Mea Culpa (Beer Mania)
Brouwerij De Cock

Mea Culpa (Beer Mania)Mea Culpa (Beer Mania)
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From:
Brouwerij De Cock
 
Belgium
Style:
Belgian Pale Ale
Ranked #9
ABV:
6.5%
Score:
90
Ranked #9,691
Avg:
4.06 | pDev: 8.37%
Reviews:
17
Ratings:
29
Status:
Active
Rated:
Apr 10, 2022
Added:
Nov 20, 2007
Wants:
  2
Gots:
  2
No description / notes.
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Rated: 5 by dvr665

Apr 10, 2022
Photo of JonnoWillsteed
Reviewed by JonnoWillsteed from England

3.54/5  rDev -12.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
Blind-tasted except for the beer's name and brewery/country, zero reviews below read (yet!)...
The beers front lable reads 'Mea Culpa, In Fermento Veritas [truth in fermentation], Blond'.
L- Quite dark amber, it was clear until notable fine sediment lifted right at the end. Accreted sediment left in the bottle too. Poured with a 4-5mm snow white cap.
S- Hints of bold pungency, but too subtle for me to id specific notes.
T- It's quite dry for the deeper colour, dry enough to dominate over some meaty malts.
F- Carbonation in the mouth is exceptionally good. It remains notably hoppy-dry and bold.
O- Pungent trad hops, relatively light body. ABV% hard to discern clearly through the bitterness. The various elements here are trad. The notably dry/bitter hops over-dominate for me. My tastes would prefer this with a bit more balance from malts. Therefore, best suited to fans of meaty trad pale ales etc.
Review #1907/scoring all done, now the reveal, I get to read the bottle lables to see what I missed! ==> Just a rather strange made up story of the naming of the beer...
330ml bottle Euro 2.95. BB: 26/07/2021 Bought from BeerMania/Belgium as part of a large pick-your own consignment to London.
Jun 26, 2021
 
Rated: 4 by mtbdonn from Colorado

Feb 13, 2017
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Reviewed by noz03 from Germany

4.47/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Had this in Beer Mania in 2016 while chatting with the owner of the store who claimed to have brewed it himself, and even designed the beautiful 55 euro glass it comes in and was so impressed by it I honestly didn't believe him until now doing a bit of research!

Great beer, especially under the sun on the beer mania terrace. Very complex flavour with hints of herbs, spices and a slight smokiness.
Apr 17, 2016
Photo of Phyl21ca
Reviewed by Phyl21ca from Canada (QC)

3.52/5  rDev -13.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Bottle (old bottle – 2008 drank in 2016): Poured a clear golden color ale with a medium size foamy head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma of candi sugar with light fruity ester is pretty enticing considering the age of the bottle. Taste has light oxidation notes with some residual sugar notes with some fruity ester. Body is about average with good carbonation. Enjoyable though would probably be better if fresh.
Mar 18, 2016
 
Rated: 4 by Sparky44 from Illinois

Jul 05, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by PretzelCity from California

Apr 27, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by Drknight from Virginia

Mar 23, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by Maxilouis from Belgium

Mar 09, 2014
 
Rated: 4.75 by Josiah2729 from Tennessee

Apr 20, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by BAsbill from California

Mar 30, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by imperiallibations from California

Jan 30, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by pixieskid from Germany

Jan 15, 2013
Photo of liamt07
Reviewed by liamt07 from Canada (ON)

3.68/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Bottle from Jason, brought back from Belgium. 33cl bottle into a tulip, best before February 29, 2014.

Pale golden yellow, lightly hazy. White head with light lace and moderate retention. Nose has some light herbal character, bitter citrus, crackers, Belgian tripel/pale ale yeast profile, a bit of sulphur and straw. Taste is crackery, grassy, bitter hopping into the finish. Grainy breads, mild citrus and a bit of spice. Dry in the finish, fairly light mouthfeel and medium high carbonation.
Dec 24, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by brikelly from Massachusetts

Nov 11, 2012
 
Rated: 4.25 by djcira from Pennsylvania

Oct 17, 2012
Photo of Gueuzedude
Reviewed by Gueuzedude from Arizona

4.03/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Sampled July 2010 at Beer Mania
The beer glass for this beer is definitely quite exquisite, though how it is remotely worth 60€ is beyond me. The beer pours with a frothy, meringue like head that is just palely tanned. There is a touch of haze to the golden body. The beer is aromatic with a spicy / floral character to it; I get notes of ginger, white pepper, honey-like malt, bright pear and ripe green apples as well as notes of clove and cardamom. Hay-like pale-wheat like aromatics are joined by some cracker like notes as well. When sediment was added to the glass it contributes an earthy, yeasted note to the aroma and somehow rounds things out.

