad

Italy

3.95/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

330ml bottle poured on a duvel tulip glass

A- Golden, with some amber hints. A very effervescent and perflectly white medium head that does not stand long but leaves a nice lacing

S- Fruity: citrus and pear are backed up by alcohol. Simple but very nice

T- Mostly what the smell suggests. A big but pleasant and warming alcoholic feel is nicely matched by the fruity notes. There is also a spicy feel from the esters, yeast is in fact there and is easily detectable in the finish

M- The beer is surely bitter for the style, but that's a nice crispy bitterness that leaves room for flavours to fill up the mouth. It also has a really big body

D- The bitterness is good with the mouthfeel but is an issue with drinkability. Match it with the alcoholic feel and you'll get an excessive roughness on the palate and an unpleasant tart aftertaste

That's a very good beer and i love it for its strong character, but it is not among the finest ones

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2011 09:11:25 | More by Cozzatoad

faroutadventure

Washington

5/5  rDev +30.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

A - Nice hazy golden color. Looks like champagne, with nice snowy white head.

S - Expressive tones of honey, citruses, banana, prunes and cloves.

T - Very nice spicy and fresh taste of honey with banana and citruses. Everything is well arranged and combined. Little dry end. Alcohol is very well hidden in the body and warms the throat nicely. Totally classic beer.

M - Medium to high carbonation with medium body. Very nice.

D - Very drinkable, however very very strong, so it is really dangerous, watch out on the high alcohol content:)

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2011 15:56:37 | More by faroutadventure

pinkano

Czech Republic

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

A - nice hazy yellow with nice head
S - expressive tones of honey, citruses, banana and clove
T - very nice spicy and fresh taste of honey with banana and citruses. Everything is well arranged and combined. Little dry end. Alcohol is very well hidden in the body and warms the throat nicely.
M - medium to high carbonation with medium body
D - very drinkable, however very very strong, so it is really dangerous :)

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2011 22:22:16 | More by pinkano

biegaman

Ontario (Canada)

3.93/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Did pirates really have gold teeth? If so, then this looks like a pirate's smile. If not, then it's more like, oh I don't know, Lil Jon. And I make both those references deliberately because it doesn't exactly look clean. In fact, the polluting haze and greenish tint make it look kind of grimy. Its lacing too appears scuzzy, the result of a sloppy, sticky head.

The air fills with alcohol. Is this what the pirates drank? Or is it what my mom uses to clean the hardwood floors? Either way, it smells harsh enough to be either. While the source behind this 'pine-sol'-like bouquet could be hops, my money is on ethanol. That said, temperatures aren't too hot for the yeast, which emanates floral and spicy notes.

The malts come out of it all relatively unscathed as well. Although pale malts are distinctly thin in the flavour department, this batch has a pleasingly crisp, robust breadiness that is assertively toasty and pleasantly sweet, with a 'honey and nut'-type taste. It is drying, and admittedly a little stiff, with minimal spice and a lingering bitterness.

Like it or loath it, all strong, golden Belgian ales must be measured against the style's benchmark, Duvel. While this offering favorably captures some of the style's keynotes (dry, bready maltiness, phenolic yeast), the original undoubtedly wins out in thanks to its higher carbonation, more defined hoppiness and overall less solvent-y character.

You can't dish out a grade much lower than I did Bière Du Boucanier Golden the first few times I had had it. (And ditto for the other beers in the series.) I found them all far, far too potent. This time around, however, with a few more years experience, I rather enjoyed these Pirate-themed beers, the gold especially. I'm happy to have revisited. If the price is right and you're a fan of the style, this beer is a more than decent bounty to be had.

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2011 03:33:27 | More by biegaman

realbeerbaron

Ontario (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Serving type 33cl bottle with expiry date on back poured into Chimay chalice

A: Pours a hazy golden yellow with a fluffy white head. The head retention is low giving way to a traditional belgian lace that sticks around.

S: First hints of banana and cloves which are then dominated by the yeasts and malts.

T: slight fruity overtones, giving way to a very distinct malt/yeast combination accompanied by the taste of the alcohol.

M: High level of carbonation creamy at first but then dry.

D: I didnt mind this beer. Of the 3 that I tried of this brand this was my least favorite, the alcohol content was too prevelant and overpowered the flavours in this beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2011 01:18:20 | More by realbeerbaron