Ambetanterik
Brouwerij Het Alternatief

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From:
Brouwerij Het Alternatief
 
Belgium
Style:
Belgian Dark Strong Ale
ABV:
11%
Score:
83
Avg:
3.57 | pDev: 14.85%
Reviews:
12
Ratings:
16
Status:
Active
Rated:
Oct 29, 2015
Added:
Apr 27, 2010
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  1
No description / notes.
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Ratings by bros:

  None found.

 
Rated: 3.59 by desint from Belgium

Oct 29, 2015
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.5 by DrBier from Pennsylvania

Feb 10, 2015
 
Rated: 3 by mattfancett from England

Aug 26, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by samEBC from Belgium

Jan 22, 2012
Photo of bylerteck
Reviewed by bylerteck from Canada (ON)

2.29/5  rDev -35.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5
Weissbierdrinker and I picked this up outside Brussels at ABS drinks and split it. From notes.

A - Poured dark brown with lot's of carbonation and a two finger fluffy cola type head. A little lacing and a ring of retention remained.

S - Feces? Weird. Sugar, slight roasty notes, and bread.

T - Cola, fruit, roasted malts, yeast and quite sweet.

M - Mild carbonation and a full body with a lingering sweet finish.

O/D - I didn't really like this very much and the feces kinda notes weren't jivin with me at all. This was marked as a stout but wasn't even close to the style. Worth avoiding.
Jul 11, 2011
Photo of mikeyv35
Reviewed by mikeyv35 from New York

3.62/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Date: 08/10/10
Type: 11.2oz. Bottle
Glassware: Portsmouth Tulip

Poured a dark brown mahoghany in colr w/ a 2 finger bubbly head that left light lacing on the glass that diminished quickly. Nose was fantastic! Aromas of dark fruits(raisins/plums), light toffee, caramel, chocolate malts, and breadiness. The taste was the same as the nose, but was greatly taken away from due to over carbonation. Mouthfeel was thin and way over carbonated. Drinkability? With the carbonation problem this small bottle became a chore to finish.

Overall, this brew was very disappointing. This beer could have been top notch w/ fantastic aromas and taste, but the carbonation level just destroyed it. Would love to taste this beer w/ appropriate carbonation levels.
Mar 05, 2011
Photo of kwjd
Reviewed by kwjd from Canada (ON)

3.2/5  rDev -10.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
Sammy's bottle. Bottle starts to gush upon opening. Pours an amber-brown colour with huge off-white head. Actually, "huge" is an understatement, head was about 3 times larger than the beer. Smells of faint chocolate and a little bit of funk to it. Flavour is sweet, but a little bit tart at first sip. Huge carbonation level on this. Interesting beer, but won't seek out again I don't think.
Feb 24, 2011
Photo of Sammy
Reviewed by Sammy from Canada (ON)

3.58/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Reddish brown body with big foam. Good drinkability, though a bit astringent. A tad above average mouthfeel, but not at a big RIS style level. Some roast,mild spices like cardomon and pepper, a little yeast. Enjoyable and very high abv is not noticeable.
Feb 20, 2011
Photo of biglite351
Reviewed by biglite351 from Pennsylvania

3.1/5  rDev -13.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
A - unnecessarily tall creamy off white head. Hood deal of red around the edges.

S - mild fruit, malt and yeast.

T - malts with sour cherry and yeast. No hint at the alcohol level.

M - light coating but not watery. Tingle on sides of tongue.

D - it was probably just my bottle, but this brew just wanted to foam and then stay foam. Very annoying. Better tasting than other cherry stouts out there. I could have two.
Jan 18, 2011
Photo of farrago
Reviewed by farrago from New Jersey

3.1/5  rDev -13.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5
Fluffed up and dimpled deep tan head, foams to about three fingers but the bubbles look like a firecrackers going off across the surface and before you know it there's naught but a thin coating across the surface then that even pools into distinct islands, nothing really of note regarding the lacing. Likewise, nothing unusual about the brown mud in your glass, reddish clay tinge, more of a metallic yellow at the rims, lots of bubbles visible against the glass sides. The nose comes across as semi-clenched, still you get a tight little burst of white grape, green apple, peach and date prior to cocoa nibs, chocolate and cloves, there enduring sourness hard to put on the fruit per se, seems to come from the grass, lemon to grapefruit citrus and metallic notes. Medium-bodied, given human physiology and not psychology, much more sour here, close to puckeringly so. The blueberry, cherry, apple, grape, pear fruit seems like it was beaten to the point of confessing crimes it never committed. The white grapefruit citrus comes across as overripe and all pith. Dry to the point that you only register the carbonation because it's a bunch of pinpricks. Chocolate and caramel whisper then a barnyardy funk of earth, merde and sweat ensues. Full and maintains palate weight completely to the end. Really hard to get past the pervasive sourness.
Nov 10, 2010
Photo of Lazerlobe
Reviewed by Lazerlobe from Washington

3.99/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
A: Begins foaming from the get-go and a gentle pour quickly turns in to a frothy mess. Body is a murky brown with an off white (and lots of it!)

