-
Stop lurking! Log in to search, post in our forums, review beers, see fewer ads, and more. — Todd, Founder of BeerAdvocate
Cuvée De Koninck
Brouwerij De Koninck NV
- From:
- Brouwerij De Koninck NV
- Belgium
- Style:
- Belgian Dark Strong Ale
- ABV:
- 8%
- Score:
- 85
- Avg:
- 3.77 | pDev: 13.26%
- Reviews:
- 41
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- Jan 28, 2022
- Added:
- Jul 23, 2002
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 0
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Rated by edthehead from Maryland
3/5 rDev -20.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
3/5 rDev -20.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
1992 vintage
Jan 28, 2022Rated by trllte from Texas
3.89/5 rDev +3.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25
3.89/5 rDev +3.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25
retired? yum
Jul 10, 2017Reviewed by schavuytje from Netherlands
2.89/5 rDev -23.3%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5
2.89/5 rDev -23.3%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5
Frisian fruity copper blonde lean foam, scented to hay herbs and spicy malt in the flavored dried herbs forest, pear, sour and spicy of the wild yeast and a bit of hop
May 31, 2017Reviewed by soupyman10 from District of Columbia
3.28/5 rDev -13%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
3.28/5 rDev -13%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
Poured a brown color with an off-white head, about a quarter of an inch. Nose was extremely mild, light roasted malt sugar I guess. Taste was a little better; some mildly interesting caramel malt, a little graininess. Light dried fruit. Feel is too thin. Overall, weak. This is Belgian?
Feb 25, 2008Reviewed by thierrynantes from France
3/5 rDev -20.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
3/5 rDev -20.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Beer bottle (33cl), tasted in 2000.
Appearance: amber-red color, foam not persistent
Smell: notes of coffee, caramel and liquorice
Taste and mouthfeel: heady beer, which weighs alcohol in the taste
Drinkability: an average beer in the Belgian style strong dark ale
Review added 11-24-2007, translated from french 2-29-2008.
Nov 24, 2007Appearance: amber-red color, foam not persistent
Smell: notes of coffee, caramel and liquorice
Taste and mouthfeel: heady beer, which weighs alcohol in the taste
Drinkability: an average beer in the Belgian style strong dark ale
Review added 11-24-2007, translated from french 2-29-2008.
Reviewed by weeare138 from Pennsylvania
3.06/5 rDev -18.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
3.06/5 rDev -18.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Thanks to egajdzis for this...
It has a '99 date stamped on it.
Appears a dark hazy brown with a small off white foamy head and scattered lacing.
Smell is of oxidized old cork, vanilla, caramel, and sugary syrup.
Taste is of sweet malt & syrup...nothing really good standing out.
Mouthfeel is of light, sugary syrup. Unbalanced mess. Aging perhaps?
Apr 07, 2006It has a '99 date stamped on it.
Appears a dark hazy brown with a small off white foamy head and scattered lacing.
Smell is of oxidized old cork, vanilla, caramel, and sugary syrup.
Taste is of sweet malt & syrup...nothing really good standing out.
Mouthfeel is of light, sugary syrup. Unbalanced mess. Aging perhaps?
Reviewed by SkeeterHawk from Texas
3.09/5 rDev -18%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
3.09/5 rDev -18%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Appearance: Started to pour a clear orange golden color with a nice off white 1/4" head, but as I was pouring a chunk of yeast came falling out into my beer and dispersed as flakes. I am tempted to scrap this one and open another beer. We'll see...Aroma: A dry and slightly papery aroma dominates the nose. There is a good bit of caramel along with some serious fruit flavors like peaches and mangos.Taste: The flavor is also sweet and peachy. The oxidized aromatics didn't really carry over into the flavor of the beer that much. The fruit basket is a little hard to get past, but if you can, you will notice some caramel and vanilla flavors. The beer is medium to light bodied with a dominant sweet balance the whole time. It doesn't really even have the attenuated dryness that a lot of the Belgian beers do, so it ends a bit heavy for "only" being 8%ABV.Opinion: Well, I went ahead and drank the beer even with the chunks. It wasn't too bad, and I will be a lot more careful with my next bottle. In my opinion, the beers balance was a bit off. It had too little support for the malt and yeast flavors, so it left one hanging. It is also in a tough category to hang in. Overall it was OK, but not one that I will be seeking out.
