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Witches' Brew
Brouwerij Van Steenberge N.V.
- From:
- Brouwerij Van Steenberge N.V.
- Belgium
- Style:
- Tripel
- ABV:
- 9.3%
- Score:
- 87
- Avg:
- 3.88 | pDev: 11.08%
- Reviews:
- 122
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- Jan 13, 2019
- Added:
- Oct 17, 2007
- Wants:
- 13
- Gots:
- 27
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by GClarkage:
Reviewed by GClarkage from California
2.78/5 rDev -28.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3
2.78/5 rDev -28.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3
10/18/08- Purchased at the Garlic Shoppe in Gilroy, CA.
Presentation- 750ml bottle, both caged and corked. Did not look for freshness info. Poured into a champagne style glass.
Appearance- Oily looking golden pour. Champagne-looking bubbles, fairly effervescent. Smaller 1/4 inch head and watery light lace spotting.
Smell- Smells very grainy with alcohol, confectioniers sugar and a bit of corriander.
Taste- Is there a category for a Belgian style Malt Liquor? That's what this reminds me of. Very grainy and malty in flavor with a strong alcohol taste, not really strong in feeling, just flavor. A good amount of powdered sugar with not much in the spice area. Reminds me of Westmalle Tripel, but with a malt liquor kick.
Mouthfeel- Higher sharp carbonation level, alcohol aftertaste and fuller mouthfeel.
Drinkability- Did I get an off bottle? Seems everyone else likes this. I didn't care for it at all. I almost dumped it...but being on vacation, it was the only beer I had.
Oct 21, 2008Presentation- 750ml bottle, both caged and corked. Did not look for freshness info. Poured into a champagne style glass.
Appearance- Oily looking golden pour. Champagne-looking bubbles, fairly effervescent. Smaller 1/4 inch head and watery light lace spotting.
Smell- Smells very grainy with alcohol, confectioniers sugar and a bit of corriander.
Taste- Is there a category for a Belgian style Malt Liquor? That's what this reminds me of. Very grainy and malty in flavor with a strong alcohol taste, not really strong in feeling, just flavor. A good amount of powdered sugar with not much in the spice area. Reminds me of Westmalle Tripel, but with a malt liquor kick.
Mouthfeel- Higher sharp carbonation level, alcohol aftertaste and fuller mouthfeel.
Drinkability- Did I get an off bottle? Seems everyone else likes this. I didn't care for it at all. I almost dumped it...but being on vacation, it was the only beer I had.
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by iguanodon from Utah
3.62/5 rDev -6.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
3.62/5 rDev -6.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
[Original rating 2012-12-15] Pours clear gold with a tall white head that recedes quiclky and leaves good lacing. Aroma is alcohol, fruit... apple, cherry. Taste is similar, sweet apple with a nice sweet finish, the alcohol is well hidden. This was better than I expected, I’d definitely drink it again.
Oct 03, 2018Reviewed by poisoneddwarf from Idaho
4.25/5 rDev +9.5%
look: 5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
4.25/5 rDev +9.5%
look: 5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
2009 backlog. 750 corked bottle. Aroma: Belgian. Thick frothy head which never dissipates, hazy golden hue. Beautiful beer. It looks like a cloud I want to lay down and sleep on. Tastes of banana esters; full-bodied, creamy mouthfeel. Strong alcohol presence. Good stuff.
Jun 17, 2017Reviewed by mothmanscott from Georgia
3.89/5 rDev +0.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
3.89/5 rDev +0.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Pours an almost clear pale to medium amber producing a huge 3+ finger, foamy, moderately lasting, white head that leaves wisps & webs of sticky lace. Aroma is Belgian candy sugar sweet with notes of honey, candy apple followed by pear, peach & spice, clove, doughy breadiness, faint herbal & grassy hops. Taste is a more robust version of the nose: sweet with honey notes, yeasty white fruits, spice/pepper & cobbler dough. The herbal & bitter hoppiness take a back seat as is expected of the style. Alcohol is prominent in warmth & bitterness but exhibits little booziness. Sweet finish rapidly transitions toward a semi-dry, bitter & somewhat astringent aftertaste. Mouthfeel is medium-heavy bodied with medium-heavy carbonation, syrupy, even a little sticky, but smooth & creamy with a little spicy pepper & less dryness than is typical of the style. A solid & very good triple but because its divergences in style runs short of excellence.
