Special Reserve Piraat Ale Aged In Rum Barrels
Brouwerij Van Steenberge N.V.

Special Reserve Piraat Ale Aged In Rum BarrelsSpecial Reserve Piraat Ale Aged In Rum Barrels
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From:
Brouwerij Van Steenberge N.V.
 
Belgium
Style:
Belgian Pale Strong Ale
Ranked #112
ABV:
10.5%
Score:
86
Ranked #18,417
Avg:
3.83 | pDev: 13.32%
Reviews:
24
Ratings:
66
Status:
Active
Rated:
Apr 02, 2022
Added:
Sep 30, 2016
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  19
Belgian strong golden ale aged in Rum barrels, that undergoes a secondary fermentation in the bottle from Brouwerij Van Steenberge
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Photo of janubio
Reviewed by janubio from Spain

4.75/5  rDev +24%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
75 cl. corked bottle from altopalato, served at home in a trappist glass.
Yellow colour, big head with long retention, non compact lacing.
Aroma of rum, marzipan, tangerines, bananas, cloves.
Medium to full body, thick texture, average carbonation. spicy finish.
Taste of rum, marzipan, tangerines, spices, honey.
Great.
Apr 02, 2022
 
Rated: 3.16 by TMoney2591 from Illinois

Nov 27, 2021
Photo of Captain68
Rated by Captain68 from Russian Federation

4.15/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
92
Nov 16, 2021
 
Rated: 4.02 by howardnss from Pennsylvania

Sep 12, 2021
 
Rated: 4.04 by robotic_being from Illinois

Feb 20, 2021
Photo of ryan1788a5
Reviewed by ryan1788a5 from Massachusetts

3.27/5  rDev -14.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3
750ml bottle poured into a tulip.

A: Golden colored with a mild haze. Massive rocky white head has the ultimate staying power. Lacing cements itself all over the glass in a thick layer.

S: Herbal hop pull and some strong clovey/medicinal phenols. Pear and some tropical esters too. Honeyed malts and some musky grain. Soft oak and if whiffs of spiced rum. If the aroma is any indication, this one’s gonna be pretty over the top.

T: Big pull of spiced rum right out of the gates. It’s rather overwhelming, actually. Woody and oaky too. The base beer does pull forward with a lot of clovey and medicinal phenols and a very herbal bent. Punchy alcohol. Honeyed and husky malt. Confectioners sugar. Flashes of tropical esters. Finish brings back rum and barrel.

M: Rich and weighty with a heft that presses into the tongue. High carbonation does provide a lot of lift and scrubbing action though. Pervasive alcohol heat.

O: There is no grace or nuance to this at all. It hits hard, and repeatedly, with brute force and a lot of roughness. It’s honestly a tough drink overall, particularly with the medicinal phenols getting overbearing and the aggressiveness of the rum character.
Sep 30, 2020
 
Rated: 4.21 by arzt from Germany

Aug 30, 2020
 
Rated: 4.21 by igl from Russian Federation

Feb 27, 2020
Photo of stortore
Reviewed by stortore from Illinois

3.78/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
750 ml bottle into a tulip snifter. Had 11/24/18.

Pours a clear golden color, with a two and a half inch creamy head with great retention and lots of foamy lacing. The aroma is really floral, almost soapy. Smells of Belgian yeast, spices, rum, wheat, light malt. Not what I expected. The flavor is rum, light Belgian yeast, spices, some wheat, light oak. At least the funny stuff didn’t carry over to the taste. Smooth, a good light to medium body, maybe a little over carbonated.

It’s certainly different, but really not that good. Seems like this should be better, as it has a pretty solid base beer. Disappointing. Would normally recommend trying because it is different, but the price point is high for what you get.
Feb 05, 2020
Photo of keithmurray
Reviewed by keithmurray from Connecticut

3.74/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Appearance - slightly hazy bronze body with white head

Smell - apple, rum, caramel

Taste - apple, caramel, rum, oak, alochol burn

mouthfeel - medium bodied, medium carbonation, apple upfront, booziness in the middle and on the back end

Overall - decent variant of the Piraat base beer, but the booziness and astringency will make this a 'one and done' for me

Price Point - $5.99/750ML bottle
Oct 04, 2019
 
Rated: 3.76 by WynnO from Florida

Jul 26, 2019
Photo of TonyLema1
Reviewed by TonyLema1 from South Carolina

3.94/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
L: hazy gold/amber color, tons of head and lacing
S; Belgian yeast and sweetness
T: the rum is all upfront, followed by a Strong Belgian Ale, slightly sweet and earthy
F: great mouthfeel, alcohol on the finish
O: this is a wonderfully balanced and unique beer
Jun 11, 2019
Photo of SLeffler27
Reviewed by SLeffler27 from New York

4.46/5  rDev +16.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
A three-inch rocky to creamy head is off-white with an orange sherbert tint. That head just sits there, never diminishing, over a hazy deep amber SRM 11-14 beer. Eventually the head becomes rocky, leaving a thick creamy pillow and sticky lace. This beer looked great in a Gulden Draak Golden Egg snifter.