The beer is fizzy, with a carbonic, peppery bite to it as it first hits my tongue. There is a touch of malt sweetness (honey and sweet pale malt) here, but it is dry overall because of the hop bite,bitterness and spicy, peppery finish. The malt character contributes a hay like and cracker leaning dryness to this beer. Spicy clove notes are quite apparent and there are also notes that remind me of coriander, cardamom and perhaps even some nutmeg. Addition of the sediment brings a roundness to the flavor that mutes the pepper and adds an earthy yeast note to the finish.

This seems to be a beer meant to be drunk and enjoyed on a daily basis. It is very well balanced between the malt, hop, spice and yeast character that all play an equal role, contributing to a harmonious whole. The glass really is quite nice, and at the least, very interesting and no doubt contributes to the overall effect of this beer.
Dec 27, 2010
Photo of jgasparine
Reviewed by jgasparine from Maryland

4.15/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Served at Beer Mania, Brussels, Belgium on 3/21/2010.

A- Poured from the bottle into the famed Mea Culpa glass with a thin white head, which quickly receded to a haze layer and some nice lacing. Body was a hazy yellow color and moderately carbonated. It's tempting to give this a '5' because of its particular appearance in the Mea Culpa glass!

S- Fresh cracked grain and some doughy aromas combine with some Belgian yeast aromatics in a lovely bouquet with just a touch of stale hops.

T- A nice replicate of the doughy nose with some mild hop bitterness emerging midway and persisting through the finish. Some subtle non-descript spiciness is in there as well. All perceived flavors are delicate (not weak, but nicely delicate).

M- Medium to large body with some creaminess imparted by a velvet blanket of carbonation. Lovely.

D- A very quaffable beer... I wish it were more available in the US!
Mar 30, 2010
Photo of ManforallSaisons
Reviewed by ManforallSaisons from Belgium

4.15/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Bought from Beer Mania a few month ago and cellared since then. The beer presents with an attractive honey color, not much darker than necessary to avoid confusion with a pils, somewhat marred by flakes of sediment (perhaps the fault of a hasty pour), and almost a finger of ivory foam. The scent is quite delicate, of yeasty dough with just a smidgen of floral hops, clove and smoke. The flavor is restrained -- more so than my memory of a fresher version -- and balanced among a surprising malt sweetness, with maybe a touch of citrus zest (in no way tasting like an ingredient), supplanted by a cleansing bite of herbacious hop. The mouthfeel is substantial but not quite chewy, toeing the line of a session beer but one you don't just quaff.
Feb 16, 2010
Photo of HopHead84
Reviewed by HopHead84 from California

4/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
1/18/2010

Thanks to Floydster for grabbing this for me. Like a moron I opened this one sitting at my desk. It foamed over in a split second and left my pants soaked with beer. This is going well. The beer looks great in the glass. It's a slightly cloudy dark orange with a monstrous 3 finger white head. Lacing is left all over the glass after a few minutes.

The nose is phenolic and of biscuity malt with notes of ripe golden apples, pears, oranges, and a little lemon. I detect floral spices, earthy hops, straw, and grass. The yeast character is decidedly Belgian.

The flavor opens with apples and toasted biscuity malt. This segues into pears, lemons, and spices, with an underlying earthy hop character. The yeast is again distinctly Belgian. Sweetness is at a low level. The finish is apples and pears. The beer is medium bodied with a lower medium level of carbonation. This is a straight forward Belgian Pale, but I haven't had one for a while and it's actually pretty damn good. Well done, Brouwerij De Cock.
Jan 19, 2010
Mea Culpa (Beer Mania) from Brouwerij De Cock
Beer rating: 90 out of 100 with 29 ratings