Zeppelin (for Den Ouden Advokaat, St.Pauwels)
De Proefbrouwerij

Seems to be the classic beer you have to have at 't Waagstuk.

Pours a lovely reddish, ruby colour. Head is intense and frothy and thick—beige coloured leaving meringue-like lacing. Really big and exciting. Body is light.

Nose is a little seltzery, with just a touch of sweet Belgian esters, but not a lot. More sharp, and slightly twinged with underripe fruit. Certainly, not a lot of darkness.

Taste is better—sweet toffee, a little dark fruit, some estery peppery spice to balance. Comes out quite balanced, if not complex. Smooth palate. Not bad.

It's a tasty enough brew, but it's rather bland compared to the other great beers at the bar. (It's also better than their 11% Waagstuk brew).

Bottle at 't Waagstuk. Came here to try this specifically. Advertised as a stout. From notes.

A - Poured a dark red with really strong carbonation. 3.5 finger Khaki head. Hazy chunky lacing with good lacing.

S - Caramelly with yeast and sugar. Lot's of dark fruit.

T - Caramel, yeast, biscuity, sweet. Nice.

M - Medium carbonation with a medium body. Dry finish with sweetness.

O/D - Not too bad. A very nice beer. Not a stout but a good, drinkable dark Belgian ale.

I tried this beer at 't Waagstuk in June 2006.

Appearance: Dark brown with a nice foamy head. Belgian lace?

Smell: It smelled kind of sweet, maybe some chocolate?

Taste: Sweet, almost candy-like but balanced with a nice spiciness

Mouthfeel: Everything you want from a dark belgian ale. I could have drank this all night....

Drinkability: It's so hard to find that I would drink it until I couldn't stand. Damn fine beer, rivals some of the greats (Westvleteren Twaalf?).

Tried this bottled beer at 't Waagstuk in Antwerp, 7 Sept 2006.

Appearance is a robust dark brown with a frothy ivory 2-finger head.

Smells of sugars and roasted malt, sweet caramel and dark chocolate.

Taste is a highly enjoyable malty/candy sweetness with generous spiciness (nutmeg/cinnamon). A light anise/licorice flavor is present, too.

Mouthfeel is creamy with a medium body and fullness of flavor. Little bitterness, satisfying lightly sweet aftertaste.

An enjoyable brew, high gravity (8% abv) means it packs some punch. Webb's "Good Beer Guide Belgium" (2005) likens this to a German Schwarzbier in character; I concur. A good beer with limited availability. Try some if you have the chance.

Sampled on draft at Waagstuk in Antwerp. Appearance: Dark, with reddish highlights. Aroma; Slight roastiness, big chocolate, some caramel. Flavor: Malty, chocolate flavorsy, some roast. Mouthfeel: creamy big body. Finsh: Very sweet, nice chocolate character, delicious. Drinkability: A very big, satisfying beer.