Apr 06, 2006Reviewed by asabreed from New York
4.22/5 rDev +11.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
4.22/5 rDev +11.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
33 cl. bottle purchased for around $2. There's a cool hand on the bottle cap. Stop? Go? I'm in either way.
Appearance: A hazy orange amber color with not too much head and only a bit of spotty, though not thick, lacing on the side. Still, and this may be odd, but I love seeing the yeast floating in the beer, and this seems like a beer you may want to avoid if you personally don't; the floaters rushed out into the glass, and now they're sluggishly spiraling around the glass. And the color's damn nice, with those two attributes saving it from a lower rating. And I did pour it a bit cooler than it probably should've been poured.
Smell: Major tart apple skin, sourness, a bit phenolic, some sour cherries, sweet and fruity malt, and a bit of funk to the discernible Belgian yeast. Though it doesn't necessarily reach the complexity of others of the style with the myriad aromatics that surface, this is surprising for how pleasant it is.
Taste: I was surprised by the brandy-like alcohol bite, though it was not unpleasant, which soon surfaces to the sourness that was hinted at in the nose. They mention the use of hops on the bottle's label, and I assume they're working here as more of a catalyst for the complexity of the sourness and the sweetness, because I'm not really getting much. But the fruitiness is nice, and though I wish the finish was longer, there's only a tinge of bitterness before the sour and sweet notes of fruit rest on the palate. For what they're trying to do it's done very well, as they are, it seems to me at least, not trying to go for complexity through the roof, which serves this very well. I was surprised and pretty impressed overall by how well the sourness and vinous notes worked, and how much it's present and working well with the other elements of the brew.
Mouthfeel: A nice creaminess that I thought at first may be due to the cloying body, but it turns out it's not that way at all. Carbonation comes closer to the swallow, deceiving you into thinking maybe it's insanely thick and huge. But alas, by the end it hits the palate for a burst-and-quickly-gone compliment to the entire process of the swallow.
Drinkability: I was surprised by this one mainly by the price, as it was around $2 for a single bottle, which means a 4-pack (Would this come in a 6-pack? I'm assuming now, but I could be wrong of course) would even be cheaper. The alcohol's hardly discernible at all as far as I can tell, and though it was nice at a cooler temperature, as I have a few swallows left in the glass now, it's still getting better. I'm impressed more and more how the style differs from brewery to brewery and the distinct things that make them original, unique, complex, and highly drinkable.
Mar 03, 2006Appearance: A hazy orange amber color with not too much head and only a bit of spotty, though not thick, lacing on the side. Still, and this may be odd, but I love seeing the yeast floating in the beer, and this seems like a beer you may want to avoid if you personally don't; the floaters rushed out into the glass, and now they're sluggishly spiraling around the glass. And the color's damn nice, with those two attributes saving it from a lower rating. And I did pour it a bit cooler than it probably should've been poured.
Smell: Major tart apple skin, sourness, a bit phenolic, some sour cherries, sweet and fruity malt, and a bit of funk to the discernible Belgian yeast. Though it doesn't necessarily reach the complexity of others of the style with the myriad aromatics that surface, this is surprising for how pleasant it is.
Taste: I was surprised by the brandy-like alcohol bite, though it was not unpleasant, which soon surfaces to the sourness that was hinted at in the nose. They mention the use of hops on the bottle's label, and I assume they're working here as more of a catalyst for the complexity of the sourness and the sweetness, because I'm not really getting much. But the fruitiness is nice, and though I wish the finish was longer, there's only a tinge of bitterness before the sour and sweet notes of fruit rest on the palate. For what they're trying to do it's done very well, as they are, it seems to me at least, not trying to go for complexity through the roof, which serves this very well. I was surprised and pretty impressed overall by how well the sourness and vinous notes worked, and how much it's present and working well with the other elements of the brew.
Mouthfeel: A nice creaminess that I thought at first may be due to the cloying body, but it turns out it's not that way at all. Carbonation comes closer to the swallow, deceiving you into thinking maybe it's insanely thick and huge. But alas, by the end it hits the palate for a burst-and-quickly-gone compliment to the entire process of the swallow.
