Andelot Cuvee Mystique
De Proefbrouwerij (bvba Andelot)

Andelot Cuvee MystiqueAndelot Cuvee Mystique
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From:
De Proefbrouwerij (bvba Andelot)
 
Belgium
Style:
Belgian Dark Strong Ale
ABV:
8.5%
Score:
87
Avg:
3.87 | pDev: 13.44%
Reviews:
63
Ratings:
66
Status:
Active
Rated:
Aug 01, 2013
Added:
Jul 25, 2005
Wants:
  2
Gots:
  3
No description / notes.
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Ratings by peabody:
Photo of peabody
Reviewed by peabody from Kentucky

3.23/5  rDev -16.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
Pours out like root beer with two fingers of off-white suds.
Smell is caramel malt and fig. Mabey a dark cherry/oakness way in the back.
Kind of a dirty flavor and the caramel goes away then the maltyness remains. At the end of this is the fruity taste.
Mouthfeel is fairly clean.
Drinkability is low here because of taste.
Jan 10, 2008
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4 by Hopheadjeffery from Illinois

Aug 01, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by WOLFGANG from South Carolina

Jul 05, 2013
 
Rated: 4.5 by yeti123 from Connecticut

Jul 31, 2012
Photo of flagmantho
Reviewed by flagmantho from Washington

4/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured from 750mL corked & caged bottle into a tulip.

Appearance: dark brown hue with a thick cap of frothy tan foam. When held up to the light, there is a nice dark ruby hue and evidence of a haze-free body. Quite good looking.

Smell: a fruity aroma hits me first, with plum, pear, apple, raisin ... aromas associated both with Belgian dark ales and with more orchardy tripels. There's a nice deep, dark malt underneath as well, which provides for a nice experience indeed.

Taste: dark malt with a fair amount of chocolate character, followed by an alcohol fruitiness. There's a tiny bit of medicinal phenolic character here, and in this small amount I feel like it adds a nice complexity. Alcohol bite is strong, but overall I feel like it is balanced and nicely flavorful.

Mouthfeel: medium body with a good level of carbonation and concomitant Belgian creaminess. I dig it.

Overall: this is quite a good beer. Overall, I think I like it quite a bit more than other Proefbrouwerij offerings. Tasty and drinkable.
Jun 09, 2012
Photo of LiquidAmber
Reviewed by LiquidAmber from Washington

3.95/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Poured into a Gulden Draak tulip. Pours a deep reddish mahogany with a one finger light tan head and lacing. Great retention. Aroma of caramel malt, dark fruit, malty and bit sour. Flavor is sweet and roasted malt, dark fruits. Finishes with a pleasant strong roasted malt, chocolate and coffee. Close to a Belgian stout. Not very complex and the flavor is subdued, but very pleasant. A surprisingly good dark ale.
Mar 15, 2012
Photo of YouSkeete
Reviewed by YouSkeete from Massachusetts

4.38/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
A: Nice dark brown. Very opaque, extremely cloudy. Small off white head with decent retention.

S: Caramel and molasses upfront. Cream, malt, and mild hints of dark fruit.

T/M: Big bittersweet chocolate, molasses, honey, sweet heavy cream and fresh hop flavor on the initial sip. Smooth malts and nice subtle hop bite balance well. Hints of roasted coffee seep through the other flavors at some point. Mildly spicy with a rich, thick and reasonably full bodied with medium carbonation. Flavor is complex, and entirely tolerable. Smooth molasses-like aftertaste.

D: Spectacular! A great Belgian strong dark ale.
May 01, 2011
Photo of harrymel
Reviewed by harrymel from Washington

1.33/5  rDev -65.6%
look: 1.5 | smell: 1 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 1
This one gushed out of the bottle. Pours nice dark brown with head upon agitation only. Smells like a fermented cantaloupe. Not good. Downright nasty. Luckily, tastes a little better, but notebough to save this one. The beer has resin like falcon with hints of coffee and hemp. Medium mouthfeel. Nothing special. Got this one on clearance, and now I know why.
Jan 13, 2011
Photo of dstc
Reviewed by dstc from Florida

4/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours a deep brown color yes a tan head. Head falls to about nothing. Thin lace.

