I was in Mondo Vino the other night and noticed this beer sitting quietly in the cooler. After careful examination, it became clear that I had to give this one a go. After all, with an ingredient list reading Water, gerstemout, hop, and candijsuiker en gist how could you go wrong?

It poured out aggresive, almost like a champagne. The color is coppery-orange and mighty dirty, we’re talking major chunks suspended in the beer and a thick sludge of sediment in the bottom of the bottle. Don’t grimace, that’s the good stuff! The aroma is yeasty and fruity, with hints of apple and pear.

The taste is typical of a belgian beer. It starts as a complex blend of flavors and continues to get more complex as it warms. It’s nicely carbonated, though smooth to drink. Fruit and spice intermix. Green apple and orange peel mixing with coriander and honey. They claim that the “taste ends with a nice afterglow.” At 10% ABV, I agree, a nice warm finish tops off this festive brew. 

Overall thoughts - With Double and Triple Pale Ales and Imperial IPAs dominating the US breweries, its easy to overlook the growing variety of belgians available. This beer is a perfect example of how creative one can get with a belgian ale. It’s almost completely void of hop flavor, yet it tastes balanced and complete. At $9 for one 11oz bottle, this one is probably a waste for most, however for the guy that has to try them all… It’s worth the one-time investment. All I know, is that after an exhausting day snowboarding in 12+ inches of fresh pow, this thing hits the spot.