Kerel Kaishaku
VBDCK Brewery
- From:
- VBDCK Brewery
- Belgium
- Style:
- Belgian Pale Strong Ale
Ranked #231 - ABV:
- 15%
- Score:
- 82
Ranked #34,346 - Avg:
- 3.48 | pDev: 20.4%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 5
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Dec 04, 2025
- Added:
- May 04, 2018
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 2
SCORE
82
Good
82
Good
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Reviewed by mempath from Pennsylvania
4.51/5 rDev +29.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.51/5 rDev +29.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
picked up at Total Wine (Claymont DE)… poured into a D’Achouffe tulip
look: held up in this late afternoon late autumn light there is a kind of hazy deep golden blonde approaching apricot color… bright white head settles pretty quickly but a nice little ring remains at the top and returns after swirling a few times…
smell: deep and ‘dark’ with a pleasant floral ‘funk’ … I don’t really want to say citrus, but it’s like some sort of candied/brandied citrus fruit cake but closer to the sour than the sweet side…
yeah for some reason I am reminded of those dried mandarin oranges which are candied but the rind left on it counter bounces the sweetness heavily… Citrus is what I’m thinking I guess…
taste/feel: the nose did not indicate the sweetness…! despite it is very sweet, the sweetness on the palate is equal to the hybrid bitter/sour note in the nose… and despite they are both at extreme odds they also balance those two distant horizons very well at 15%… And yeah a couple sips I can already sense(i) the blade going through the neck … a couple of more sips and swishes, along with a slight warm-up, the sweetness doesn’t actually intensify but rather spread spreads out and offers a glance at some of the depth in this glass… again a lot of holiday type confectionary cakes and cookies… Nothing American can compare, except good old fruit cake that’s replaced with candied orange rind!
Very good on many counts and it will be interesting to see how this evolves and how my palate adjusts with the many more sips that are left… Of course I’m thankful that this bottle isn’t too big … add to that the mouthfeel is not thin yet not too thick… Maybe oily… Pretty much continues the strange harmony of this brew on the whole… another sip and I’m reminded of some sort of peach or apricot stone fruit nectar that has been distilled or fermented… It’s almost tropical but not in a bright way… Thick and deep… at the same time this is totally Belgian but with the sake yeast, I still can’t say that it’s more like some kind of cocktail…
(to be honest it’s almost like New Belgium’s Juice Force, but a lot stronger and way more refined… like comparing JW Green to JW Red)
overall: impressive! let it sit… Like good bourbons, keep sampling it as the temperature changes… (I would not add water or ice but, you know what I’m saying…); it presents itself as very multidimensional if you let it. I can’t remember what I paid for it, but it was under $10… Maybe seven or eight? Most certainly worth it. The first sip was quite a shock with the sweetness compared to the nose… But then it settled in and I settled in with it… It’s complex and not all that traditional yet it’s got a lot of heritage built into it… it reminds me of those things that Dogfish Head was doing years ago… cheers!
Dec 04, 2025look: held up in this late afternoon late autumn light there is a kind of hazy deep golden blonde approaching apricot color… bright white head settles pretty quickly but a nice little ring remains at the top and returns after swirling a few times…
smell: deep and ‘dark’ with a pleasant floral ‘funk’ … I don’t really want to say citrus, but it’s like some sort of candied/brandied citrus fruit cake but closer to the sour than the sweet side…
yeah for some reason I am reminded of those dried mandarin oranges which are candied but the rind left on it counter bounces the sweetness heavily… Citrus is what I’m thinking I guess…
taste/feel: the nose did not indicate the sweetness…! despite it is very sweet, the sweetness on the palate is equal to the hybrid bitter/sour note in the nose… and despite they are both at extreme odds they also balance those two distant horizons very well at 15%… And yeah a couple sips I can already sense(i) the blade going through the neck … a couple of more sips and swishes, along with a slight warm-up, the sweetness doesn’t actually intensify but rather spread spreads out and offers a glance at some of the depth in this glass… again a lot of holiday type confectionary cakes and cookies… Nothing American can compare, except good old fruit cake that’s replaced with candied orange rind!
