And now for some home brewed Belgian beers that have been sitting in my fridge for a while. These beers have been brewed by a Belgian living in Norway.
Belgian Wit
First up is a typical Belgian Wit with orange peel and cilantro/coriander.
Looks
Hazy Light orange/yellow color with a dense white head.
Aroma
Lovely refreshing citrus aroma with a nice subtle malty hint in the back.
Flavor
Heavy on the citrus flavors with some lovely sweet malty hints as well. I’m getting oranges, hints of yeast and some bread. Well balanced despite the massive hint of cilantro.
Medium body with a sharp carbonation.
Finish
Surprisingly long finish with some lovely hints of cilantro that lasts all the way until the end.
Rating
Overall a lovely Wit. Well balanced with the lovely refreshing hints of cilantro present in both aroma, flavor and finish. The carbonation was perhaps a tad bit too sharp, but other than that, a great beer.
Flanders brown/Oud Bruin
Next up is one of my favorite beer styles, an Oud Bruin. This beer was fermented with the Roeselare Ale Blend yeast if I remember correctly, which contains a sherry strain, two Brettanomyces strains, a Lactobacillus culture, and a Pediococcus culture.
Looks
Hazy copper/red color with little head.
Aroma
Hints of sour cherries, oranges and some raisins.
Flavor
The sour cherries are present in the flavor as well. I’m also getting some caramel sweetness, a tiny hint of alcohol, oranges and some spicy notes.
The beer is quite dry and not much residual sweetness is left. The level of sourness is lovely.
Finish
Long dry finish with hints of cherries and some earthy notes.
Rating
A really enjoyable and complex sour ale. Lovely notes of cherry from the yeast used, and nice mix of sweet and sour.
Tripel
And now for a Belgian Tripel brewed with pilsner, wheat and crystal malts, brewers gold and saaz hops and cilantro/coriander.
Looks
Hazy dark orange/light brown in color with a lively white head that quickly disappears.
Aroma
Strong spicy yeasty aroma up front. I’m also getting some refreshing fruity hints.
Flavor
The flavor is pretty much as expected with regards to the aroma. Some hints of orange zest, some spicy hints, and a sweet malty backbone.
The body is medium full with a very lively carbonation.
Finish
Long finish with some refreshing citrus flavors.
Rating
This particular bottle was a bit over carbonated, and the character of the yeast was perhaps a bit too prominent.
Quad
Last is a Dark Belgian Strong Ale, or a Quadruppel if you might. Brewed with quite an amount of different malts, magnum, styrian golding and saaz hops, and spiced with cilantro/coriander, thyme and liquorice.
Looks
Dark brown color with a reddish hue. The beer has a dense off-white/beige head with good retention.
Aroma
Dark fruits, sweet malts and some hints of oranges.
Flavor
I’m getting sweet malts, some hints of alcohol, liquorice, dark fruits and some other spices.
The beer is medium bodied with a sharp and lively carbonation.
Finish
Long malty sweet finish.
Rating
A really enjoyable quad. Complex and well balanced with some nice hints of spices. Lovely!
And that’s that. Thanks a bunch to Christ Van Der Straeten for the beers!
