De Regenboog Speciale
Brouwerij Smisje

De Regenboog SpecialeDe Regenboog Speciale
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From:
Brouwerij Smisje
 
Belgium
Style:
Pumpkin Beer
ABV:
10.5%
Score:
89
Avg:
4 | pDev: 9%
Reviews:
16
Ratings:
18
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Sep 02, 2014
Added:
Feb 17, 2006
Wants:
  7
Gots:
  2
No description / notes.
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Rated: 3.6 by mattfancett from England

Sep 02, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by ygtbsm94 from Utah

Aug 14, 2013
Photo of DrinkSlurm
Reviewed by DrinkSlurm from New York

4.32/5  rDev +8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured from bottle into globe/tulip at Delerium cafe in Brussles. Pours a murky orange haze with nice head. Great spicy belgian yeast aromas, cinnamon and nutmeg. Taste is very belgian...but also very fall harvest. Lots of spices which really seems to enhance the natural flavors of the yeast. Super smooth and full of flavor. Such a great brew and my favorite pumpkin of all time. Go get one now!
Sep 20, 2012
Photo of BlackHaddock
Reviewed by BlackHaddock from England

3.2/5  rDev -20%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
33 Cl bottle taken in the back room of ‘tBrugs Beertje (through and past the toilets): Tom was looking after everybody back there this evening in Dec 2011. My bottle had a cartoon type picture on the bottle (Halloween) and was called 'Smisje Special'.

The body was a hazy orange colour, on top a large off-white head.

Yeasty, citrusy hopped nose; tried to find pumpkin, but failed.

The taste was yeast, bread, sweetness and grapefruit flavours, tried to find pumpkin but failed; maybe that was the sweetness I got?

The beer is a little too alcoholic for its own good, being to powerful compared to the depth of flavours and body; it is found to easily and tarnishes the overall mouth feel and tasting experience.
Jan 13, 2012
Photo of rtepiak
Reviewed by rtepiak from Poland

3.97/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
the quality of a holiday spiced triple with a bread note. Golden cloudy with a nice thick head of about a finger. Nose is delightly ester fruit and fruit cake spices. Rose water, clove, and pear. A bit elixer like and i could imagine it would be a tad pollen sweet and syrupy in a bottle. But the yeast presents is there and is could also just lead to smooth honey floral bread...a quality that hides in the background.
Jan 08, 2011
Photo of beerpirates
Reviewed by beerpirates from Belgium

4.03/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
33 cl bottel poured into my lost abbey glass

A : Hazy golden straw body with a large white head, lasting, showing some nice lacing around the glass.
S : The aroma is bitter grass, sweet pale malts, caramel, light fruits, light spice.
T : Taste is sweet pale malts, spices, floral hops, alcohol, cloves, light fruits.
D : The alcohol does come through a bit after a few sips. Surprisingly (or not?) the pumpkin really doesn't show through in the flavors.
M : Clean and crisp mouthfeel, yet thick and full.
Dec 29, 2010
Photo of FreshHawk
Reviewed by FreshHawk from Illinois

3.85/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A - Very cloudy, hazy caramel orange color. Small, thin bubbly off-white head with very little retention and no real lacing left.

S - A little faint, but a good amount of ripe pumpkin and sugar smell. Not a lot of pumpkin pie spice. Hints of fruit as well.

T - Taste a lot like spiced pumpkin rather than pumpkin spice. A lot of the actual pumpkin flavor comes out along with a bit of pepper and coriander and maybe just the slightest pumpkin pie spices. Also in the background was a bit of sugar, malt, and a bit of fruitiness (apricot and some golden fruit). Alcohol has a slight presence at the finish.

M - Medium to light body with slightly above average carbonation. Fairly smooth and a little watery.

D - Decent drinkability, it really depends on how much you like pumpkin taste, not pumpkin pie but actual pumpkin. Pretty good drinkability if you like that.

