Ardenne Spirit
Brasserie Minne

 

Blind-tasted except for the beer's name and brewery/country, zero reviews below read (yet!)...
L- Deep chestnut red, pours slightly hazy with a quite dark (for beer!) tan 1Cm creamy looking head.
S- Pleasant, first whiff is like pastry straight from the oven, subtle though.
T- Well balanced so ironically hard to pin down as the palate flts from one impression to another. It's overall palate (thinking dry vs sour vs rich vs sweet) is like a slightly tart fruit that's been cooked down until it has some richness too, like in a good baked fruit crumble pudding. There is also a gentle tapping on the palate that's the ABV% saying a quiet hello. I also get almost a minor timber barrel-aged note too. Good complexity to consider...
F- Deep powerful but restrained at the same time.
O- Wonderful brewing and balance here to rein in all these big aspects into something so coherent. Lovely, complex yet cohesive, I'd happily enjoy this one again.
Review/scoring all done, now the reveal, I get to read the bottle lables to see what I missed! ==>9.5%, man it hides that well. Note the three hop varieties in the Description^, they're punchy, well normally, but that must be how they get balance vs the 9.5%ABV, that works so well. Review#1880.
330ml bottle BB: Jan-2023 Euro4.95 Bought from BeerMania/Belgium as part of a large pick-your own consignment to London.

$7.77 at Trio in OBX.

An odd even unique old ale. Not a top choice. Almost a drain pour. And certainly not worth the price. 3.25

A - Pours cloudy, really murky, with a half-finger tan rocky short-lived head. Well carbonated. Average lacing. Not a pretty pour. 3.0

S - Vinous aroma, a little sweet brown sugar, cardboard, fruity-but not tropical or citrusy. When combined I might call the aroma somewhat reminiscent of bubblegum. 3.25

T - Vinous, oxidized, spicy, molasses but low sweetness that when balanced against the other flavors almost makes this beer taste tart. 3.5

MF - Medium bodied, semi-dry finish, slightly coating, minerally, faintly acrid. 3.75

 

11.2oz undated bottle poured into snifter at fridge temp 9.5% ABV. The beer pours bright medium brown in color with copper highlights and light brown head. The head recedes to a thin ring and small island of tiny bubbles. No lacing. The aroma is mild, but very nice presenting rich malt, dark dried fruits and tobacco. The taste is a little hop forward at first with faded fruity hops rolling into a tangy Brett finish laid over some nice malt. Mild to moderate hoppy bitterness. The mouthfeel is medium to thin bodied with plenty of carbonation and a dry finish. The Orval yeast really cut through that malt over its time in the bottle. Overall, good & certainly unique. I'm not a fan of faded hops or tangy dry old ales. I vastly prefer sweet thick ones that had very little late hops to begin with. This one definitely has some character and might be closer to the historical old ales. I'm enjoying it more as the temperature goes up and I've poured the last bits and a little yeast into the glass.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Poured from 750 mL bottle into snifter.
A: Pours a clear reddish amber hue with 2 inch bubbly light tan head with good retention. Nice thick lacing around the edges.
S: Interesting combination of lighter malt and light hop notes. Light caramel malt, white pepper, soft melon, tangerine, and white wine. Hint of fig too.
T: Caramel, fig, and brown sugar hit first and the malt notes continue to dominate even when the hop notes emerge with white wine, tangerine, and soft melon. Hint of spicy white pepper. Definitely a different take on an old ale.
M: Soft and supple. Layers of malt sweetness with background hop bitterness and dryness. An interesting mash up.
D: Definitely an interesting take on the style. Well constructed. A good, but not superb, brew.

 

 

Deep, semi opaque amber with a large, light cream coloured head which leaves good lacing.

Flavors are beautiful; rustic yeast, multiple layers of sweet malts, and very light citrus hops. Very light carbonation - very smooth.

Wonderful.

 

 

A: The beer is dark reddish brown in color (very dark brown when viewed from afar). It poured with a quarter finger high white head that died down a bit but consistently left a short head covering the surface.
S: Light to moderate aromas of citrusy hops and gooseberries are present in the nose.
T: The taste starts off like the taste, but finishes with notes of the Orval yeast.
M: It feels a bit more than medium-bodied on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer is an interesting mix of American and Belgian beer styles.

Serving type: bottle