Adriaen Brouwer Dark Gold Ale - Brouwerij Roman N.V.

DoubleJ

California

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

As one of the many beers featured on Tournée Générale, I was immediately interested to try this Belgian which I hadn't had before. There's 750 ml of "dark gold" inside, which I plan to indulge myself into. On to the beer:

Poured into a Leffe chalice, its color is toasted amber with hues ranging from berry red to chocolate brown. The head is a finger's thick, somewhat creamy looking, and holding up well on top. It has an appealing nose; some fruity yeast provide an immedate spark to my nose. Lighter tones of pear and a "dry hoppiness" too, which provides citrus peel.

It's not often you find a Belgian dark that has a reasonable snap of hops. The pear syrup and esters are good starts, and when you expect another wave of those same flvors, you get a blast of hops, bringing some herbal and lemon. It also gives the beer a drying finish. Paired with the 8.5% ABV being inserted well, it makes for a beer that is reasonably appetizing.

Serving type: bottle

10-21-2011 06:32:57 | More by DoubleJ

OWSLEY069

Pennsylvania

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

Pours a dark brown color with a tannish head. In the aroma, sweet caramel mixed with some candy sugar. In the taste, dark fruit, caramel, and a nice small bitterness. A small bite and medium to lighter bodied mouthfeel, with a small dry caramel in the aftertaste. Kind of like a quad, and it is quite nice.

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2011 13:57:44 | More by OWSLEY069

bierfreundlich

California

4.4/5  rDev +15.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A - Pours a fairly translucent, dark ruby-red color which literally looks like shining rubies when held up to the light. The head is small (one finger or less) and tan in color.

S - Smells like raisins, sweet and sour cherries, and rich dark wildflower honey.

T - The taste is mellow but full of flavor. Really rich dark honeys seem to come to mind. Maybe a small hint of sourness but definitely sweet dark cherries and sour cherries are prominent.

M - The mouthfeel works really well with this beer. It has a creamy, full-bodied quality with fine bubbles and medium to low carbonation.

O - The mouthfeel and taste work really well together to create what tastes like a cherry cream ale. My brother and I thoroughly enjoyed this 750ml bottle.

Serving type: bottle

09-30-2011 08:16:14 | More by bierfreundlich

DUBinMIA

Florida

3.15/5  rDev -17.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

dark brown almost black 2in head light foam with no lace

floral and cider like sweet smell, not malt, with a yeast profile toward the end.

sugar sweet malt with a weird blood like flavor, ??? very odd, then fruits like date and fig or raisin. then yeast for the finish.

full bodied with high carbonation

overall an ok beer that i won't try again.

Serving type: growler

09-19-2011 02:52:34 | More by DUBinMIA

olafisberserker

California

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

Served from a 22 oz. bottle.

A - A rich dark brown color. Poured with a large amount of head that quickly dissipated leaving a small trace of lacing on the glass.

S - An aroma of roasted malt, with a slight touch of alcohol.

T - A taste of roasted malt, much like the smell. Slightly fruity along with a touch of alcohol.

M - Starts off smooth, followed by a quick fizzing sensation in the mouth. A little heavy with a definite warming feel.

O - A nice strong Belgian ale. A little too much of a taste of alcohol, a little over-carbonated, but a good beer nonetheless.

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2011 01:23:51 | More by olafisberserker

Mattvt00

Virginia

3.25/5  rDev -14.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours an almost opaque brown with minimal head and zero lacing. Smells and tastes like a scotch ale, perhaps a tiny bit less sweet. Very little character here, my first sip reminded me of apple juice. Not carbonated enough, was hoping for something a little more complex. Ymmv.

Serving type: bottle

08-27-2011 04:13:20 | More by Mattvt00

ebby82

Virginia

4.45/5  rDev +16.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a mahogany into a tulip glass. A substantial head.

Aromas of dark fruit; fig. Almost like a rum soaked fruit, but not in an astrigent manner.

The taste is again dark fruit, particularly figs. There is a very slight smokiness in the back of the mouth.

Smooth, soft on the palate, goes down easily. My wife claims that this beer could console her after a tragedy, I don't claim the same, but I really enjoy it.

I won this at a homebrew meeting, and I'm happy I did.