S: Some weak cherry lightly covered with chocolate scents. There is a definite 'wild' smell coming from the beer, with mustiness and dare I say funk? Bizarre. This requires an immediate taste.

T: Immediately greeted by cherries jubilee with attic mustiness. Aftertaste is toasted pie crust. Alcohol is quite well masked.

M: Medium bodied and gently carbonated, pairs very nicely with the rest of the beer.

D: My final thoughts? I like this oddity though some of the previous reviews fail to pick up the cherry tartness. I wonder if this has turned since earlier reviews. What this loses with complexity it makes up with novelty.
Oct 11, 2010
Photo of avalon07
Reviewed by avalon07 from South Carolina

4.28/5  rDev +19.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
A: Poured from a bottle to a goblet. Had a dark, mahogany color and a thick, murky texture. There was a big, creamy/fizzy, long-lasting head. Good lacing.

S: Smelled of Belgian yeast, chocolate, and some fruit. Very aromatic.

T: A big taste of Belgian yeast, a hint of chocolate, dark fruit, and an almost nutty quality. Very complex and flavorful. Alcohol content isn't really that noticeable.

M: Lots and lots of carbonation (even for a Belgian beer) and a smooth finish. Medium-bodied.

D: A very drinkable beer.
Aug 07, 2010
Photo of RblWthACoz
Reviewed by RblWthACoz from Pennsylvania

4.03/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
I don't know. I think this label is going to give me nightmares. Hold me. Hold me close.

Pours real dark with a crème head. Nose is straight up candy. Flavor is sweet and candy-like, yes. There are probably some toffee tones in there as well. Almost a smoked thing going on as well. Like a rauch is hiding deep down in there somewhere. The carbonation is very high and at times seems to interfere with some flavor delivery, though enough still seems to make it. Overall this is an interesting and good one. Thicker than most of the style and carrying some interesting and thorough character. Definitely suggested.
Jun 20, 2010
Photo of Beerenauslese
Reviewed by Beerenauslese from California

4.37/5  rDev +22.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Poured from the bottle, at refrigerator temperature, with a huge head. Had to let this warm up awhile before imbibing. Poured at cellar temperature would probably be a gusher.

Nose of chocolate, sour cherry, and funk.

Nice cherry taste, milk chocolate, coffee, toast. A sour Belgian stout and a nice example of it.

Body is light with good carbonation. Not a chewy stout.

I enjoyed this, the alcohol is there, but not pronounced, and the flavors mask the higher ABV. Good as a night capper.
May 23, 2010
Photo of John_M
Reviewed by John_M from Washington

3.93/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
On tap at Max's today. Have now tried all of this brewery's beers, all at Max's (of course).

The beer pours a darkish brown color with very good head retention and lots of sticky lacing all around. The nose is likewise attractive, with coffee grounds, licorise and dark chocolate. Flavors replicate the nose in this fairly sweet stout, though it finishes with something of a leather and coffee grounds flavor. Mouthfeel is full and long, with a soft, plush mouthfeel. For all that, the sweetness and noticeable alcohol detract a bit from this beer's drinkability.

A nice enough beer, but one I can't see coming back too all that often. The combination of sweetness and hot alcohol burn in the finish, while not over the top, is still generally not what I'm looking for in an imperial stout.
May 14, 2010
Photo of fastsrt
Reviewed by fastsrt from New York

4.06/5  rDev +13.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Poured form 11.2 ounce bottle in a snifter

A: has a massive head, that is light tan and airy, deep brown that is opaque.

S: chocolate, yeasts, and some sweetness.

T: Belgian yeasts up front with a nice mellow back drop of chocolate, this beer is balanced complex and awesome.

M: highly carbonated, giving a light body

D: this does not taste like a beer that is 11%, amazingly smooth
Apr 27, 2010
Ambetanterik from Brouwerij Het Alternatief
Beer rating: 83 out of 100 with 16 ratings