Cuvée Van De Keizer Rood (Red) | Brouwerij Het Anker

4.14/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

2016 vintage. A great flavor that gets reduced eventually by a somewhat over-bearing alcohol.

Looks are fine at first, particularly the abundant foam and then lace over a nice orange tinge.
Smells I detect are mostly malt and yeast and enough brewer's sugar; all complexing to give full fruity aromas.
Tastes are similar, but spicing becomes more noticeable; yet never interferes with balance.
Feel has decent carbonation, but still allows a creamy feel. All this is spoiled by too much unconcealed alcohol.

OA: I personally think that Het Anker should be able to conceal Red's alcohol; having figured that out so well in their other potent ales that I've had. So, my OA rating is based on that expectation.

 709 characters

4.34/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Pours a hazed gold with 2+ fingers of ivory head. Good head retention & lacing

S: Pears, grassyness, & golden delicous apples

T: Pears, golden delicious apples, figs, plus woody hops up front. Dryness, pears, woody hops, a touch of booze warmth as this warms, some green melon, white grapes & a touch of grassyness too. Finishes with much orchard fruit, some green melon , dryness & a little grassy hoppyness, plus warming booze

This is lovely take on the style, this has a great combination of drinkability, complexity & booze kick to do the job!

MF: Medium body, slight carbonation

 595 characters

4.26/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

3.51/5  rDev -14%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3.25

5/5  rDev +22.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

4.29/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Ah Christmas, and this fine ale is a tradition I look forward to each year.
From the 750 ml bottle in a snifter. This Belgian pours a lightly murky
deep amber with a fantastic head of white foam that settles to a thick
fine beaded ring and layer with nice sudsy lacing. Nose of apples, grapes,
light sweet bread, subtle yeast notes, pear, and sweet candy sugars. Flavors
hit the right notes and beyond with apples and grapes hitting on the sides, sweet
breaded malts on the middle and rear, and a nice candy sugar note lightly cut
by herbal hops and prickly alcohol. Excellent mouth feel smooth, creamy,
warming, sweet, lightly prickly carbonation, and subtly dry on the finish.

Overall a fantastic brew that signal a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Cheers

 770 characters

4.24/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Poured from 0.75 l bottle into Gouden Carolus glass.
L: Light amber with a lush white foam head.
S: Citrus, green apple.
T: Pear, sweet apple, light fruits. Complex flavour.
F: Great balanced. Medium body and carbonation.
O: Great ale! nothing to say!

 252 characters

3.96/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75

A generous head that forms on top of a hazy deep straw gold. Decent lacing and a light covering. Nose has apples, pears, and grapes. A heavy honey sweetness. Vanilla and pepper. Alcohol is quite present. Taste is very sweet and bready. Vanilla and sugar wafers. A big boozy alcohol that is well integrated until the temperature increases. When cold this is quite drinkable and sneaky smooth. As it warms it becomes quite edgy with alcohol. Hops are low and a such the balance is on the sweet side. Feel is lovely. Medium body with a tingly, creamy carbonation. A solid strong brew, just s little rough around the edges.

 619 characters

4.25/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

4.37/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Hazy amber golden with excellent white haed, long retention.
Smell - fresh, complex, floral, lemony, spicy, honey, cracker.
Taste - spicy, apricots, citrus, some alcohol, forest berries.
Full body, high carbonation, tad slick, charming spiciness.
Crisp & noble.

 261 characters

4.5/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

4.24/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

4.4/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Bottled January 14, 2015 and poured into an oversized wine glass. I chilled this one longer than recommended so it becomes a most lovely beer after slowly sipping and waiting. I expected goodness from this brewery and got it with this BSPA.

 241 characters

1.76/5  rDev -56.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1.5

Jaargang 2013. Purchased at Binnies in Chicago. 750ml corked and caged bottle. Per the website, brewed with 3 different spices, OG=22° Plato, 17 EBU, 9.5 EBC (kinda like SRM). 10.0% ABV.
Pours out to a cloudy peach golden, forming a tall poofy off yellow head with very good retention and lacing, owing to it's brisk carbonation, ~3.5 carbs or so. The nose is of honey, candi sugar, a little dusty basement. The mouthfeel is effervescent, somewhat cloying, a bit boozy. Taste of melon, honey, candi sugar, then lots of booze. Hot peppery booze, followed by terrible notes of oxidation...wet newspaper and cardboard. Bitterness is metallic and tastes artificial, like poor quality hop extract. Aftertaste of damp cardboard, metallic twang. I had to literally choke this down and got about 4 oz into the bottle before I gave up.

A pretty awful beer full of flaws. This is a drain pour. Quite disappointed. One of the worst Belgian golden strongs I've ever had, and I've had quite a few.
Terrible.

 1,011 characters

3.92/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

4.18/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

750ML Bottle bottled on 8.29.2013

Appearance - hazy golden body with white head

Smell - ginger, coriander, pear, apricot, apple

Taste - apple, pear, ginger, coriander

Mouthfeel - Medium plus body, full carbonation, citrus sweetness upfront, ginger/coriander spice in the middle, dry and slightly tart finish

Overall - very good example of Belgian Strong Pale Ale. Somewhat difficult to find, but lovers of this style should give it a try.

Price Point - $11.99/750 ML Bottle

 481 characters

4.36/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

2011 vintage

Poured a hazy straw color with a stark white head. Stone fruits, pear, apple, age and cracker malts fill the nose. The taste follows the nose well with a substantial sweetness even after 5 years. Delicious.

 220 characters

4.27/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

4.8/5  rDev +17.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

From elcervecero. In Teku glass. Shared with Carlos. With cheese & pizza. Amazing in nose and delicious taste, very smooth and tasty, with a very pleasant sweetness. Alcohol well hidden

 185 characters

4.51/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

4.11/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

4.27/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

4.35/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Just grabbed the last of two bottles at a local vendor of the 2013 vintage. I wrote a review of the Blauw (blue) variety of this limited edition vintage production a few years ago, and it remains the finest beer I have ever consumed. The Rood pours a slightly hazy 10 k gold with a massive fluffy meringue-like head.
The mouthfeel is simply liquid velvet; moderately bitter and slightly tart, the ample sugars balance this farmhouse style perfectly. The nose is balanced though somewhat understated, as soft tones of coriander and beet sugars gently rise from the glass.
Interestingly, I noticed some debris floating around the edge of the glass at the surface. Thinking it was some cork particles that had broken off, I pulled them out with my Finger. Turned out to be some barley hulls that were never fined or filtered. After reading a report on plastic particles found in 24 sampled varieties of German beer, I don't feel all that unfortunate.
A lighter and less bold Van De Keizer than the incomparable Blauw brown ale, we could consider this variant as the little sister; she rocks nonetheless.

 1,101 characters

4.3/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

4.21/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25