Notes: Not a bad beer that is an interesting take on a pumpkin ale in that it focuses on the pumpkin taste. I'm not sure which I prefer, Pumpkin Ales that focus on pumpkin or pumpkin pie spice. Nice beer and for how high the ABV is, the alcohol is pretty well hidden. Worth a try if you find it, but not really worth seeking out.
Apr 14, 2010
Photo of ktrillionaire
Reviewed by ktrillionaire from Florida

4.12/5  rDev +3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Scanning the other reviews of this brew, it is apparent that some reviewers have this beer, 'Speciaal', confused with the Halloween beer, which it isn't. It is a Belgian Strong Pale, and it is seasonal, but not for Halloween.

On-tap

A – Golden-orange and hazy, with a small wispy head.

S – Smells of spices, everything from thyme to coriander, and mango. There is a noticeable hop presence, and a suggestion of yet it is very understated. This is one of the stranger brews I’ve encountered.

T – First off, the 10.5% ABV is completely hidden; the strength is imperceivable.This beer achieves the basic flavor palate of an IPA, but using entirely different elements to create a similar dynamic; it is bitter up front and on the finish, it has a moderately rich supporting malt, and has strong herbal notes. Again, I have to say that the flavor profile is ridiculous, with the spicing rearranging the timing and order of the palate's recognition of any specific taste. I am stoked on this bizarre brew.

M – Well-carbonated, and the mouthfeel enhances the flavor delivery.

D – It is quite an unusual brew; offbeat and very enjoyable.
Feb 21, 2010
Photo of blackie
Reviewed by blackie from Oregon

4.37/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
a: looks great in the tulip glass - opaque-hazed sunset gold with hues of orange and a layer of white carbonation on the surface

s: could be described as something of a yeasty strong pale, structure of wheat and pale malt, mild phenols, sweet ethanol, complex sugars, pumpkin influence is very limited, balancing aged hop presence

m: light, delicate carbonation on a medium body, creamy - presumably from the pumpkin addition

t: full flavored pale and wheat malt body with a complex yeasty character, fruity - apricot and perhaps some mild banana, brushes of orange, moves from rich malts and yeast to a mildly spicy, papery hop finish, good stuff even if the pumpkin isn't really noticeable

d: no problems here - drinks like a beer of a far lower abv

tulip at ChurchKey, DC
Nov 16, 2009
Photo of Travlr
Reviewed by Travlr from District of Columbia

3.73/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Appearance was glow-in-the-dark orange with no head.
Smell was like a glass of orange juice, maybe some othe fruits in the background.
Taste had light spice, fair amount of malt with lots of acidity, and a very sour finish.
Overall, interesting. Pumpkin was, thankfully, not too obvious.
Nov 14, 2009
Photo of glid02
Reviewed by glid02 from Georgia

4.13/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
On-tap at the Brick Store.

Pours a cloudy lemon-orange color with a 1.5-finger white head. The head recedes into a medium-sized layer on top leaving thick lacing.

Smells of pears with hints of bananas and spices.

Tastes similar to how it smells. Pears and sweet malt up front are joined by mild banana flavors midway through the sip and a light spiciness joins in before the crisp ending. The flavor profile does a nice job of toeing the sweet/spicy line and not leaning too far toward either.

Mouthfeel is good. It's got a solid thickness with active carbonation.

Drinkability is good. I finished my glass quickly and could easily have a few more.

Overall there was nothing singularly exceptional about this beer but when everything was taken as a whole it's a very well done, easy-drinking beverage. Well worth a shot.
Nov 09, 2009
Photo of RichThatchr
Reviewed by RichThatchr from Florida

4.42/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
I had this last night on tap at The Ginger Man in NYC. It came to me in a tulip glass and it had the interesting aromas of apples, cherries, and malts combined as I inhaled it a couple of times. It had very little head and the first taste made me think of a muddy version of a Saison, like Fantome. The taste lasted quite a bit as I was enjoying its superb elements, which made my fellow drinkers jealous after they tasted it too.
Dec 13, 2007
Photo of Gavage
Reviewed by Gavage from Nevada

4.12/5  rDev +3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Appearance: clear orange in color with a 1" head that lingers a bit. Some spots of lae develop during the session.

Smell: wonderful aroma of fruit sweetness, yeast, and a hint of musk.

Taste: this is labelled as a pumpkin ale on the menu and in no way is this anything like the pumpkin ales we are used to in the US. There is no real pumkin flavor, but fruit sweetness, orange, clove, pepper, yeast, alcohol, and a mild bitterness and dryness make up a unqiue and very flavorful beer.