Drinkability: I was surprised by this one mainly by the price, as it was around $2 for a single bottle, which means a 4-pack (Would this come in a 6-pack? I'm assuming now, but I could be wrong of course) would even be cheaper. The alcohol's hardly discernible at all as far as I can tell, and though it was nice at a cooler temperature, as I have a few swallows left in the glass now, it's still getting better. I'm impressed more and more how the style differs from brewery to brewery and the distinct things that make them original, unique, complex, and highly drinkable.
Reviewed by andjusticeforale from Connecticut
4.25/5 rDev +12.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
4.25/5 rDev +12.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
This pours out heavy and brown, with some alcohol and brandy smells in the nose. There is no way to remove the fine particulate matter through the pour, but who really cares? This isnt a lager. There was a quickly dissipating head with a substantial lace and stickiness.
Like most beers, you need to get used to this as the glass progresses, but your are rewarded for your efforts and perseverance. This is because of the fact that there is a brandy-like quality to the initial tastes of this beer, and it is ubiquitous. This is perhaps a similar quality to Chimay white, a fermented grape winey-ness.
As the beer progresses and warms it really becomes malty and rich to balance out the winey-quality. This and the beer maintains a really nice carbonation level throughout the whole thing. In fact- you shouldnt be talking about the carbonation level at all, and here it is perfect.
Lastly, this is not a session beer. Drinkability in the classic sense is low, but at the same time, by the end you wish there was more.
Oct 26, 2005Like most beers, you need to get used to this as the glass progresses, but your are rewarded for your efforts and perseverance. This is because of the fact that there is a brandy-like quality to the initial tastes of this beer, and it is ubiquitous. This is perhaps a similar quality to Chimay white, a fermented grape winey-ness.
As the beer progresses and warms it really becomes malty and rich to balance out the winey-quality. This and the beer maintains a really nice carbonation level throughout the whole thing. In fact- you shouldnt be talking about the carbonation level at all, and here it is perfect.
Lastly, this is not a session beer. Drinkability in the classic sense is low, but at the same time, by the end you wish there was more.
Reviewed by BrewMaster from California
4.05/5 rDev +7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5
4.05/5 rDev +7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5
Served on-tap at Lucky Baldwin's in Pasadena, 7/20/05 at their Christmas Beers & Interesting Winter Warmers in July Fesitval.
Appearance: Pinkish red color with a puffy white head like foamed milk. Not very stiff but reasonably sticky on the glass.
Smell: Lively and light champange like nose with a sweet malty scent and a very fruity character. Very strong berry scent.
Taste: Syrupy sweet with a scotch ale like caramel and molasses flavor. Very dark roasted malts come through though the beer does not have a terribly dark color. It's alive with fruity esters and phenols and more berry flavor --a light blend of cherry and raspberry. Very malty with pretty much no detectable hop contribution. Near the end a more citrusy/grapefruit character comes to life. This beer is definately more flavorful and rich than the color lets on.
Mouthfeel: Sandy and syrupy, medium bodied with a light carbonation feel on the mouth. It looks more lively in carbonation than it feels on the palate.
Drinkability: Goes down easy despite the slightly heavy caramel and molasses taste. Clean and yummy. A pleasure on-tap.
Jul 22, 2005Appearance: Pinkish red color with a puffy white head like foamed milk. Not very stiff but reasonably sticky on the glass.
Smell: Lively and light champange like nose with a sweet malty scent and a very fruity character. Very strong berry scent.
Taste: Syrupy sweet with a scotch ale like caramel and molasses flavor. Very dark roasted malts come through though the beer does not have a terribly dark color. It's alive with fruity esters and phenols and more berry flavor --a light blend of cherry and raspberry. Very malty with pretty much no detectable hop contribution. Near the end a more citrusy/grapefruit character comes to life. This beer is definately more flavorful and rich than the color lets on.
Mouthfeel: Sandy and syrupy, medium bodied with a light carbonation feel on the mouth. It looks more lively in carbonation than it feels on the palate.
Drinkability: Goes down easy despite the slightly heavy caramel and molasses taste. Clean and yummy. A pleasure on-tap.
Reviewed by SCW from New York
3.83/5 rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
3.83/5 rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
A good beer.
