't Smisje BBBourgondier | Brouwerij Smisje
Brewed by:
Brouwerij Smisje
Belgium
smisje.be
Style: Quadrupel (Quad)
Alcohol by volume (ABV): 12.00%
Availability: Rotating
Notes / Commercial Description:
Currently only 50 cases of this beer are available per year. Brewed in honor of the Burgundian Babble Belt.
Added by purplehops on 01-12-2003
Ratings: 139 | Reviews: 103
4.25/5 rDev +7.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.47/5 rDev +13.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
appearance
light brown color,
hazy
no residual head or lacing
very fizzy with effervescence
billowing towards the surface
like that of sparkling wine
which quiets down after a couple
minutes in the glass
smell
tart raisins
wine
slight vinegar
caramel
spiced apple cider
taste
smooth
fruity
preserved lemons
caramel
cinnamon
apple
hint of smoke
mouthfeel
light with a lively carbonation
not too sticky
with slight warmth in the back of the throat
overall
A lucid quad offering from Smisje. Scary drinkability: a lightly textured body and flirtatious carbonation keep the palate wanting more, never getting too sweet or syrupy. It almost has a little rugged malt backbone that keeps it from dipping off the palate in the long finish. One of the easiest drinking 12% abv ales I’ve ever drank.
800 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
appearance
light brown color,
hazy
no residual head or lacing
very fizzy with effervescence
billowing towards the surface
like that of sparkling wine
which quiets down after a couple
minutes in the glass
smell
tart raisins
wine
slight vinegar
caramel
spiced apple cider
taste
smooth
fruity
preserved lemons
caramel
cinnamon
apple
hint of smoke
mouthfeel
light with a lively carbonation
not too sticky
with slight warmth in the back of the throat
overall
A lucid quad offering from Smisje. Scary drinkability: a lightly textured body and flirtatious carbonation keep the palate wanting more, never getting too sweet or syrupy. It almost has a little rugged malt backbone that keeps it from dipping off the palate in the long finish. One of the easiest drinking 12% abv ales I’ve ever drank.
800 characters
4.5/5 rDev +14.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Not a big nose – traces of fruit, caramel, malt. It pours dark caramel under a 1” light tan foam cap that dissipates fairly quick for a Belgian. The palate starts with a fruit cocktail composed of cherries, light apple and plum sweetened by light caramel malt and seasoned with light spice and herbs. It finishes with a light bitter accent. The beer is yeast driven but well composed. The beer is highly carbonated with a body just above medium.
449 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Not a big nose – traces of fruit, caramel, malt. It pours dark caramel under a 1” light tan foam cap that dissipates fairly quick for a Belgian. The palate starts with a fruit cocktail composed of cherries, light apple and plum sweetened by light caramel malt and seasoned with light spice and herbs. It finishes with a light bitter accent. The beer is yeast driven but well composed. The beer is highly carbonated with a body just above medium.
449 characters
3.75/5 rDev -4.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.75/5 rDev -4.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
4.49/5 rDev +14%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
It looks like a clear copper coloured brew with a small but persistent head of foam, usual good lacing from a Belgian beer.
The smell, well, it's very similar to an aged UK Old or Barley Wine. Lots of caramel malt more than hinting notes of Port. Aged Thomas Hardy or JR Lee's, anyone?
The taste just verifies what I said about the smell, to the letter.
Very nice mouthfeel with lightish carbonation to with the medium body
It drinks like a champion of an Old Ale/Barleywine. I have to get more.
503 characters
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
It looks like a clear copper coloured brew with a small but persistent head of foam, usual good lacing from a Belgian beer.
The smell, well, it's very similar to an aged UK Old or Barley Wine. Lots of caramel malt more than hinting notes of Port. Aged Thomas Hardy or JR Lee's, anyone?
The taste just verifies what I said about the smell, to the letter.
Very nice mouthfeel with lightish carbonation to with the medium body
It drinks like a champion of an Old Ale/Barleywine. I have to get more.
503 characters
3.78/5 rDev -4.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
quad done with valerian root and lemon balm, a nice herbal touch to a peciuiarly light base quad. cloudy medium amber color without much thickness, i am surprised how light this is, with effervescent carbonation it hardly looks like a quad at all. the yeast is forward in the nose, with esters of pears and figs and raisins, as well as a green tea bitterness likely from the lemon balm. the flavor is the same as the nose, not super complex or evolving, but extremely different from what we generally expect in a quad. absent is the dense dark sweet grains, and instead there is an herbal springtime lightness to it that aids in drinkability. i would never in a million years guess 12% abv for this beer, it drinks so much lighter than that. a beer that probably deserves a little more attention on our shores here, especially considering how affordable it is. i wish for more body out of a quad, and thats the part that really threw me off, but i loved the bright bubbles and the dryness on the finish. cool use of these botanicals in a very unique beer.
