Serafijn Belgian Pale Ale
Microbrouwerij Achilles

Serafijn Belgian Pale AleSerafijn Belgian Pale Ale
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From:
Microbrouwerij Achilles
 
Belgium
Style:
Belgian Pale Ale
ABV:
6.2%
Score:
88
Avg:
3.93 | pDev: 11.96%
Reviews:
13
Ratings:
17
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Apr 07, 2014
Added:
May 31, 2010
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
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Ratings by chugalug06:
Photo of chugalug06
Reviewed by chugalug06 from Colorado

4.25/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A - Head is an aggressive soapy one. Brew is slightly murky amber color with lots of browns. Nice one finger head retention.

S - Almost smells like peach... Lots of belgian yeast esters. Slight funky sour scent. Very mellow and smooth.

T - WOW! Very nice brew! Mellow ale with lots of great balance! Awesome amount of malt to balance out the brew! Very well rounded!

M - Great carbonation, slightly over done, but not worth marking down... No bitterness and slight sweetness. Very smooth and delicious! Awesome buttery-ness, great light body!

O - This brew totally caught me off guard! I was expecting something totally different and got an awesome brew!!!! Try it if you're able to find it!
Jun 27, 2011
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4 by Barnsley from Pennsylvania

Apr 07, 2014
 
Rated: 2.75 by RBorsato from Virginia

Oct 22, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by djrn2 from New Jersey

Nov 22, 2012
Photo of Flounder57
Reviewed by Flounder57 from Massachusetts

3.67/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
11.2 oz bottle was poured into a tulip glass.

Appearance: The beer poured a two finger puffy white head. It is a murky amber brown color with floaties and lots of carbonation coming up through the glass. One inch puffy head is still present.

Smell: apples, pears, and vanilla up front. Bready and sweet malts in the rear. Smells delicious and sweet.

Taste: apples, pears, vanilla, spiciness, bready, sweetness, and some bozze on the palate.

Mouthfeel: creamy smooth, light, medium carbonation, dry, and easy to drink.

Overall: I have had many BPA's, but this one seemed a bit light on the palate from what I smelled in the nose. An average one in my opinion, but still worthy of getting another.
Jul 04, 2012
Photo of superspak
Reviewed by superspak from North Carolina

3.98/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
330 ml bottle into chalice, no bottle dating. Pours a cloudy reddish orange color with a nice 1-2 finger dense cream colored head with good retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Some decent spotty lacing on the glass, with a good amount of carbonation streaming up. Aromas of big grape, apricot, raisin, apple, herbal, earth, floral, honey, caramel, bread, and light yeast spiciness. Nice and pleasant aromas with decent strength and complexity. Taste of big pear, apple, grape, caramel, herbal, pepper, floral, honey, bread, earth, and yeast spices. Lingering notes of light fruit, caramel, honey, bread, earth, and yeast spices on the finish for a short bit. Fairly dry on the finish. Very nice complexity of flavor, with a fantastic malt and spiciness balance. Medium-high carbonation and medium bodied; with a lightly creamy and very crisp mouthfeel that is nice. No alcohol presence noticed at all, and this is very smooth to drink. Overall this is a damn nice Belgian pale ale. Very nice flavor complexity and balance; and extremely smooth. Really enjoyed this one.
Jun 25, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by Rochefort10nh from New Hampshire

Nov 25, 2011
Photo of Hex92
Reviewed by Hex92 from Virginia

4.25/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Not a fan of pale ales in general, but this Belgian pale ale is a nice brew.
A- hazy orange, big head, decent lacing.
T- nice balance of hops and malt. Maybe a hint of caramel. I love the flavor..just can't place what it all is.
M- real nice. Clean with just a hint of the syrupy feel.
O- I like this beer. I would definitely buy this one again. And I will have to try other Belgian pale ales in the future.
Sep 26, 2011
Photo of AmericanGothic
Reviewed by AmericanGothic from Iowa

4.3/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Poured from a bomber into a Unibroue tulip.

A: Pours a hazy, golden orange color with one finger of off-white head. Good retention and lace.

S: Sweet bread, stewed figs and apples, a little caramel.