Very good on many counts and it will be interesting to see how this evolves and how my palate adjusts with the many more sips that are left… Of course I’m thankful that this bottle isn’t too big … add to that the mouthfeel is not thin yet not too thick… Maybe oily… Pretty much continues the strange harmony of this brew on the whole… another sip and I’m reminded of some sort of peach or apricot stone fruit nectar that has been distilled or fermented… It’s almost tropical but not in a bright way… Thick and deep… at the same time this is totally Belgian but with the sake yeast, I still can’t say that it’s more like some kind of cocktail…
(to be honest it’s almost like New Belgium’s Juice Force, but a lot stronger and way more refined… like comparing JW Green to JW Red)
overall: impressive! let it sit… Like good bourbons, keep sampling it as the temperature changes… (I would not add water or ice but, you know what I’m saying…); it presents itself as very multidimensional if you let it. I can’t remember what I paid for it, but it was under $10… Maybe seven or eight? Most certainly worth it. The first sip was quite a shock with the sweetness compared to the nose… But then it settled in and I settled in with it… It’s complex and not all that traditional yet it’s got a lot of heritage built into it… it reminds me of those things that Dogfish Head was doing years ago… cheers!
Reviewed by Beginner2 from Illinois
3.96/5 rDev +13.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
3.96/5 rDev +13.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Bought from the Geneva station store of Drinks Of The World. (I've left there, but I hope to find others of the Kerel line, particularly their Saison.)
My first from VBDCK, I went on their website and read their story about how family and friends and partners revived a popular brewery of the 19th Century. It warms the heart (and the blood in this case) to see such determination. For that I give them very good Overall Hugs. But they are only about 10 years old in this reincarnation. Based on this BSPA, they have more than hope going for them, they also have talent.
Kaishaku does a great job of hiding 15% ABV so that I am not be distracted by the buzz and, instead, can savour their talent. I'm Looking at a foam that stays pretty active as I sip this until the end. Smells are almost equally fruity malt and spicing. Tastes follow until the finish in which the Peppa from the yeast and some sturdy hops take over. This is full-mouthed, as viscous as a pale needs to get.
A maestro performance that I hope to repeat. But first I want to explore VBDCK's other offerings.
Apr 08, 2025My first from VBDCK, I went on their website and read their story about how family and friends and partners revived a popular brewery of the 19th Century. It warms the heart (and the blood in this case) to see such determination. For that I give them very good Overall Hugs. But they are only about 10 years old in this reincarnation. Based on this BSPA, they have more than hope going for them, they also have talent.
Kaishaku does a great job of hiding 15% ABV so that I am not be distracted by the buzz and, instead, can savour their talent. I'm Looking at a foam that stays pretty active as I sip this until the end. Smells are almost equally fruity malt and spicing. Tastes follow until the finish in which the Peppa from the yeast and some sturdy hops take over. This is full-mouthed, as viscous as a pale needs to get.
A maestro performance that I hope to repeat. But first I want to explore VBDCK's other offerings.
Reviewed by DraftMonger from Denmark
3.12/5 rDev -10.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
3.12/5 rDev -10.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Copenhagen 29/6 2021. 33 cl chubby bottle from Spar, Støberigade, Kbh. SV. Light blue label with a lot of partially redacted text trying to convey the impression that I am not dealing with a traditional Belgian beer.
Pours unclear golden yellow with a small white head. Settles as thin, almost transparent layer of foam struggling to cover the surface of the beer. Moderate lacing.
Aroma is intense with boozy sweet malty odor mingling with plywood. Sweet pale malts, canned pears, black pepper and sharp alcohol. Chemical glue and sawdust.
Medium strong carbonation. Medium thick, oily, greasy, lightly tingling texture.
Flavor fairly intense with a strong sweetness followed by a moderate bitterness. Aftertaste sweet but strangely harsh. