't Gaverhopke Den Bruin 8° (Blue Cap)
Brouwerij 't Gaverhopke

No freshness date carved. White head and a bronze-mahony beercollor and with that clear. Nose is litle tomatojuice, dry hay and next to that caramellic malts that sweeten it also. Taste is quiet sweet with litle cherryjuice but also lots of alcohol and dark malt/candy. Low bittered and carbonated but overall not a bad brew. Litle sticky mouthfeel and drank beers more easily but overall not a bad brew IMO.

A: in Kasteel's goblet, it pours a cloudy, reddish brown hue. The beer head fails to build up and leaves just a thin, off-white rim--lifeless, dull-looking liquid in this stylish glass...
S: profoundly malty aroma goes behind a slightly sharp, pine-wood aroma, slightly musty, tart fruity (like prune juice), flatly candyish fig note and profoundly estery. Quite smooth but subtly complex for a old brown ale.
T&M: very creamy mouthfeel quickly leads to a slightly sour juice-like flavour (a bit like softer, oak-aged cider); woody and yeasty flavour dominates the main palate, while in the finish a very light and dryish, almost tannic, flavour of hops gradually manifests. With just a touch of fruity sourness and mild bitterness left towards the end, the mouthfeel remains soft throughout despite the slightly pungent palate initially.
D: a nice, "small" beer in itself, its flavour is however too restrained for an old brown ale IMO. Maybe I should've left it in the fridge for a bit longer... better luck next time.

The best of the Gaverhopke bunch for me, very much a mix of a Flemish Oude Bruin with bit of Old Red Ale thrown in for good measure. Smells of damp wooden casks, and wet hay. This is a really musty beer that tastes as though it has been aged - a very convincing beer for a newcomer. Pours with a deep brown color, some deep red copper hue is perceptable when held up to the light. Crusty head has good lasting power. Beer was served in a Duvel shaped glass that really allowed the character of this beer to develop and be discovered. Had a really long "Flemish" sour finish that you hoped would not go away. An accomplished Beer.