Coucou Puissant
Brasserie de la Senne

Poured from 330mL bottle into my Belvárosi sörfesztivál tulip. Bottled 9/20/22, best by 9/20/24; so maybe a little past its prime, but for this style, I think that’s okay.

Appearance: darkish golden hue with plenty of haze anda. thick finger of light tan foam atop. Looks good.

Smell: sweet malt with a little bit of orchardy character and just a little bit of spiciness too; the latter could just be from the booze. It’s on-style, for sure.

Taste: malt is very sweet with a kind of bready richness; there’s some of that pear character from the aroma here in the flavor as well. The finish is definitely boozy, as hinted at in the aroma. It’s not necessarily complex, but it’s tasty and appropriate to the style.

Mouthfeel: medium body with a good level of carbonation and creaminess.

Overall: a pretty solid strong Belgian pale. I could definitely see coming back to this one.

 

Poured into a Gulden Draak tulip. Pours a medium golden orange with a big, five finger white head that dissipates slowly to a persistent thick cap with solid lacing. Aroma of grainy malt, orange, floral Belgian yeast, wild flower hay, light grassy and floral hops and coriander. Flavor is light grainy malt, citrus and floral hops, orange, tangerine, pepper, coriander and dried flowers. Some nice fruit esters develop in the finish with some light residual grassy hops. Medium bodied with light to moderate creaminess and sharp carbonation. Although the bottle calls this a quad, the BA category accurately describes the Belgian strong pale character of this ale. Really nice floral and fruit notes from the yeast which lean more to citrus, particularly orange, than stone fruit. Great spice notes. The flavor is a bit subdued at first, but more fruit is released at the end of the taste and the lingering citrusy fruit and floral notes are winning. I've always liked this somewhat offbeat Belgian brewery and always glad to find something else from them. 2022 bottle with a bb date of 2024; held up well as promised.

these guys continue to be one of my favorite breweries, and one of the best and most unsung anywhere, although i suppose taras boulba has gotten some well deserved attention in the states in recent years. this one is stronger and maltier, almost biere de garde to me, amber saison type nice and sturdy, a little less color than expected actually, bronzed at the darkest with a high belgian looking white head and a little sediment in the bottom inch of the bottle clouding its earlier clarity, lots of bubbles. the nose is sweet, grainy, fairly fresh for being an import, yeasty like a tripel or strong pale, long cooked almost stewed malt character, brown sugar, cut flowers, dried orange, white pepper, coriander, and maybe clove, distinctive but obviously belgian, less funky than some of my favorite de la senne beers, but with some original rustic yeasty interest. a toasted malt character, biscuit, bread crusts, toffee sweetness in the center but drier later, more hoppy than it smells too with some real bitterness in the second half. light copper, grass, and even woodiness to me, like fresh milled pine lumber. late citrus, some alcohol as it warms up but not boozy or aggressive, good balance, yeast driven still even though the malt is robust, white pepper, black pepper, anise, cooked apple, really good. distinctive beer with a ton of bubbles and a softness while also being rich, a fun little bottle, unassuming and a great start to our saturday night!

Clear amber brew with fine-grained foam in the small Chimay chalice. Citrus aroma. Prickly and hot on the tongue. Fruity taste with some malty sweetness to start. Grapefruit finish. The aftertaste is rather bitter and woody, but quite interesting. From the 330 ml bottle purchased on the West Coast. Bottled 20 SEP 22, with a two-year "best by" date.

 

Poured into my Delirium tulip and purchased at The Beer Temple.
Coucou is another style-bender from de la Senne... (could be a spiced quad, could be a tripel... no matter to me.)

Try out this formula: UI (Unique Idea of dry-hopping a BSPA) + QE (Quality Execution) = MTE (Memorable Taste Experience)
I'm sure de la Senne works from a different formula, but that's my review in an equation.

Coucou Looks gorgeous; great heaps of foam yearning to impart flavor. (It's got a pretty orange body, too.) Smells make the intrigue intense: succulent citrus, soft wheat and other intangibles. Tastes are balanced until the finish and the hops take over with a long linger. Medium-mouthed; but I'm still wondering what comes next.

This is only my 12th from de la Senne and I don't need to re-read each of my reviews before I say this, but: Coucou Puissant has been their best brew for me. Intrigue and intangibles make brews great, and that's why it's hard to describe. So, rate it high. I hope to visit next time I'm in Brussels. A Votre Sante' !

2/16/23 Drank again this style-bender. More like a tripel with very interesting spicing. Ok with a meal, but not best at the dinner table.

 

Poured at fridge temp. Pours a nice opaque orange with fluffy white head (a good 2 inches). The nose is orange, wheat, citrus hops, malts, and a hint of caramel.

The taste is really nice. Much more like a tripel than a quad to me. Slight hops, oranges, bread, oak, grass, yeast, and a touch of spice. Mellow, but smooth.

 

“Dry-hopped Quad” on the label.

Dark orange, bright clarity, halo of delicate lacing, lasting head and surface coverage.

Aroma is citrusy and floral, interesting profile, soft and comforting with the Belgian yeast adding some interesting notes along too.

Full bodied with a creamy texture and firm hoppy bitterness. Grapefruit peel, pine needles, dry resiny finish. Somewhere between a Belgian DIPA/BSDA.