Barrel-Aged Project Brew No. 1 - Jenever
Brouwerij Hof Ten Dormaal

Poured into a Gulden Draak tulip. Pours a medium orange with light coppery tones and a three finger, fizzy head that dissipated to patches with light lacing. Aroma of bready, mildly caramel malt, apricot, pear and hints of honey and mild oxidation. Flavor follows, with sweet bready and caramel malt, honey, light stone fruit, apple and pear, white fortified wine and a hint of juniper from the Jenever barrel. Medium bodied with sharp, peppery carbonation. Like the others in this series, a little bit sweet, but with nice fruit depth and solid malt. This bottle is about 4-5 years old now and has a very sligth oxidation note, but has held up wonderfully. I'd hoped for a little more gin origin juniper, but the mild hints are a nice addition. I'm a fan of the base ale used in this barrel series and am glad to see that these hold up so nicely. The newer versions don't seem to show up on the market here any more, so I'm glad I have a few from the first series left to sample. Definitely cellarable and it does not seem to have peaked yet. Hope to see more varieties in the future.

Be sure to invite a couple of good friends over before enjoying this one.....Very delicious and unique Belgian, but 12% hits you pretty quick. Find this, then save for a special evening. Delicious.

750 ml bottle into tulip glass, bottled in 2014. Pours slightly hazy golden amber color with a small foamy white head with poor retention, that reduces to a thin ring of lace pretty quickly. Minimal lacing on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Good appearance. Aromas of big apricot, peach, orange, pear, apple, white grape, juniper, spruce, peppercorn, vanilla, honey, oak, bread, light caramel, herbal, and yeast earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of fruity/spicy yeast, gin barrel, and pale malt notes; with great strength. Taste of big apricot, peach, orange, pear, apple, white grape, juniper, spruce, peppercorn, vanilla, honey, oak, bread, light caramel, herbal, and yeast earthiness. Light-moderate peppery yeast and gin/oak spiciness balance. Lingering notes of apricot, peach, orange, pear, apple, white grape, juniper, spruce, peppercorn, vanilla, honey, oak, bread, light caramel, herbal, and yeast earthiness on the finish for a while. Great complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/spicy yeast, gin barrel, and pale malt flavors; with a great malt/spiciness balance, and zero cloying sweetness after the finish. Light dryness from yeast/oak spiciness, increasing through the glass. Light-medium carbonation and medium-plus body; with a smooth, moderately creamy/bready/grainy/sticky, and lightly tannic balanced mouthfeel that is great. Alcohol is very well hidden; a mild warmth, with minimal barrel booziness lingering after the finish. Overall this is a great barrel aged Belgian strong pale ale. All around great fruity/spicy yeast, gin barrel, and pale malt flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to sip on for the big ABV. Really great balance between Gin barrels and yeast complexity; never overly sweet or heavy on malt for the ABV. Was hoping for higher/crisper carbonation, but it did not impede the drinkability. This has aged really nicely for the style over 3 years. A very enjoyable offering.

 

 

 

Very pretty golden color with a hint of copper glow.
Aromas of lemon zest, sour patch kids, fresh herbs, lees, sourdough bread, caramel and candy corns.
Flavors mirror the aroma; lots of citrus rinds, sour candy, lees, bread yeast, caramel, vanilla sugar, dry vermouth and candy apple.
I detracted some points from the harshness of the high alcohol, which is not integrated into the beer well. You cannot smell alcohol, but you can certainly sense it here.
A solid offering that I would pass on again if had the opportunity. But, this put me on to a new brewery I was not familiar with beforehand, so I enjoy the experience.

 

Always deceptive, the Belgian stronger, golden ale seems innocent enough in appearance and bubbly fruit-forward portrayal. But its sneaky strength links up the jenever barrel with seamless complexity and powerful palate.

With the spicy tingle of booze and the lightly syrup sweetness dueling out on the early tastebuds, the honey-tinged beer pours with swirling lace and legs before falling still shortly after a burst of champagne-like effervescence.

Its decadent sweetness seeps deeply in to the tongue, carried by savory alcohol spiciness. Its peppery pang balances the candied and honey-dipped malt across the middle with a deeply engrained vinous flavor offering support. Apple, pear, orange and grape all take on the "drunken" booze-soaked variety.

Intensifying spice numbs the palate with its fusel flavors and textures, lightening the body by thinning its sugars. Playful vinous acidity also breaks up the malt and gives a dry texture to the otherwise cloying ale. Its an ale that's best reserved to finish rich dinner sessions, and accompanied with fruit and strong abbey wash-rind cheese instead of dessert.

 

 

 

 

 

Bottle from West Lakeview Liquors. Served in a taster glass.

A - Big white foam settles to a near-complete cap, thick collar, and splotches of lace. Hazy amber-peach body.

S - Smells like a very malty, Belgian strong ale, with a small amount of estery yeast, faint vanilla, and a hint of juniper from the Jenever barrel. The spirit character intensifies a bit as the beer warms up, but there's actually less botanicals here than in a lot of Belgian beers that aren't aged in barrels. Alcohol is well-hidden.

T - The taste is also quite heavy on sweet candi sugar, fruity yeast, a bit of phenolic spice, and light oak. Jenever is even less present than in the aroma. Marmalade malt sweetness dominates, and this gets a bit cloying over time.

M - Medium-full body, lower carbonation, lightly dry and grainy texture, with some light lingering stickiness. Some definite alcohol warmth, particularly when warm.

D - This reminds me a bit of the Sauternes version in the barrel-beer balance, but with a tad more juniper and less vinous character. I appreciate the restraint in the spirit character, as I think too much Jenever would have been even less desirable. Surprisingly drinkable for a 12%, but not a particularly good one. No brett; this one isn't infected.

Served in a 750ml bottle. Belgian fruit & nut flavor on the front end with a subtle sweetness leading to hints of the Jenever (Belgian Gin). Nose not very strong. Finish leads to a strange flavor of dry gin. Was not pleased with the finish. It leaves a dry taste like I just ate a nut. Conisistent with the flavor profile of many barrel aged (non sour) beers. It's not a beer for the sour enthusiast but those that enjoy the barrel aged flavor could endure the gin taste and possibly rate this higher than me.