Prototype
La Brasserie du Pays Flamand / Anosteké L'Estaminet

11.2 oz. bottle - Bottled 10/2014:

Pours dark brown - foamed up a bit too much, but settled. Trailing lace sticks.

The smell is of chocolate, licorice, some coffee, juniper, and some spicy earthy hops.

The taste is of chocolate, licorice, roasted coffee. Dark earthy spicing. Some juniper in the finish.

Carbonation a tad aggressive, especially initially. Medium-bodied.

An interesting brew. Held up well considering it's about a year and a half old. Juniper adds a twist without being overstated.

 

 

 

 

 

Rich roast malt flavor, but not "bitter roasty". A dark aged fruit note, a tangy quality. Some hop bitterness in the middle. Dark and murky brown color. The juniper pokes out in the finish, just enough to notice and to add accent to the beer, but not enough to create imbalance. An interesting and fairly complex beer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A: The beer is nearly jet black in color—only traces of dark brown are visible near the edge of the glass when it is held up to a bright light. It poured with a short beige head that quickly died down leaving lacing on the surface and a collar around the edge of the glass.
S: Light to moderate aromas of chocolate and roasted malts are present in the nose. Hints of juniper also become noticeable as the beer warms up and eventually become the dominant smell.
T: The taste starts off with flavors of roasted malts and quickly transitions to flavors of juniper berries, the latter of which linger through the finish.
M: It feels light- to medium-bodied on the palate and has a low to moderate amount of carbonation.
O: The juniper berries add an interesting twist to this beer, but they are quite dominant so if you don't like juniper berries you might not like the beer.