T: Sweet toffee syrup up front, then a less spicy sweetness before the bitter pine hops suddenly come out of nowhere and then fade just as quickly, leaving a gentle sweetness on the finish. About halfway through the glass, the hops start to fade, revealing more of the fruit notes underneath, but then towards the very end the hops start to make a comeback.

M: Light and pretty creamy.

O: I like this. Big flavor change through the glass, all of them good. Worth seeking out.
Aug 20, 2011
Photo of allforbetterbeer
Reviewed by allforbetterbeer from Colorado

3.5/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
330 mL (11.2 oz) bottle poured into a Swiss snifter. Bought on 05/02/2011 at Coaltrain Wine and Liquor in Colorado Springs for around $4.

Pours with a light copper (slightly hazy) body under a tenacious light straw head that initially formed 2 fingers of foam.

Smells of lighter toasty malts, sticky melted candy sugar and some subdued hops. Very Belgian, and very good.

On the palate this tingles with a small alcohol bite, which is unfortunate as the best hide the alcohol better. The flavors center on biscuit malt and crystal malts, and what seem to be hops of English origin. There may some noble hops hiding in here as well, because something slightly reminiscent of sulfur is detected on the side of the tongue. Also subtle are some phenolic Belgian yeast notes as well.

The mouthfeel is dominated by the high carbonation, producing tingling and burning that masks the flavors. This is right in line with the style, and thus the score isn't affected, but I much prefer lower levels of carbonation.

Conclusion: This is a worthy beer, and one that I would drink again. However, the leaders in this style are so good that they eclipse this beer almost totally. Would i be happy if I brewed this? Yes. Is it the best out there for this style and flavor profile? No.
May 04, 2011
Photo of MarvinSnyder
Reviewed by MarvinSnyder from West Virginia

4.05/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Notes from 7/8/2010 and 7/19/2010 -poured into a tulip glass - 1Pt. 9.4 fl. oz 750 ml. - corked bottle

Appearance: Pours a murky orange with a white, foamy head. Lacing provides support close to the thick head.

Smell: Aroma is floral and yeasty with characteristics of apple, pear and a hint of red grape. Smell improves as it warms.

Taste: Very light caramel malt, apple, spiciness with a woody bitterness.

Mouthfeel: High carbonation. This beer is silky and velvety smooth over the palate.

Drinkability: Easy to drink with a relatively low alcohol content.

Comments: A Beer of the Month selection. This was a very good Belgian Pale Ale. Nice!
Aug 12, 2010
Photo of Radome
Reviewed by Radome from Florida

2.97/5  rDev -24.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Obtained from Rare Beer Club. Poured from 750 ml bottle into a goblet.

A - Outstanding appearance. The beer is a dark gold verging on copper and is clear but not crystal clear. The head is off-white, very thick and fluffy and made up of tiny, creamy bubbles.

S - The aroma is not as impressive as the appearance. On first pour it was dominated by harsh yeast notes, like a poorly fermented homebrew or even a low level of contamination. After breathing, the yeast faded (but was still noticeable) and a noble hop aroma emerged.

T - The taste is very dry and focused on hops. There is a strong hop bitterness and dry, crisp noble hop taste. There is a subtle spiciness, probably from yeast rather than spices. No hint of the poor fermentation or infection I smelled. The disappointment is a total lack of malt to round the hops out.

M - Body is light. Overall impression is dryness and a sharp carbonation bite.

D - I'm afraid I don't agree with the crowd on this one. I find it one-dimensional and unrefined. It is definitely a different take on a Belgian ale, but I don't appreciate the emphasis on hops without anything else to add complexity.
Jul 25, 2010
Photo of RWD1
Reviewed by RWD1 from New York

4.01/5  rDev +2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Appearance: Received from MJ's Rare Beer Club (and I'll continue to call it that). Simply a beautiful pour - amber with a fine white two-finger head that leaves nice uniform lacing, and a steady stream of bubbles from the bottom of the tulip.

Smell: Floral notes come through first, although not in an overpowering way, along with the promise of a little tartness in the mouth. There's an unidentified hop presence lurking on the edges.

Taste: This is very nice. The floral taste leads the charge, with a mild tartness coming through as well. The sweetness doesn't overpower in the least, however, as mild yet assertive hops and a certain pepperiness quickly arrive at the party to keep things balanced. It finishes extremely clean.

Mouthfeel: Relatively highly carbonated, which works perfectly here.

