Bon-Secours Ambrée
Brasserie Caulier

L- Dark amber, quite cloudy, pours with 1Cm off-white head (ps which holds really well, even 15mins later).
S- Pungent but on the dry side. A hint of timber, but not that sense of richness I associate with many 8% beers.
T- It is quite hoppy-dry and has a pungent palate, a 'brief middle' of meaty/beery richnessthen a brief and mild sourness into the finish. Quite some flavour trajectory in one mouthful - boring it isn't.
F- It doesn't take like 8% to me, But this can be the Belgian Amber style it seems. The hopping and sour note stand out more prominently than in a typical 'Belgian 8% beer'.
O- As might be clear by now out of the choices of heavier Belgian beers Ambers aren't up there for me, it is not why I pay $$ import prices for such beer in the UK.
330ml bottle with ceramic stopper/wire closer. BB: 25/01/2021 Bought by home delivery from BeersOfEurope (UK)

 

 

 

 

 

From 2012: Bottle from Spa beer store. Nice sour flavor and aroma of wine. Alcohol burn present in flavor. Thick on head on pour and stays put until finish....

Pours a medium amber color with a one finger head. Average lacing in my snifter glass. Smell is caramel, bread, yeast, hops, and malt. Not bad from the nose department. Taste follows the nose profile for the most part. Some spice added into the mix. Feel is medium, with good carbonation. Overall, a decent brew for the style, but I probably won't look for this one again. Cheers.

appearance: copper color with a fuill head, very nice....

smell: caramel and sweet breads, sublte dark fruits and that typical belgian yeast aroma.

taste: bready and sweet, brown sugar caramel sweetness, but no over board.

drinkability: overall its a nice belgian ale would match it vs any belgian amber ale. nice....

 

Flip-top 33cl bottle, fairly fresh, poured into a Hoegaarden Grand Cru badged stemmed tulip glass.

Slightly hazy golden body, a good firm white head sat on top at first, it fell to a thin covering with some laceing as the tasting progressed.

Vinegarous aroma, mild, yet overpowering anything else.

Sour tasting at first, then the hops and yeast get to work and it becomes easier to drink.

Because it was so young (best before 03/2012, drank 10/2009) it was a bit fizzy and spritzy. Better than the 'on-tap' review, but only just.

Pours a very murky orange brown color with a rocky white head the leaves nice sticky lacing around the glass.

Smell is of orange, spice, plum, brown sugar.

Taste is alcohol (pleasant not harsh) orange, brown sugar, maple, pumpkin pie? Lots of stuff going on in this brew. Sits on the palate nicely a beer you can really feel.

As it's been said before there is a loud pop followed by some gushing when opened. For me though it wasn't tons of overflowing just a bit. Lots of sediment some you can see floating, but hey that just means it's a quality brew. I drink this all the time, I'm lucky in the fact that it's just down the street at a super market here in Brussels.

Filp top bottle mail ordered from Belgian.

***Opened with a huge pop followed by gushing beer everywhere. GUSHER ALERT, GUSHER ALERT***

Poured a darker, hazy amber color with a large, frothy white head. Aromas and tastes of yeast, some citris and light malts (caramel?). Fizzy body that detracted from the taste.

Notes from: 10/6/04

An amber colored beer wth big head that leaves some fine lacing.

Smell of malt with hints of straw and some higher alcohols. There is also the impression of vanilla.

Taste is malty with caramel notes, topped of by the unusual yeast profile, with it's higher alcohols which are perfumy and fruity, but at the same time immediatelly make me think of headaches. Bitterness is not very present and mouthfeel and drinkability are OK.

Poured into a Duvel tulip, this beer develops a nice head, though it shrinks somewhat quickly to leave a foam film with good lacing. Nice cloudy amber body.
Smells of dark fruits like plums and grapes, as well as candy sugar, malt, hops, and alcohol.
Taste is not what I was expecting. Hops and malt come forward and more than balance the fruits and sugars. Actually tastes a bit roasted/smoky. Nice bitterness and good carbonation actually make this pretty enjoyable.