This beer has lots of subtle aroma. Opening with floral notes such as honeysuckle, hibiscus, and possibly lilac. Rum comes out in the middle and is unmistakeable. The aroma continues with lemon, pears, and Autumn spices. This is all mesmerizing in that it is subtle and distinct.

Rum is immediately present on entry, followed by strong floral notes that are elevated by the aroma. Lemon is also present but this beer showcases the floral and rum flavors throughout. The finish lingers with light bitterness in an otherwise well-balanced sweet/bitter combination. Warmth reveals melons such as cantaloupe and honeydew.

The full body and satin texture work well with ample fine carbonation. Alcohol is as high as expected without any heat.

This is a major sipping beer. It is excellent below optimal temperature and improves with warmth. I enjoyed a bomber while out on the deck during a cool, drizzly Sunday afternoon. This beer elevated my senses and was just exquisite.
Oct 07, 2018
 
Rated: 3.75 by kjkinsey from Texas

Aug 04, 2018
Photo of PicantePinguino
Reviewed by PicantePinguino from California

4.22/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Tastes strongly of honey, rum, oak. Not something I’d drink regularly as the rum flavor is a bit overpowering, but certainly an impression leaving brew that’s worth revisiting occasionally.
Jul 14, 2018
 
Rated: 3.71 by RochefortChris from North Carolina

Jun 04, 2018
 
Rated: 4.49 by Tstromer from Texas

May 28, 2018
Photo of MonDak_Joe1953
Reviewed by MonDak_Joe1953 from Minnesota

3.88/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Poured from 750ml bottle into glass. No dating information found on bottle.
Pale gold colored body, murky. Bottle overflowed with foam upon opening. Each pour brought forth a frothy white head which persisted. Lacing remains on glass from each pour.
Lots of rum in the aroma, with some fruity esters.
Taste is slightly sweet with caramel and spicy, fruity esters. And lots of rum also, but no oak barrel. Some have mentioned a nail salon acetone, and I can, now and then, catch a passing taste similar to this but it is not dominant and is not causing a taste distraction. Some candied sugars toward the end of the taste profile. Higher ABV is mostly hidden, but it is a warming drinking session. As the beer warms, more of the sweet fruit esters enter the taste profile (banana, pear, and green apple).
Medium, and dry mouth feel.
True to style, but rather hot. The rum barrel is a change from the more prevalent bourbon barrel aged type.
Feb 09, 2018
Photo of pat61
Reviewed by pat61 from Minnesota

4/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
L: gold-amber with a light haze and a persistent massive rocky off-white blanket of foam that gradually settles down to 2" thick

S: smells like stone fruit, apricot to peach, fruit, pears, dark dried fruit and earthy hops soaked in a rum barrel with traces of light rum, vanilla and a hint of nuts.

T: stone fruit, traces of caramel, vanilla, banana, rum, alcohol, bubble gum, hard candy, peach, and a blend of orange and tangerine. It has an assertive bitter finish accented by a dash of astringent oak tannins.

F: The body is just shy of medium and the carbonation is medium high.

O: This big delightful beer is deceptively easy to drink
Feb 03, 2018
Photo of mwilbur
Reviewed by mwilbur from Minnesota

3.77/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Poured from 750 mL bottle into snifter.
A: Pours a clear golden yellow with moderately active carbonation jets fueling a 1-2 inch frothy white head with excellent retention.
S: Spicy Belgian yeast, rum (woody and kinda harsh), chewy raisin, honey, and hints of toffee and a herbal/floral note. With warming, a banana note emerges.
T: Honey, sweet rum, raisin, a harsh barrel note, peppery spice, and hints of caramel apple and herbal mint.
M: Light-medium body. At turns sweet, spicy, and harsh (from the rum barrel aging). Lingers on the palate.
D: Beautiful pour. Maybe I'm just too used to bourbon barrel aging, but I wasn't a fan of the rum barrel aging. The base beer is solid, but the aging added a harsh note that didn't do it any service.
Jan 06, 2018
Special Reserve Piraat Ale Aged In Rum Barrels from Brouwerij Van Steenberge N.V.
Beer rating: 86 out of 100 with 66 ratings