Mouthfeel: smooth and dry from start to finish. Brief aftertaste. Medium bodied beer.

Drinkability: very easy to drink but the alcohol was labelled at 10.5% on the beer menu. Not a slow sipper, but you need to enjoy this at a moderate pace. Unique and worth seeking out.
Feb 25, 2007
Photo of TastyTaste
Reviewed by TastyTaste from Minnesota

4.45/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
On Tap at the Muddy Pig, St. Paul, MN.

Appearance: A hazed yellow body, uch like a hefeweizen, although served in a Piraat tulip. Large white head.

Smell: Good yeast and some malt, slightly fruity, although not very strong in pumpkin.

Taste: A fine ale to sip on, smooth (which I assume is from the pumpkin), with a fine yeast presence. Slightly funky, in a Belgian sort of way. This was described on the menu as sort of hefeweizen-ish, and I would have to agree.

Drinkability: A very good, interesting beer, worth a shot.
Aug 19, 2006
Photo of Tbone
Reviewed by Tbone from Illinois

4.63/5  rDev +15.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5
On tap at Max's in Baltimore.
The beer is unfiltered and very cloudy with an orangish hue.

I detected no typical pumpkin spices at all, which is a good thing.
Only with prior knowledge that it had pumpkin in it, would I have "detected" any pumpkin in the taste. I thought of it as more of a wonderfully full bodied, rich Trippel. It had great mouth feel.

This is one of my top beers I have had in the past year, and I hope to see it again. However, since all the other reviews are from Max's, this beer does not appear to be widely available.
Jun 20, 2006
Photo of GClarkage
Reviewed by GClarkage from California

3.76/5  rDev -6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
04/13/06- Had on tap at the Toronado in San Francisco, CA during Belgian Beer Month.

Presentation- Via the tap into a tulip style glass.

Appearance- Golden in color, approaching the orange side. Soft creamy 1/4 inch white head with average lacing.

Smell- Odd scent of a wet dog. There are sometimes dogs at the Toronado, but I took a big whiff inside the glass and assured myself of a wet funky scent. If you really sniff hard you can pick up some tropical fruit scents.

Taste- The taste was just fine. Spices to and fro. A bit of pepper, maybe a touch of clove. A good amount of lemon rind and maybe some oranges. A slight bitter from hops I presume.

Mouthfeel- Mildly creamy, mid range carbonation.

Drinkability- This one is really easy to drink. Would try this again if I can ever find it again.

Note*** This is not the De Regenboog Speciale. At least I am assuming it isn't because there is no note of pumpkin in this whatsoever. The bartenter told me the style and %, so I guess this is a new unlisted beer?
Apr 14, 2006
Photo of cubedbee
Reviewed by cubedbee from Maryland

4.05/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Served on tap during Max's 72 Hours of Belgian, a glowing straw yellow, no head,small amount of lacing. Nose is faint, a slight pumpkin and brown sugar combination. Taste is a nice meaty pumpkin flavor, very real pumpkin tasting, more than any pumpkin beer I've ever had, with only a subtle nutmeg spice, a little cinammon, and a slight note of alcohol on the finish. Medium bodied, moderate carbonation, warming beer. This was an interesting Belgian beer, way different than any American pumpkin beers, very good if you like pumpkin.
Mar 05, 2006
Photo of Dithyramb
Reviewed by Dithyramb from Maryland

3.82/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Served on tap as part of Max's 72 Hrs. of Belgium today. Had about the fourth or fifth draw off the tap. Poured a pale, slightly cloudy orange with half a finger of off white head. Clingy lacing. Aroma of faint malt, sugar, and some pumpkin.

Wow, this one actually tastes like pumpkin, instead of pumpkin pie. Taste of actual raw, cooked pumpkin and some honey of all things. Very faint wisps of spices.

Mouthfeel was a steady medium. Alcohol was verrrry present, reminding you to take it easy. Given that the spices were more subdued, I think this made this one more drinkable. Subtle and refined, instead of spice-obsessed.
Feb 17, 2006
De Regenboog Speciale from Brouwerij Smisje
Beer rating: 89 out of 100 with 18 ratings