Drinkability: Very high. It's odd to characterize a Belgian as a session beer, but you can certainly do that here. It's a pity we won't see more of this one given the brewer's capacity.
Jul 18, 2010
Photo of Patrick999
Reviewed by Patrick999 from Florida

4.36/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
The oversized cap on the 750ml bottle popped with a loud escape of gas, but no beer gushed out. Poured into a tulip, the overall presentation here is quite style-appropriate. Body is the color of marmalade, and frantic streams of carbonation can be seen supporting and replenishing the excellent retention.

To me the aroma is something approximating a pear cobbler - ripe pears and cinnamon. Honey and a little grassy as well, this smells quintessentially Belgian.

Honey and yeasty up front, I get a hint of sweetness that gets washed away by a wave of pepper at the back end, drying everything out. As it warms further, minor notes of earth, plastic, coconut, grassy hop and various fruits come through, adding to the complexity.

Feel-wise, while carbonation is obviously high, there is no distracting carbonic bite.

This plays really well for me in a style that's easy to imitate, but difficult to pull off with this kind of breezy assuredness and balanced complexity. Very well done, this is a no-brainer recommendation for fans of the BPA style. A versatile beer that can hack it as an easy drinker, *and* hold its own with a staggering array of foods, I'd imagine.

It would be great to have this available more often, but something tells me that this small artisanal brewery probably has all the productive capacity of your average homebrewer's closet.
Jun 27, 2010
Photo of MenloBeer
Reviewed by MenloBeer from California

4.56/5  rDev +16%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Poured from 750 mL bottle into a tulip glass. The sequence "19/10/11" is stamped on the cap. Seeing as they didn't brew this in the future ("born on" date), I assume this is an expiration date?

A: Orange-amber, kind of a dark pumpkin color. Intense carbonation typical of a bottle conditioned Belgian, lovely steady string of bubbles up the middle of the tulip. Thick white head retains nicely throughout.

S: A little biting, tonic smell at first. Going deeper, a touch of horse blanket, lemongrass, spices and earth.

T: Malt, apple and dry hops. Belgian spices are prominent, with more earthy mineral notes on the back end. Sweet apple and belgian spice up front. Dry tasting (touch of Brett?).

M: Light body. Slight effervesence from carbonation. Smooth with a turn toward dry at the finish.

D: If I lived in Belgium I would drink this a lot. Not too much ABV, and on a warm day the high carbonation and spice makes it very tempting to quaff.
Jun 19, 2010
Photo of metter98
Reviewed by metter98 from New York

4.08/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5
A: The beer poured clear amber-copper in color. There is a light to moderate amount of carbonation and very good head retention properties.
S: There are light aromas of tart fruits in the nose along with some notes of mustiness and yeast.
T: The taste is similar to the smell and also has notes of apples and spices. There is a good balance between all of the flavors.
M: It feels light- to medium-bodied on the palate and very smooth given a high amount of carbonation. There is a also some dryness.
D: The beer is very easy to drink due to the low alcohol content.
Jun 14, 2010
Photo of mwilbur
Reviewed by mwilbur from Minnesota

4.35/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5
Poured from 750 mL bottle into tulip. Cap is stamped with "19/10/11" which I assume is a best by date.
A: Pours a cloudy orange-amber with high carbonation producing a 3 inch thick billowy white head. Excellent retention (sits there like sea foam forever). Near perfection.
S: An indistinct sweet and astrigent note hits first. This is followed closely by tart apple, melon, floral notes, phenols, and grass. Hint of Belgian spice in the background. Very nice indeed.
T: Sweet apple and belgian spice up front. Dry hops, phenols, and melon hit second. Herbal and mineral notes as well as candy sweetness arise with warming. Not quite as complex as the aroma, but still quite nice.
M: Light body. Slight effervesence from carbonation. Smooth with a turn toward dry at the finish.
D: Highly drinkable. The ABV certainly allows this to be enjoyed daily as the bottle states it's for "everyday drinking". Count yourself lucky if you are able to drink this any day you please. Definitely sessionable. A quality and easily accessible brew. Can enjoy on its own or pair with seafood or lighter fare. Obtained from RBC.
May 31, 2010
Serafijn Belgian Pale Ale from Microbrouwerij Achilles
Beer rating: 88 out of 100 with 17 ratings