I think most people would agree this is a well-crafted beer - you can definitely taste and perceive the hops, malt, and yeast - and how they interact with each other.
My sample poured an amber color - actually, a rather light amber. It left a nice lacing down the glass, and had a rather neutral aroma. Just a faint whiff of yeast spiciness and alcohol.
The taste was well-balanced - very light on the palate, with not too much aggression considering the strength. A taste of soft pale malts, perhaps winter barley, and some light crystals. Just a little bit of flavor hops in the finish, and slight alcohol burn.
The mouthfeel was light to medium, and overall, a rather drinkable brew.
Jul 09, 2005I think most people would agree this is a well-crafted beer - you can definitely taste and perceive the hops, malt, and yeast - and how they interact with each other.
My sample poured an amber color - actually, a rather light amber. It left a nice lacing down the glass, and had a rather neutral aroma. Just a faint whiff of yeast spiciness and alcohol.
The taste was well-balanced - very light on the palate, with not too much aggression considering the strength. A taste of soft pale malts, perhaps winter barley, and some light crystals. Just a little bit of flavor hops in the finish, and slight alcohol burn.
The mouthfeel was light to medium, and overall, a rather drinkable brew.
Reviewed by WesWes from New York
3.53/5 rDev -6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.53/5 rDev -6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
The beer pours an amber color with a thin white head that quickly fades to lacing. The aroma is decent. It has a dry pale malt scent that shows its elevated abv. and a slightly fruity yeast aroma. The taste is decent as well. It has a pale malt taste that is not that complex. It goes down slow and finishes warm and dry with a slight yeast aftertaste. The mouthfeel is decent. It is a full bodied beer with adequate carbonation. This is an above average Belgian ale. It has little complexity and yeast characteristics. It's one and done for me.
Apr 20, 2005Reviewed by shippos from New York
3.6/5 rDev -4.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
3.6/5 rDev -4.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
tons of clumpy yeast floating in the bottom of the bottle before opening. opened and tried to decant carefully to not get a ton of yeast in the glass but it was useless. poured with a thick whte ehad on top a clear golden honey color with yeast clumped together floating around everywhere. depite the yeast it's get a 3.5 anywho. dry fruity hints of pepper an alcohol witha soft sugary hint. soft body with a refreshing carbonation in the mouthfeel. good drinkablility.
noticed the best before date was in 2003, wonder if that was why the yeast roused? still it's 8%, should've held up alright.
Jan 21, 2005noticed the best before date was in 2003, wonder if that was why the yeast roused? still it's 8%, should've held up alright.
Reviewed by walleye from Michigan
2.76/5 rDev -26.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5
2.76/5 rDev -26.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5
from the bottle. poured a golden color with a off white head had good lacing. aroma sour, yeast, straw, skunky, some malts. flavor a strange sourness a lemon and a orange that not ripe, hints of malts, yeast, grapes a dryness in the mouthfeel. the sourness took a lot away for me. I sometimes like a little sourness in my beer but this was a little on the weird side
Jan 09, 2005Reviewed by apintofknowledge from Connecticut
3.52/5 rDev -6.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
3.52/5 rDev -6.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
After enjoying a my recent discovery of De Konick ale at the suggestion of a knowledgeable bartender, I certainly had to try the Cuvee De Konick when coming upon it in a local beer store.
The color was much lighter than I expected (after drinking the mahogany-colored De Konick ale). It was a rich golden-coppery hue, with a pure white head. From the aroma, I could tell I was in for something strong... the alcohol was certainly present, along with a fruit & yeast character that reminded me of a ciderhouse.
The taste brought forth flavors of mild crisp fruit like apples and pears, along with a spicy yeast with an undertone of mellow malt. The alcohol that was present in the aroma lingered in the finish in my mouth, a little stronger than I would have liked. A nice Belgian ale, but not up to the level of their De Konick Ale offering. And I'm still trying to figure out why the Cuvee is called a Dark Ale when the De Konick seemed darker to me in both color and taste.
Dec 20, 2004The color was much lighter than I expected (after drinking the mahogany-colored De Konick ale). It was a rich golden-coppery hue, with a pure white head. From the aroma, I could tell I was in for something strong... the alcohol was certainly present, along with a fruit & yeast character that reminded me of a ciderhouse.
