Brugse Zot
Brouwerij De Halve Maan

 

Appearance: Pours a darkish, golden-orange body with an initially lofty, off-white head which soon drops to a thinnish cap.

Smell: Biscuity, toffee-tinged with a mingling of banana, citrus and orchard fruitiness. Yeasty phenolic spiciness of coriander, white pepper with a small not altogether troubling hint of liquid cement. A welcome blend, a pleasant mix, nothing particularly stands out any which way.

Taste: Sweetish, toaster-oven crisped biscuits brushed with a schmear of treacle/toffee. A varied fruit arrangement of sweet orange, banana puddin', yellow apples. Sprinkle on a light dusting of coriander, finely-ground white pepper and, go on, brush on some of that cement glue when you're done putting together that Cromwell Mk IV tank model kit down in the basement. Modestly bitter. A steady, bready, subtly sweet, subtly spicy, subtle fruity finish with a nice drying quality and ample natural carbonation.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Well carbonated, bubbly mouthfeel yet with a subtle creamy quality.

Overall: A solid, albeit straightforward Belgian Pale Ale. There're no twists or turns, no last-minute revelations. You won't put your hands balled into fists on either side of your head and with an exploding sound begin moving them slowly outward to show your mind has been thoroughly and irreparably blown. It's just a pleasant, well-balanced beer.

Got the unfiltered version on tap at the brewery in Bruges. An excellent blonde, with a lot of good maltiness aftertaste. Beautifully brew! The brewery tour is also recommended, as the food was good.

 

 

330 mL bottle from a four pack purchased at TBS; best before 06/03/2025 and served barely chilled.

Pours foggy and translucent, its golden amber-hued body supporting two inches of puffy, foamy white head that lasts for well over five minutes. A frothy cap and collar stick around afterwards, with a fair bit of snaking lace adhering to the glass - looks great so far. Grainy on the nose, with added notes of bready malts, grassy/herbal hops and mild yeast spiciness, with hints of appleskin, green banana and citrus peel.

It's pretty tasty - flavours of grainy cereals, honey and fresh bread do most of the heavy lifting, with various esters and spicy phenolic notes providing further depth. Pear, orange peel, unrripe banana and clove are also noticeable, with a spicy-sweet, weakly warming finish followed by a dry aftertaste. Medium in body, with moderate carbonation that adds some crispness to this brew's otherwise smooth mouthfeel. Reasonably drinkable - I could go for another bottle, but it's not something I'd want to drink all night.

Final Grade: 3.86, a B+. Brugse Zot is a fine Belgian ale, but I don't think it's a *great* one. That's not to say I won't drink it again, or that I'd discourage anyone else from doing so - it's a well-made Belgian blonde, but it's somewhat lacking in terms of flair, for lack of a better term. On the plus side, its grain-heavy malt profile does give it some crossover appeal with fans of German lagers, who may find this to be an interesting alternative to their usual fare. Worth trying if you can find it.

L:
-pours a cloudy golden with a medium-to-big,foamy,white head
S:
-coriander,herbal,grainy,honey,earthy,slight banana
T:
-Follows the nose + spicy,orange zest
-finishes dry
-medium bitterniss
F:
-medium carbonation
-medium body
O:
A good Belgian Blonde that's still sessionable.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

€4,30/30 cl on tap @ Cerveceria International, Sevilla, ES

Look: Hazy deep gold beneath a full head of white foam. Excellent head retention and lacing.
Overall: An excellent fruity and spicy pale ale.

An increasingly popular Belgian Blonde.
Production capacity was increased by implementing a 3,2 km pipeline allowing more volume of beer transport from the centre of the lovely historically city of Bruges, Flanders, Belgium.
330 ml brown glass bottle, label slightly different as depicted, 6% abv.
Poured at 6-7 degrees celcius in a bulb glass.
High carbonation, micro bubbles, 2-3 finger white head with long lasting retention.
Micro bulbs and a great amber colour.
Not a pale ale, but I would classify this as a Belgian Blonde, yes even when being amber.
Smell, fresh bread, malt tones and a bit tanginess from yeast. Not too dominating, just teasing the tongue.
Taste follows smell. Bit of tnaginess up front, light on sweetness, bitter hopiness in aftertaste.
Mouth feel balanced, fresh, a bit on the ligt side, making this a very drinkable beer. But mind you, it has more kick than normal pilsener/lager.

This beer drinks like a pint but is surely an upgrade and much more balanced. One of the best Belgian Pale Ales around, can't go wrong with this one. Cheers!

 

 

330ml Bottle - Pours a straw/honey colour with decent carbonation and 2 finger white foam head that quickly dissipates. Primary aroma is of citrus peel or zest and a bit of an earthy scent. Tastes of spice, citrus and faint earthy notes. A solid beer.