Overall pretty drinkable. Better than expected, at least.

Appearance: Pours a hazy, amber body with a small, wispy, off-white head.

Smell: Rather fruity aroma with sweet-smelling malts and notes of sherry and ruby port.

Taste: Toasty maltiness with a clobbering fruitiness giving you flavors of port, sherry, and a mini-box of golden raisins. Hint of wood. Pinch of spices. No more than a slight hop bitterness. Warming, though lusciously sweet and fruity in the finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Moderate carbonation.

Drinkability: Quite tasty. A nice surprise!

a: the bottle is about 6 months pre best before date and opens with a loud pop and beer overflowing everywhere, i guess it really is alive; pours a super murky orange/amber with a white head that bubbles up and quickly fades

s: a little bit or sweet apple malts with some a little bit of vinegar and alcohol scents; cinnamon spiciness;

t: pretty flavorful; some sort of apple flavors with some grainy yeast overtones; the strongest flavors are the thick sweet new england spiced cider apple flavors;

m: light carbonation sort of on the creamy side

d: i expect more a bit more from a bottle conditioned belgian amber but the beer definitely warms up as you finish the glass

*this beer really grows on you. i have some back twice to edit it and give it a higher review as the flavors have had a little more time to settle.

Beer bottle (33cl), tasted in 2003.
Appearance: apricot-orange colour, well saturated, clear. Foam few remaining.
Smell: fruity aroma of yeast, sweet nose
Taste and mouthfeel: slightly spicy, bitterness balanced, sweet and pungent persistency. Well in the mouth, but a little too sweet.
Drinkability: good amber beer, but I prefer the dark version

Review added 10-19-2007, translated from french 1-27-2008.

330ml bottle bought from The Vineyard, Belfast...

The swing top bottle opens with huge pop and the beers gushes out all over the counter top - i probably wasted about a quarter of the bottle.... The beer is a dark amber / coppery colour. Creamy head poured huge and frothy and faded slowly leaving a thick lacing trail down the glass...

Aroma - Nice roasted caramel malts, strong sweet nuttiness, sweet fruits (plums, dates and figs), some soapy dishwater notes, brown sugar, some Belgian yeast / bread notes, quite herbal, some sour vinegar notes, leathery, some alcohol comes through, spicy, medicinal traces...

Taste – Sweet toasted caramel malts mixed with some vinegar sourness, strong spicy yeastiness, grassy hop bitterness, spicy fruits (raisins, figs, oranges, pears), burnt nuttiness, slight alcohol burn coming through, light liquorice...

Feel - Pretty sharp and dry... medium bodied... pretty drinkable although the 8.5% is pretty noticeable...

Overall - A pretty decent but slightly strange brew - a bit like a brown ale mixed with a Flanders red... worth a try though...

750ml corked bottle. Lot A, best before November 2007...

Appearance: light amber, great clarity, thick layer of spongey/airy tannish foam, great head retention, lace

Aroma: biscuity malt, earthy yeast, hint of clove and cinnamon, raisins, light cocoa dust, herbally hops (artichoke?), sour milk, strawberries

Flavor: slightly sweet toasty malt base, earthy notes, some cork (bottle stored on its side), faint vinous twinge, earthy hop flavor, slight astringent/metallic flavor on sides of tongue, finishes semisweet with a caramelly/peppery aftertaste

Mouthfeel: medium body, pert carbonation, soft texture, nice alcohol warmth

Other comments: I had this one to celebrate my 30th birthday yesterday. It's a good beer, but it doesn't quite "explode" in the aroma and taste department like the smaller Bon-Secour beers with the swing-top. Not sure why, since you'd think a big corked 750 would be more vivacious. But it's a pleasant beer nonetheless, especially since I'm getting a bit tired of the relatively unadventurous British ales.