Abbaye De Floreffe Prima Melior
Brasserie Lefèbvre SA

Abbaye De Floreffe Prima MeliorAbbaye De Floreffe Prima Melior
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From:
Brasserie Lefèbvre SA
 
Belgium
Style:
Belgian Dark Strong Ale
Ranked #141
ABV:
8%
Score:
84
Ranked #21,977
Avg:
3.74 | pDev: 14.17%
Reviews:
119
Ratings:
202
Status:
Active
Rated:
Mar 04, 2024
Added:
Feb 05, 2003
Wants:
  13
Gots:
  23
A Special Reserve Ale exclusively for the use of the Abbot and his guests. A rich brown beer seasoned with Anise & Coriander, secondary fermentation in the bottle, based on the brewing tradition of Floreffe Abbey, founded in 1121.

Ale brewed with spices (star anise, orange peel).
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Ratings by GilGarp:
Photo of GilGarp
Reviewed by GilGarp from Colorado

4.3/5  rDev +15%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Picked this 750ml bottle up on sale for $4.99. Seemed like a deal and I love this style so what the hell.

Pops with authority (just how I like it) and pours into my globe glass with a perfect inch of head. The color is a nice deep dark brown with red highlights. Pretty good clarity from what I can tell.

Aroma is nice and malty with some sweet cherry-like characteristics. Nice Belgian yeast on the nose as well.

This beer is full of flavor but nice and subtle at the same time. Not overpowering like some of this style, it has the softer taste of a dubbel. Very impressive fruit flavors of cherry, plum, and raisin. Nice subtle spiciness and the Belgian yeast is great.

Mouthfeel is typical for the style with full body and a little extra carbonation.

Drinkability is very good for the style given that it's not too strong in flavor or alcohol.

Overall, a surprising find and one that I may want to pick a few more up of given the price.
Nov 25, 2008
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.19 by RochefortChris from North Carolina

Mar 04, 2024
Photo of Sigmund
Reviewed by Sigmund from Norway

3.28/5  rDev -12.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
December 2011: 330 ml bottle, will soon be available at Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 8%. Very dark brown colour, huge beige head. Strong spicy aroma, particularly strong notes of anise, also notes of caramel malts and brown kandij sugar. The flavour has notes of brown kandij sugar, brown malts and spices, dominant anise again. Not too sweet. Minimal hops.
May 13, 2022
 
Rated: 3.39 by TwiggyCZ from Czech Republic

Nov 07, 2021
 
Rated: 2.46 by DvdP from Netherlands

Nov 14, 2020
Photo of JonnoWillsteed
Reviewed by JonnoWillsteed from England

4.06/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
L- Almost black to the eye, thought held up next to a halogen it's a super-dark chestnut ruby. Slight haze. Pours with 2Cm pillowy med/dark tan head.
S- A slightly piquant and liquor-ish smell.
T- 1st sip -> It's pretty malty, then into a deep toasty grains/malts, and it keeps building until about 5 seconds later the intensity rises again on the tongue/palate in a third wave (with a brushing of ABV% zing) into something quite pungent. These waves keeps repeating on each further sip... now on about my 5th sip. Unusual/really nice!
F- Notably deep, quite pungently toasty with richness and hops all in equilibrium.
O- Well I never, this has turned out to me quite a star. It's super-easy to drink as a slow-sippin' beer. Great for coller months. I'd very happily drink this one again. Shame I couldn't register the spicing/Smell much here but I get bad Springtime congestion and that's what happens. I hope others get to enjoy the spicy facets more!
What a lovely beer. One of those ones you hope to be good, that turns out to be something special. The way the Taste reatedly grew+ebbed - I've had such before, but usually only 2 maybe 3 cycles until the palate adjusts and you no longer notice it; here is just went on and on.
Bought from BelgiumInABox at Antwerp/BE for home delivery to me in London/UK.
330ml caged/ceramic stoppered bottle. BB: 07/12/2020.
Note: the bottle spout has no lip (unusual) so if pouring slowly due to it being bottle-cond be aware the trickle/flow repeatedly tries to move up the bottle spout towards your pouring hand.
Lable is now updated and much simplified vs that in the Description^. Blue+pale cream, with a simple image of a monastry.
Apr 28, 2020
 
Rated: 4.01 by Abstractspirit from Rhode Island

Dec 01, 2019
 
Rated: 4 by paulish from New York

Sep 05, 2019
Photo of mikeg67
Reviewed by mikeg67 from New Jersey

4.3/5  rDev +15%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
750 ml bottle. Pours brown with tall, long-lasting, foamy off-white head and nice lacing. Aroma is of plums, cherries, caramel, spices and brown sugar. Body is full and smooth. Spicy yeast, caramel malt, toffee, plums, raisins, brown sugar and herbal hops fill the mouth. Finish is long and spicy. Very nice brew.
Jul 22, 2019
 
Rated: 4.24 by sjjn from California

May 09, 2019
 
Rated: 4.26 by arzt from Germany

Mar 10, 2019
Photo of OlaB
Reviewed by OlaB from Norway

4.05/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Pours a dark-brown color with a medium top of beige head that dissolves slowly and leave some lacings. Nice aroma of dark malts, caramel, chocolate,tofee,licorice, burned sugar,raisins,prunes, dates,plums and herbs.
The flavour is sweet and malty with notes of dark and dried fruits,caramel, licorice and chocolate at the start. The finish has a good tone of bitterness that mixes well with the malty and sweet flavour. Good lenght on the aftertaste with a soft and creamy mouthfeel. The carbonation is quite high with a medium body.
A really good and enjoyable dark ale, kind of a underdog.
Nov 30, 2018
 
Rated: 3.83 by Dentist666 from Russian Federation

Aug 18, 2018
Photo of rex_4539
Reviewed by rex_4539 from Greece

4.28/5  rDev +14.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
L: Dark amber color, two finger beige head, excellent lacing, good carbonation.

S: Belgian yeast, oak, raisins.

T: Classic Belgian taste.

F: Full bodied, creamy, dense, overly carbonated.

O: Very good beer. Really enjoyed it.
Oct 24, 2017
 
Rated: 4.25 by ArnoldStotzer from Florida

Sep 21, 2017
 
Rated: 4.1 by mishi_d from Romania

Aug 13, 2017
 
Rated: 4.13 by Antyk from Belgium

Jan 04, 2017
 
Rated: 3.35 by sherillc from Canada (ON)

Oct 13, 2016
Photo of josanguapo
Reviewed by josanguapo from Spain

4.5/5  rDev +20.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
From Alcampo. In Teku glass. Watching The Sopranos 1x02. Some licorice. There is something adictive in this beer that have made me enjoy it more the more I drank it in both nose and mouth
Aug 01, 2016
Photo of Dzu
Reviewed by Dzu from Russian Federation

4.27/5  rDev +14.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
L: Dark brown wit a massive foam head.
S: Smells dark fruit, sweety.
T: Bittersweet,tart and dry.
F: Alcohol not well hidden but smooth.
O: Like it at all.
Apr 08, 2016
Abbaye De Floreffe Prima Melior from Brasserie Lefèbvre SA
Beer rating: 84 out of 100 with 202 ratings