Aroma is of sweet malts and candied sugar. Bit of a roasted smell there too.

Taste is like the aroma. Sweet sugar malts up front with a roasted taste. Coffee flavor in there too, that's different.

Rather thick mouthfeel and lowish carbonation.

Not bad, mostly average but drinkable.
Nov 22, 2010
Photo of terrapinfan88
Reviewed by terrapinfan88 from Virginia

3.88/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Appearance: Plum colored with amber highlights, foamy off white head that dissipates into a thin ring.

Smell: Red wine, dark fruits, chocolate

Taste: Raisin, plum, subtle chocolate, the chocolate is more predominant on the exhale.

Mouthfeel: Slightly tart upfront, Earthy malty dryness with a clean finish.

Drinkability: Quite sessionable for its ABV couldn't really taste the booze at all. The mouthfeel and taste were not extreme enough to dissuade me from wanting more.
Nov 18, 2010
Photo of Pencible
Reviewed by Pencible from Virginia

4/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A: This poured a nearly opaque dark mahogany with moderate light tan head.
S: It smelled like chocolate and day-old coffee, with some brown sugar and nutmeg.
T: It tasted like rich milk chocolate with some brown sugar and a little Belgian yeast and coffee. It had a bitter but clean aftertaste.
M: It was somewhat thick with a little smooth carbonation.
D: This had a nice smell and taste, and good body with well hidden alcohol. So it was very easy to drink and enjoy. Not sure if age would improve this beer, but it was good fresh. Nothing really special, and there are other beers that are clearly better in this style. But it was still easily enjoyable.
Nov 16, 2010
Photo of Cylinsier
Reviewed by Cylinsier from Pennsylvania

3.8/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours an opaque chocolate brown with little light passing through. Tan head is fine and thick. Good retention as a film.

Smells malty sweet like molasses and figs.

The taste is like toasted brown sugar and molasses with a bit of a nutty element.

Feels moderate to full. The carbonation is consistent throughout and fairly soft.

Pretty good dark ale, a little different than some others. Has some elements of a double but also elements of a nut brown and a stout. Interesting number, don't know if I would have it again but I'd like to try more from this brewery based on this.
Jul 12, 2010
Photo of ChainGangGuy
Reviewed by ChainGangGuy from Georgia

3.87/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Appearance: Dispenses from the bottle a clearish, robust-looking brown body with a thinnish, beige head.

Smell: Vibrant fruit melange in the aroma, displaying full notes of green raisins, tart cherries, and even well-ripened apricots. Pinch of earthy well-ground spices. Sturdy breadiness, along with some sweetish hint of caramel and brown sugar.

Taste: Moderately sweet dark malt character with tastes of dark caramel sauce, light chocolate, brown sugar, and a rich breadiness. As with the nose, it's boldly fruity. Earthy, peppery spice accents. Emerging dark candi sugar flavor. Slight hint of alcohol warmth on the drying, crisply carbonated finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-plus body. Medium-high carbonation.

Drinkability: Fairly smooth BSDA that improves a bit upon slight warmth. It's full and flavorful, but is never overbearing.
Mar 31, 2010
Photo of PorterLambic
Reviewed by PorterLambic from Florida

2.42/5  rDev -37.5%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5
A big brown bottle with a plastic cork? That ain't right.

Pours a cloudy, opaque brown. Very slight light penetration at edge. Nice fluffy head. Good retention, medium tan color.
Smell is not much. Some dark fruit, wet cardboard and very slight malt. Weak all over.
Taste improves with temperature. Notes of dark fruit, alcohol, yeast (weak), wet cardboard which might be masking some nuttiness.
Effervescent up front, slight creaminess, good chewiness. Fairly full-bodied and slightly warming.
Feb 08, 2010
Photo of bum732
Reviewed by bum732 from Lesotho

4.12/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Pours a dark brown, not much head, some creamy retention. Smells of spicy malt, caramel, vanilla, some chocolate, fairly strong dark fruits. Tastes of chocolate and dark fruit like malt. Some black rasberries pop the flavor. An interesting anise flavor starts everything off. Fairly moderate spicy bitterness ending with some roastiness. Pretty dry finish, creamy texture, alcohol fairly well hidden.