1,055 characters
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
quad done with valerian root and lemon balm, a nice herbal touch to a peciuiarly light base quad. cloudy medium amber color without much thickness, i am surprised how light this is, with effervescent carbonation it hardly looks like a quad at all. the yeast is forward in the nose, with esters of pears and figs and raisins, as well as a green tea bitterness likely from the lemon balm. the flavor is the same as the nose, not super complex or evolving, but extremely different from what we generally expect in a quad. absent is the dense dark sweet grains, and instead there is an herbal springtime lightness to it that aids in drinkability. i would never in a million years guess 12% abv for this beer, it drinks so much lighter than that. a beer that probably deserves a little more attention on our shores here, especially considering how affordable it is. i wish for more body out of a quad, and thats the part that really threw me off, but i loved the bright bubbles and the dryness on the finish. cool use of these botanicals in a very unique beer.
1,055 characters
4/5 rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Found this lonely little bottle in my local beer store and decided to buy it and check it out.
Appearance 4.0: Poured out a beautiful brownish gold. Weird black gunk all around inside of neck. The beer itself was completely translucent. Nice 1/2" head quickly disappeared and left nothing on top. No lacing whatsoever.
Smell 4.0: Beautiful bouquet. Malt, candi sugar, deep scents of wood and yeast along with a pleasant noble hop aroma. Also a strange hint of root veggies.
Taste 4.0: Front is slightly sweet and very smooth. Middle is somewhat dry with accents on an unusual taste of rooty veggies (the bottle states that the beer was brewed with "valerian and Lemon balm" so that may explain some of it). The finish is also slightly dry, but features a wave of sweet in the middle of the palate; this quickly fades into the Aftertaste which is smooth, slightly tangy and refreshing. Absolutely no indication of the 12%+ ABV this baby is packing.
Mouthfeel 4.0: The mouthfeel certainly enhances the enjoyment of the beer.
Overall 4.0: A unique tasting beer and I do not mean that with any sarcasm. The rooty flavor is interesting and not a distraction. Also, this is a big BIG beer and it is a credit to the brewers that the alcohol is successfully hidden and the focus of this beer is on taste, not alcohol consumption. Recommended...if you can find it!
1,370 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Found this lonely little bottle in my local beer store and decided to buy it and check it out.
Appearance 4.0: Poured out a beautiful brownish gold. Weird black gunk all around inside of neck. The beer itself was completely translucent. Nice 1/2" head quickly disappeared and left nothing on top. No lacing whatsoever.
Smell 4.0: Beautiful bouquet. Malt, candi sugar, deep scents of wood and yeast along with a pleasant noble hop aroma. Also a strange hint of root veggies.
Taste 4.0: Front is slightly sweet and very smooth. Middle is somewhat dry with accents on an unusual taste of rooty veggies (the bottle states that the beer was brewed with "valerian and Lemon balm" so that may explain some of it). The finish is also slightly dry, but features a wave of sweet in the middle of the palate; this quickly fades into the Aftertaste which is smooth, slightly tangy and refreshing. Absolutely no indication of the 12%+ ABV this baby is packing.
Mouthfeel 4.0: The mouthfeel certainly enhances the enjoyment of the beer.
Overall 4.0: A unique tasting beer and I do not mean that with any sarcasm. The rooty flavor is interesting and not a distraction. Also, this is a big BIG beer and it is a credit to the brewers that the alcohol is successfully hidden and the focus of this beer is on taste, not alcohol consumption. Recommended...if you can find it!
1,370 characters
3.42/5 rDev -13.2%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Poured from 11.2oz bottle into Chimay goblet
A - Lighter in color than expected from a quad. Cream colored head that settles quickly.
S - Caramel, raisin, yeast...a sticky bun in a glass!
T - Alcohol bite, grainy malt, vague raisin/candy sugar flavors.
M - Thin feel with strong alcohol.
There are certainly better quads out there. This beer has the right notes but the volume has been turned way down. While the label marks it as an ale brewed with spices, these flavors are lacking or hidden by the alcohol bite.
520 characters
look: 3.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Poured from 11.2oz bottle into Chimay goblet
A - Lighter in color than expected from a quad. Cream colored head that settles quickly.
S - Caramel, raisin, yeast...a sticky bun in a glass!
T - Alcohol bite, grainy malt, vague raisin/candy sugar flavors.
M - Thin feel with strong alcohol.
There are certainly better quads out there. This beer has the right notes but the volume has been turned way down. While the label marks it as an ale brewed with spices, these flavors are lacking or hidden by the alcohol bite.
520 characters
't Smisje BBBourgondier from Brouwerij Smisje
3.94
out of 5
based on 139 ratings.
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4