The taste brought forth flavors of mild crisp fruit like apples and pears, along with a spicy yeast with an undertone of mellow malt. The alcohol that was present in the aroma lingered in the finish in my mouth, a little stronger than I would have liked. A nice Belgian ale, but not up to the level of their De Konick Ale offering. And I'm still trying to figure out why the Cuvee is called a Dark Ale when the De Konick seemed darker to me in both color and taste.
Reviewed by horndecker from New Jersey
4.23/5 rDev +12.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4.23/5 rDev +12.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
This brew has a beautiful coppery, slightly cloudy look to it with a fine moderate head. It looks well-behaved and quite refined.
The nose is big fruit and malt and makes promises.
And the flavor makes good. The malt and fruit are accompanied by a sherry-like nuttiness and a juicy mouthfeel. Delicious. The alcohol is not in your face, but you'll find out about it later.
The finish is dry and just perfect, nice balance.
Nov 14, 2004The nose is big fruit and malt and makes promises.
And the flavor makes good. The malt and fruit are accompanied by a sherry-like nuttiness and a juicy mouthfeel. Delicious. The alcohol is not in your face, but you'll find out about it later.
The finish is dry and just perfect, nice balance.
Reviewed by GCBrewingCo from North Carolina
3.53/5 rDev -6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.53/5 rDev -6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
The beer poured into the chalice a crystal clear light amber with a white lasting head which stayed to lace the glass.
The aroma was slightly sour with lactic and farmhouse character. Some earthy hop aroma was present along with some higher alcohols.
The flavor was fruity with a malty backbone a delicate spice and an earthy hop presence. The spice was muted and well mixed with the earthy hops and light frutiness, but was missing complexity. The flavor was slightly sweet at first sip and evolved into a spicy, earthy and alcoholic flavor as time progressed. Some slight lactic sourness emerged as the beer warmed.
The finish was earthy and woodsy with a spicy farmhouse nature that lasts long into the aftertaste. The body was medium.
11.2 ounce bottle. Not very much dark about this beer, might be better put in another style. According to the label originally called Cuvee Antwerpen 93.
Nov 12, 2004The aroma was slightly sour with lactic and farmhouse character. Some earthy hop aroma was present along with some higher alcohols.
The flavor was fruity with a malty backbone a delicate spice and an earthy hop presence. The spice was muted and well mixed with the earthy hops and light frutiness, but was missing complexity. The flavor was slightly sweet at first sip and evolved into a spicy, earthy and alcoholic flavor as time progressed. Some slight lactic sourness emerged as the beer warmed.
The finish was earthy and woodsy with a spicy farmhouse nature that lasts long into the aftertaste. The body was medium.
11.2 ounce bottle. Not very much dark about this beer, might be better put in another style. According to the label originally called Cuvee Antwerpen 93.
Reviewed by Hefe from Oregon
3.8/5 rDev +0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
3.8/5 rDev +0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Poured in a McChouffe tulip from 330 ml. bottle on 11/3/04. Date stamped on back 10/7/04.
Appearance: Copper/tawny in colour with a minimal off-white head that quickly fads to a nice touch of lacing.
Smell: Almonds, hay, hops, caramel malt.
Taste: Strong malt profile, with a touch of balancing hops. Subtle fruity nuances do show up( peach, plum ).
Mouthfeel: Crisp, though bordering on light this does have a nice feel to it.
Drinkability: Very enjoyable, I could easily kick back several.
Nov 04, 2004Appearance: Copper/tawny in colour with a minimal off-white head that quickly fads to a nice touch of lacing.
Smell: Almonds, hay, hops, caramel malt.
Taste: Strong malt profile, with a touch of balancing hops. Subtle fruity nuances do show up( peach, plum ).
Mouthfeel: Crisp, though bordering on light this does have a nice feel to it.
Drinkability: Very enjoyable, I could easily kick back several.
Cuvée De Koninck from Brouwerij De Koninck NV
Beer rating:
85 out of
100 with
45 ratings
We love reviews (150 characters or more)! Check out: How to Review a Beer. You don't need to get fancy. Drop some thoughts on the beer's attributes (look, smell, taste, feel) plus your overall impression. Something that backs up your rating and helps others. Thanks!