Feb 06, 2017Reviewed by Cyberkedi from Georgia
4.19/5 rDev +8%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
4.19/5 rDev +8%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Comes out of the bottle a beautiful clear golden amber with a fairly thick, palest amber head that leaves some generous lacing. Strong aroma is malty and fruity, the latter being equal parts pear and banana, with just a hint of butterscotch. Flavor has malty, sweet fruity - again, pear plus banana - yeasty and butterscotch notes, just a hint of hops and no bitterness. Smooth texture is a bit syrupy, fairly fizzy, leaving a nice fruity and yeasty finish. Put a spell on you indeed! Drat, I should have drunk this on Halloween.
Mar 23, 2015Reviewed by Darkmagus82 from Texas
3.88/5 rDev 0%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
3.88/5 rDev 0%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Poured from bottle into a chalice
Appearance – The beer pours a light orange-tinted golden color with a one finger head of pure white billowy foam. The head has a great level of retention, with the big carbonation bubbles of the foam popping over time, leading to the head slowly fading to leave a decent level of foamy lace on the sides of the glass.
Smell – The aroma of the beer is strong of a dry cracker smell mixed with a light fruity smell of grape, peach, and pear and a little bit of candied sugar as well as a hint of grass. Along with these smells comes some notes of a yeast along with a strong showing of coriander and clove, which with the cracker, really dominate the smell overall.
Taste – The taste begins with a drier cracker flavor along with a moderately strong showing of yeast and spice of clove and coriander, just as the nose would have suggested. As the taste advances to the middle, the spice and yeast grow even slightly stronger, but are nicely complimented by some sweeter flavors of candied sugar and fruit of a white grape, pear, and peach nature, with the cracker transitioning to a more bready like nature. While these sweeter flavors come, they later go, and end up bringing back the drier cracker taste. With some grassy flavors and a bit of a boozy alcohol coming to the tongue at the end, one is left with a drier and crisp triple like flavor to linger on the tongue.
Mouthfeel – The body of the beer is on the thinner side with a carbonation level that is rather high. For the more dry nature of the brew, mixed with the light fruit and grassy flavors, the feel is quite fantastic as it mimics a more brut champagne like nature, with the flavors of the brew all matching these characteristics rather nicely.
Overall – This is a rather nice Belgian Strong ale that has the characteristics of a dry sparkling white wine, all while still having a nice cracker and yeast-spiced base to keep it of the Belgian beer style. A great one to try if you have the opportunity.
Jan 02, 2015Appearance – The beer pours a light orange-tinted golden color with a one finger head of pure white billowy foam. The head has a great level of retention, with the big carbonation bubbles of the foam popping over time, leading to the head slowly fading to leave a decent level of foamy lace on the sides of the glass.
Smell – The aroma of the beer is strong of a dry cracker smell mixed with a light fruity smell of grape, peach, and pear and a little bit of candied sugar as well as a hint of grass. Along with these smells comes some notes of a yeast along with a strong showing of coriander and clove, which with the cracker, really dominate the smell overall.
Taste – The taste begins with a drier cracker flavor along with a moderately strong showing of yeast and spice of clove and coriander, just as the nose would have suggested. As the taste advances to the middle, the spice and yeast grow even slightly stronger, but are nicely complimented by some sweeter flavors of candied sugar and fruit of a white grape, pear, and peach nature, with the cracker transitioning to a more bready like nature. While these sweeter flavors come, they later go, and end up bringing back the drier cracker taste. With some grassy flavors and a bit of a boozy alcohol coming to the tongue at the end, one is left with a drier and crisp triple like flavor to linger on the tongue.
Mouthfeel – The body of the beer is on the thinner side with a carbonation level that is rather high. For the more dry nature of the brew, mixed with the light fruit and grassy flavors, the feel is quite fantastic as it mimics a more brut champagne like nature, with the flavors of the brew all matching these characteristics rather nicely.
Overall – This is a rather nice Belgian Strong ale that has the characteristics of a dry sparkling white wine, all while still having a nice cracker and yeast-spiced base to keep it of the Belgian beer style. A great one to try if you have the opportunity.
Witches' Brew from Brouwerij Van Steenberge N.V.
Beer rating:
87 out of
100 with
232 ratings
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