Very Spéciale Belge
Brasserie de la Senne

Very Spéciale BelgeVery Spéciale Belge
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From:
Brasserie de la Senne
 
Belgium
Style:
Belgian Pale Ale
ABV:
5.2%
Score:
86
Avg:
3.8 | pDev: 9.74%
Reviews:
23
Ratings:
43
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Jul 12, 2019
Added:
Sep 15, 2011
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  2
Collaboration with Allagash Brewing Company

A cross cultural collaboration brew between the Allagash and De La Senne brewing teams on April 12th, 2011.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by cradke:
Photo of cradke
Reviewed by cradke from Texas

3.65/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Appearance: Blond with a nice finger thick head.

Smell: Clean malts. A little bit of bitter comes through. Good amount of complexity here.

Taste: Pretty average. Not great or terrible. There is a good sweetness to it but the aftertaste is a little too...murky? It's complexity is good in that it keeps me guessing and looking for nouns to describe it but I've been falling short other than to say a pretty decent Belgian.

Mouthfeel: Again, pretty decent but not stellar.

Overall: A solid belgian but nothing to write home about.
Mar 20, 2012
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4 by Griffith from Connecticut

Jul 12, 2019
 
Rated: 3.75 by DrBier from Pennsylvania

Feb 09, 2015
 
Rated: 3.75 by spycow from Illinois

Sep 28, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by FUwolfpacker from South Carolina

Jan 20, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by Gonzoillini from Illinois

Oct 18, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by sneaks2210 from New York

Oct 05, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by GraduatedCashew from California

Sep 23, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by MRsojourner from Massachusetts

Sep 15, 2013
 
Rated: 3 by mmsimmons from Pennsylvania

Mar 21, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by od_sf from California

Dec 15, 2012
Photo of Sammy
Reviewed by Sammy from Canada (ON)

3.85/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Enjoyable Belgian ale. Malty, creamy smooth mouthfeel, with a spicy hoppy finish. Fuity and grapefruit citrus.Very drinkable. Pours very light brown with lace. Aroma light, pleasant yeast.Carbonation right there. Spicy, lightly bitter and drying aftertaste.
Oct 17, 2012
 
Rated: 4.25 by cestlavie from New York

Sep 28, 2012
Photo of jdhilt
Reviewed by jdhilt from New Hampshire

3.35/5  rDev -11.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Pours a three finger cream head that fades slowly leaving some lace. Hazy light amber color, some yeast left in bottle. Medium carbonation and medium bodied. Grapefruit hop nose and flavor is grapefruit hops, lingering bitter aftertaste. More like an IPA than a Belgian pale. $4.99 for a 330ml bottle from Beverage Warehouse Winooski, VT.
Sep 03, 2012
 
Rated: 3.75 by ElGallo from New Hampshire

Jul 23, 2012
 
Rated: 3 by trancesk8er from California

Jun 09, 2012
 
Rated: 4.5 by fortierv from Canada (QC)

May 30, 2012
Photo of metter98
Reviewed by metter98 from New York

4.08/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
A: The beer is hazy golden yellow in color and has some small particulate matter visible floating in suspension along with a high amount of carbonation. A careful pour was needed to limit the beer from having more than a two finger high dense white head and overflowing from a snifter glass. The head gradually died down but consistently left a thin layer of bubbles coating the surface and down the sides of the glass.
S: There are moderately strong aromas of spicy yeast in the nose along with some hints of citrusy hops.
T: Like the smell, the taste has flavors of Belgian yeast and spices such as pepper are particularly evident towards the finish and linger through the aftertaste. A light amount of bitterness is present.
M: It feels medium-bodied and very dry on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: I really enjoyed this beer because it had a nice kick of dryness and peppery spices but neither of these were overpowering.
May 21, 2012
Photo of RblWthACoz
Reviewed by RblWthACoz from Pennsylvania

3.88/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Interesting beer. I can see the barrel aged influence from the Allagash side pretty clearly. Reminds me of a lot of their other releases, in a mild way. The wild and uniquely vibrant tone reminds me of De La Senne. Overall, it's a pretty good beer with nice character.
May 09, 2012
Photo of tony223366
Reviewed by tony223366 from California

4.2/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A: Light caramel orange colored beer. I poured the whole bottom of the bottle in so I got some yeasty swirls too. Head was three fingers and really rocky. It's a really dynamic head that looks great. Beautiful lacing too.

S: Wow, I definitely get some beautiful hop aromas in here. It smells earthy, piney and very fresh. I get some nice fruitiness as well as some spicy yeasts too. A little bit of caramel and bready malts. But the star of the show really is the hopand fruity presence.

T: I think this is actually pretty good! I really like Belgian Strong Pale Ale's and Orval is one of my favorite beers of all time so Belgian Pale Ale's are right up my alley. The hops provide a piney, earthy spicy flavor and there's a really great fruitiness that you get in Belgian beers. Malts are bready and a little bit of caramel. Finish is bitter. This is a really great beer! I love the finish too.

M: Mouth is medium with great carbonation. No problems here.

O: Way better than I anticipated. I really need to seek out some more Belgian Pale Ale's considering this is one of my favorite styles!
May 06, 2012
Very Spéciale Belge from Brasserie de la Senne
Beer rating: 86 out of 100 with 43 ratings