Equinox / Zwarte Piet
Brasserie de la Senne

Equinox / Zwarte PietEquinox / Zwarte Piet
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From:
Brasserie de la Senne
 
Belgium
Style:
Belgian Dark Strong Ale
ABV:
8%
Score:
85
Avg:
3.76 | pDev: 12.23%
Reviews:
59
Ratings:
110
Status:
Active
Rated:
Sep 11, 2015
Added:
Sep 18, 2007
Wants:
  3
Gots:
  7
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Photo of flagmantho
Reviewed by flagmantho from Washington

3.98/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Poured from 330mL bottle into a tulip. This is the "Zwarte Piet" version.

Appearance: deep rich dark brown hue with lots of haze and a thick finger of frothy tan foam. Quite attractive in my opinion.

Smell: rather sweet but with a nice dose of dark fruits and dusty tobacco leaves. Just what I like in the style.

Taste: on the sweet side and a little bit muted, but nonetheless the flavor complexity is there. This really works for me as a somewhat less heavy example of the style.

Mouthfeel: lighter-bodied than average, but with a big carbonation. Creaminess is big but ephemeral.

Overall: I like this beer a lot, although turning up the volume just a little bit would be brilliant.
Sep 11, 2015
 
Rated: 3.49 by AlexFields from Tennessee

May 13, 2015
 
Rated: 4.13 by Buzz3d from California

Jan 14, 2015
Photo of Bouleboubier
Reviewed by Bouleboubier from New Jersey

3.71/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
(bottle from 2013 I presume - carefully poured into a Chouffe tulip)

L: super-dark ruby red liquid... good finger+ high, rose-tinted tan foam - settles in a smooth crest above the mouth of the glass and calmly recedes into the beer, leaving a thick blanket of lace in its wake

S: lovely dark milk chocolate with dark candi sugar and a hint of raspberry hard candy... faint whiff of coffee liqueur and earthy-spicy yeast on the back end... touch solventy as it warms

T: polished, muscular-but-delicate roasted grain bitterness and dark caramel... bit of a dry, yeasty-spicy bite, which points to this bottle having begun to succumb to age or abuse... aftertaste is bittersweet coffee with some dark sugar and vinous-like esters, perhaps a hint of black pepper or ash

F: plenty of unfermentables to keep the body from zapping out totally dry... pleasant little rubbery roll riding a coat of sparkly suds... still has a sense of balance at this point, but not for much longer

O: once again, you take a chance trying a Belgian you haven't had before... one out of every four seem to have this 'quirk' about them... the guys at the counter laughed when I asked them what I should go with between this and the Zinnebir - I knew immediately they must have both been from last year, as these De la Senne bottles haven't been flying off the shelves around here since PBW '13... it's a shame, because their beers are pretty good - wish more people knew... maybe these sales peeps oughta do a better job pimping them out, huh?
Dec 15, 2014
 
Rated: 3 by olradetbalder from Sweden

Dec 05, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by zestar from California

Oct 15, 2014
 
Rated: 2.8 by mattfancett from England

Sep 03, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by MattSweatshirt from Texas

Jul 31, 2014
 
Rated: 3.25 by erbu from Belgium

Jul 11, 2014
Photo of byronic
Reviewed by byronic from Canada (ON)

3.13/5  rDev -16.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3
Pours a dark brown with a nice thick head, looks very nice after the pour. Can't distinguish much from the nose other than some malts and Belgian yeast. Tastes rather muted with some hints of bitterness and malts. The alcohol is very present and overpowering. Perhaps some of the flavours have disappeared with age but I wouldn't return to have this brew again.
Jul 07, 2014
Photo of beergoot
Reviewed by beergoot from Colorado

3.73/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
The bottle label is just "Zwarte Piet" (Black Peter - a Low Countries folklore character) and has a different graphic on it (a black character wearing a white safari get-up). Other than describing itself as a dark ale, the ABV is listed as 8.2%.

Zwarte Piet pours a turbid brown color and creates a lasting, thick, creamy, off-white head. Roasted grain and slight chocolate aroma with a faint cherry note; yeasty and doughy. Taste is much like the aroma, perhaps a bit more bitter chocolate and a twinge of alcohol heat. Surprisingly light and thin body yet very soft and smooth.

A rather interesting dark ale that manages to satisfy despite having some weak minor points such as mouthfeel (it just seems too weak and watery overall). Dark grain, chocolate and even a pinch of coffee-like bitterness and bite makes this one worth trying.
Jun 23, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by tykechandler from Kentucky

Jun 19, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by afsdan from Colorado

May 13, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by chickenm from Canada (BC)

Apr 04, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by Seanhvw from New Jersey

Mar 04, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by Wukk from New York

Feb 04, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by rixcat from New Jersey

Feb 04, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by aaronjamesmacinnis from Canada (BC)

Jan 21, 2014
Photo of CookstLiquor
Reviewed by CookstLiquor from Canada (BC)

3.67/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Poured from a 500ml bottle. Racist label aside, this pours a rich dark brown. Nose offers up complex floral, fruity notes with roasty notes of chocolate. Taste is boozy and a bit sweet, with notes of dark dried fruits and a strong bitter finish. Very smooth and sippable.
Jan 06, 2014
Photo of LiquidAmber
Reviewed by LiquidAmber from Washington

4/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured into a Reuben's Brew snifter. Pours a very dark, nearly opaque brown with a nice to finger light brown head that dissipates slowly, leaving heavy lacing. Aroma of dark toasted malt, nuts, cocoa, faint Belgian yeast and spicing. Flavor is initially muted toasted malt, cocoa with dark, tart fruit developing later and finishing with charred malt, cocoa and some grassy hop bitterness. Medium bodied with peppery sharp carbonation. An unusual take on a brown ale, flavors are more muted and not as rich as a porter, but there is a lighter, Belgian fruit component that makes this interesting and different. The char in the finish is unexpected and perhaps a bit strong for flavor balance, but overall a quite interesting hybrid of porter and Belgian dark. Worth a try.
Dec 28, 2013
Equinox / Zwarte Piet from Brasserie de la Senne
Beer rating: 85 out of 100 with 110 ratings