Serving type: bottle

07-24-2011 00:49:08 | More by ebby82

drpimento

Wisconsin

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

This from a bottle of about 9 months ago. Served at about 50 degrees F. Poured with a very fizzy, light brown head that quickly subsided to almost zero and no lace. Color is a cloudy amber brown. Aroma is malt, caramel, dark ripe fruits, yeast, a bit of toffee. Flavor's exactly the same. Body is ok and carbonation is just sufficient to counter the background sweetness. Finish is like flavor but painted on a canvas of sweetness which impressions are of medium length. Not bad, not great. I suspect I didn't store this optimaly.

Serving type: bottle

06-04-2011 23:37:36 | More by drpimento

Aiptasia

Florida

4.25/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Poured from a 22 oz. bomber into a pre-chilled beer stein.

A: Pours a nice rich brown beer. Head was massive, upon uncorking, the beer frothed out like a fountain. Lacing was huge and long lasting.

S: Smells of clove and sugar toasted pecans.

T: Burnt candy sugar malts, toffee,plum, anise, some sting from alcohol esters, mild bitterness.

M: Rich and sweet full bodied brown beer with plenty of warming from alcohol. A little stingy on the aftertaste. Over-carbonated IMHO. Would be more balanced if it were thinned just a little.

O: Good, a very strong beer that requires a hearty meal to help stand up to it. Not an easy summer drinker.

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2011 17:16:36 | More by Aiptasia

Retsinis

California

3.35/5  rDev -12.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Friend that came with me to Total Wines today picked this bottle up to try.

A: The beer pours a cloudy dark amber brown, with a small quarter inch of off white head. Leaves some nice lacing.

S: Candied walnuts, Belgian yeast mild toffee, rich caramel, mild roasted malt.

T: Sweet candied sugar cane, raisins, yeast, and caramel.

M: Medium to smooth mouth coasting, a bit sticky, light to medium carbonation.

O: Good, though not something I would likely try again.

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2011 23:50:42 | More by Retsinis

jayhawk73

Maryland

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

Pours a dark brown with a caramel three finger head that lingers. Cork was really in there- took some effort to get it out. Resounding pop was my reward, along with the smell of the beer hitting my nose. Smell is that of malt, apple, plum, berries, grapes. Nice. Taste is nice as well. Mostly malt, fruit and alcohol. Not quite as good as the smell, but not bad! Mouthfeel is good, pretty smooth and malty, w/ a slight bitterness on the front end. Aftertaste is all malt, and doesn't last long. Drinkability is good- I'd like a little less malt, but this one is very drinkable. Not the best Belgian I've had, but solid. Glad I got to try this one.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2011 01:20:05 | More by jayhawk73

cjgator3

Florida

3.25/5  rDev -14.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

750ml bottle

A- Poured into a an Ommegang chalice. Pours a dark brown color with a light tan head that quickly fades away.

S- The aroma is dark fruits (plum and raisin), spices and some Belgian yeast. Pretty solid aroma.

T- The taste like the aroma is sweet malt and dark fruits and spices with the yeast coming through in the finish.

M- The mouthfeel is medium bodied with a good amount of carbonation.

D- Overall, this is a decent beer but is nothing I would purchase again.

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2011 03:39:08 | More by cjgator3

sabrills70

North Carolina

3.38/5  rDev -11.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Pours a cloudy medium brown with a small head. No longevity or decent lace to speak of.

S - Nice smells of dried fruit, molasses, vanilla with a faint whiff of alcohol.

T - Decent fruit flavors that are quickly overwhelmed by alcohol.

M & D - Light carbonation that makes it easy to drink. A year of cellaring will do wonders for this beer. It's just a bit to green right now.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2010 02:30:33 | More by sabrills70

BEERchitect

Kentucky

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

Caught somewhere between Belgian Strong Dark Ales (or Quads) and a stiff Dubbel, this beer is anything but 'gold' as the label suggests.

Adriaen pours with a rich ruby color that hedges on brown hues to accompany the rusty brown. Mild haze masks clarity but the deep garnet-like gaze allows for a clean appearance. A mild eggshell foam amounts to a 1" head that eventually reduces to a creamy sheet across the surface but holding firm after which.

A malty, sugrary mix gives a soft grain scent with sweet plumb, grape, blackberry, and apple aromas. Light spicy and acidic notes gives a reprieve from the sweetness and fruitiness. Lightly winey and vinous.

Rich flavors of cotton candy sweetness, thin maltiness, and fruity richness form the framework for the layers of flavors that reveal themselves. Plumbs, grapes, dark berries, currants, dates, and figs all come to life in the estery display. Mild cocoa (maybe cola nut) flavor play with a butter, cinamon toast character for a rich and spicy effect. Very delicious but the beer could use some melding- seems a bit immature.