A solid beer, more like a belgian stout than strong dark ale. The "belgian" clove-like yeastiness is missing in this beer replaced instead with solid chocolate and roasty flavors. Not bad.
Feb 08, 2010
Photo of Metalmonk
Reviewed by Metalmonk from North Carolina

4.23/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured at cellar temp and no cooler. "Brunet Belgian Ale" on the label--and wow, this is as dark brown as brown gets (with ruby highlights). Head is a light tan color and comprised of tight, small bubbles, giving a creamy look to the top, almost like icing.

Rich aroma of chocolate cake and toffee. Some dark fruit too. Very malty, and the yeast isn't as assertive as many other similar beers. Light alcohol and a pinch of anise come in from behind.

Flavor-wise, and even texturally, this comes close to being a Belgian-style stout. A pervading roast character carries Mystique. Coffee, chocolate birthday cake, molasses, and burnt dark chocolate dominate. This is one malty sonofabitch, although it's not all that sweet. Plum, grape and fig come into the picture a little bit, especially with warming. Chocolate-flavored dark roast coffee coats the mouth in the long finish. 8.5% alcohol is modest and very well-incorporated.

Texturally it's bubbly and smooth/creamy, even has a certain chewiness to it. It really can't decide if it's a well-carbonated big dark ale or a thick stout. Most interesting.

Wonderful stuff, and pretty unique. The malt is not subtle and is in fact pretty gooey tasting...yet it's not totally sweet and the yeast isn't as pervasive as it is in so many other Belgians, dark or otherwise. Hearty, although maybe not as dessert-y as other big dark Belgians. Incidentally, a perfect beer for sipping on when snowed in...
Jan 31, 2010
Photo of homebrew311
Reviewed by homebrew311 from Illinois

3.42/5  rDev -11.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Poured into St. Bernardus chalice.

A: pours a cloudy burgundy/purple with light brown head that dissipates quickly

S: sweet malts and candied grapes on the nose, some boozieness in the background

T: the fruit does not come through on the palate like the nose suggests, the front is slightly watery and followed by some sweetness, molasses, slight grapes and an uncharacteristic finish for a Belgian. This is not the best ABT style I've had as it is a bit unbalanced and lacks any complexity

MF: somewhat thin on the body, medium carbonation

D: the taste is good, but compared to others of its style, there are much better things available. This one comes at a nice value at 4.99 a 750 ml, but you basically are paying for what you get.
Jan 18, 2010
Photo of BeerutalTruth
Reviewed by BeerutalTruth from Massachusetts

3.92/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
I know nothing about this beer other than that it's a cuvee of some sort.

Pours dark and bubbley like most Belgians of this style. Thin head but it stays throughout the beery journey.

Big malt bomb! notes of chocolate and dark fruity malt. I'm not a dark fruit guy but this was well balanced and not chewy like so many others of the style.

Finishes dry with and sweet but not clingingly so.
Dec 13, 2009
Photo of mudbug
Reviewed by mudbug from Oregon

4.32/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Shared with family,
poured into large wine glasses, nice dark brown with a small head that leaves quickly
Malt is the heavy hitter here, both smell and taste, a little spice too, very nice!
Medium bodied, a nice thirst quencher, Suggest pair with mild cheese.
I'd drink a lot of this anytime.
Oct 09, 2009
Photo of sirdrinkwell
Reviewed by sirdrinkwell from Florida

3.65/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
a: appearance is a deep and dark brown, with a slight head which subsides to leave a nice glass ring and considerable lace.

s: nose is an interesting mix of fig, prune, and sugary malts that at moments almost lends itself to a very light chocolate stout

t: big mouth on this one, with the sweetness of the malts battling an almost spicy/nutty bite from the blend of dark fruits...

m: this brew is a spicy bite over the tongue while at the same time offering a syrupy sweet mouth

d: while i wasn't immediately blown away by this brew, the different elements in the nose and mouthfeel grew on me as it warmed. i would drink this again.

salud!
Sep 27, 2009
Andelot Cuvee Mystique from De Proefbrouwerij (bvba Andelot)
Beer rating: 87 out of 100 with 66 ratings