Rich and effervescent up front, the beer seems to have an early creaminess only to transition quickly to a lightened (not thin) body that dries out wonderfully with a fruity/spicy finish with moderate warth and a medium sweet linger.

Whether the beer is a strong Dubbel or a Quad, it has a lot of the halmarks that make Chimay Blue and Westmalle Dubel great. With less burn and deeper malty/confectioner's sugar balance we may end up with a Malheur 12 or De Dolle Oerbier quality. But not far off the mark.

Serving type: bottle

11-12-2010 04:15:48 | More by BEERchitect

Metalmonk

North Carolina

3.55/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This beer is one of those Belgians that seemed to come out of nowhere...but I guess all beers do that at some point, so I guess I'm being redundant, and I guess I'll never get back the 30 seconds of my life that it took to type this paragraph.

After tussling with the rubbery cork that was all but impossible to remove, this pours a color that certainly lives up to its name: a burnt, burnished dark gold, having some very deep burgundy-red tones. Head is creamy and bubbly, a beautiful thing with plenty of staying power.

I don't much like the mineral overload in the aroma. Smells like a metal pail full of creek stones. Yeast and malt attempt to pull through, and they succeed to some degree, as does some dusty dessert spice. But generally the aroma seems a bit off.

Tasting hints of dark herbal tea, toffee, sweet/savory spices, hazelnut and raisin/grape; a welcoming, reasonable alcohol glow mingles within. Honey-like sweetness pervades, but is never cloying. It sticks around in the finish too, where that steely metallic business tries to work its way back in.

Maybe a little too carbonated, but that seems to diminish with sitting/warming. Slick, buoyant, not a bad feel if it weren't for the bubble-attack at the beginning.

This is an okay Belgian, but certainly not one for the ages.

Serving type: bottle

10-22-2010 22:06:39 | More by Metalmonk

Radome

Spain

3.83/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Served from a corked 750 ml bottle into a goblet.

A - Beer is an attractive reddish amber and very clear. It looks like an Irish red, more than anything. The head is off-white; initially it is thick and fluffy, then it fades to a faint ring around the glass.

S - The smell is nice, but not as complex as I expected. It mainly smells like a strong pilsner, with only the faintest hint of sugar, specialty grains or yeast notes.

T - The taste is mellow and clean, like the aroma. The focus is on malt, but there are some light hints of raisins and rum from sugar or specialty grains. Very little fruit or other tastes from the yeast. It got a little more complex as it warmed. The alcohol is not obvious.

M - The body is light to medium. There is some acidic quality from the carbonation. No alcohol burn or hops bitterness.

D - This is a nice, clean, drinkable beer, but not exciting to me. I'd prefer to see more yeast character, spices, or something to give it some complexity and depth. It is very reminiscent of Pauwel Kwak.

Serving type: bottle

10-04-2010 03:46:58 | More by Radome

Cyberkedi

Georgia

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

Pours a nice, slightly hazy, dark mahogany with a fairly thick, if not persistent, pale tan head. Aroma is fairly strong and mainly fruity, like a brandy or cider, with some grassy and malty hints. Flavor is fruity - mainly apple - and malty with hints of caramel, grass and brown sugar. Texture is milk-smooth and quite fizzy, leaving behind a nice tingle that lingers for a little while.

Serving type: bottle

10-03-2010 20:57:41 | More by Cyberkedi

dstc

Florida

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

Pours a deep, dark color with a ruby tint to it. Small tan head falls to just about nothing. Thinnest of lace.

Aroma is of deep candied sugars backed by a bit of alcohol.

Big malty taste with dark fruits, sweet candied sugars and plenty of booziness.

Full and a bit chewy with a bite on the tongue.

Nice brew. Great malt flavor and a joy to drink.

Serving type: bottle

09-23-2010 12:19:51 | More by dstc

AleMonger69

Florida

4.15/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

This beer definitely caught me by surprise as I had never heard of it before but just bought it on impulse as it looked pretty good. Poured from a 750 ML bomber into a snifter glass. The color was a lighter brown and when you hold it up to some lighting it turns more of a reddish brown and had a 1 finger white head. First smells I noticed were very sweet and malty almost like malty cherries and a small hint of alcohol but it is covered up pretty well by the delicious malty smell.

Flavor was a bit like the aroma but not as sweet as I'd imagined. It hits with sweet dark fruity flavors but gets more spicy on the palette as it goes down. Was a medium body as the flavors weren't too overpowering and the alcohol was very well hidden. Overall I would recommend this beer and it would be easy to put down a couple glasses of this without getting tired of it.

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2010 01:16:39 | More by AleMonger69

Patrick999

Florida

4.3/5  rDev +12.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured into an Orval goblet. Synthetic cork was a bitch to extract. I was curious as to what "dark gold" would look like, but it is indeed kind of on the brighter side of dark. Excellent retention, as you would expect for beers like this.

Aroma is that of sweet raisin bread, honey, even a little rosemary as it warms. It's probably going to be one of those beers that isn't nearly as sweet as it smells, though.

Yup. There's some sweetness up front, but it comes to that spicy-dry finish. Manages good complexity, with some honey-raisin up front and thick bready malt. Long aftertaste of clove, pear, grape. Pretty tasty beer.

Not quite as soft on the palate as the absolute best of the style, but we're still talking really good, like 4.5 instead of 5.

Quality beer from another tiny Belgian brewery. If you like dark Belgian ales, this is a solid choice. At 8.5% it comes in a little shy of your standard BSD or quad, which to me is a good thing.

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2010 19:41:15 | More by Patrick999

TMoney2591

Illinois

4.15/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Served in a Sloeber tulip glass.

Another random treat from the beer of the month club. It pours a translucent garnet-brown topped by over a finger of light beige foam. The nose comprises rye bread, figs, cinnamon, brown sugar, nutmeg, dark wheat, and honey-drizzled biscuits. The taste holds all of these elements, adding some red apple skin, black grapes, and a dash of black pepper. It's all a nice melange of fruit and spice, nearing the depth and complexity of a quad, but falling short in a couple areas. Very tasty stuff. The body is a stoic medium, with a moderate carbonation, a smooth feel, and a cottony finish. Overall, a very nice BSDA, another pleasant surprise from the club.

Serving type: bottle

08-06-2010 22:49:14 | More by TMoney2591

Mora2000

Texas

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

Thanks to blutt59 for sharing this bottle.

The beer pours a red-amber color with an off-white head. The aroma is toffee with a little bit of tartness. I am not sure if the tartness is supposed to be in the beer or not, since I drank a sour beer prior to this. The flavor is toffee, dark fruit and Belgian yeast. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

07-30-2010 01:36:12 | More by Mora2000

mwilbur

Minnesota

4.2/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Poured from 750 mL bottle into NBB snifter.
A: Pours a very dark amber with 2-3 inch thick billowy light tan head. Nice.
S: Fresh yeast, floral notes, tea, and a hint of fruit. Very pleasant and more complex than I was expecting.
T: Crisp apple, hint of farmhouse funk, sweet caramel malt, and in the background sits spiced champagne. With warming, hints of melon come through.
M: Surprisingly a light-medium body (considering the ABV). Pleasantly effervescent. Smooth with a mildly dry fizzy bite to finish. Just the faintest of alcohol burn...it's extremely well hidden.
D: This one surprised me...a nice solid brew and very, very easy to drink. I would certainly have this one again (but alas this is my only one).

Serving type: bottle

07-18-2010 04:49:53 | More by mwilbur

fear025

Illinois

4.2/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Aroma:Dark fruits, malt, brown sugar, whiskey in the nose.

Appearance:Reddish brown in color (burnt sugar), cream colored head. Nice amount of head that fades quickly. Poor lacing.

Taste:Sweet, dark fruits, brown sugar, and raisins in the flavor. It has some scotch whiskey flavor in the mid to aftertaste. There is also hint of vanilla in the aftertaste. There's some clove and cardamom flavor in the mix too.

Mouthfeel:It has a thinnish body, with a little alcohol burn on the mid to aftertaste.

Drinkability:This one is pleasant to drink, and while it's not all that exotic, it's a good example of it's style.

Serving type: bottle

07-17-2010 04:22:33 | More by fear025

metter98

New York

4.15/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: The beer poured cloudy dark brown in color with a two finger high off-white head that died down but consistently left a thick layer of bubbles floating on the surface. A light to moderate amount of carbonation is visible from the rising bubbles.
S: There are moderate aromas of malty sweetness in the nose.
T: Like the smell, the taste is slightly sweet and has notes of apples, candi sugar and caramel. The flavors become stronger as the beer warms up.
M: It feels medium-bodied and very smooth on the palate.
D: The beer is very easy to drink and the alcohol is well masked, but the alcohol quickly catches up to you.

Serving type: bottle

07-16-2010 03:15:04 | More by metter98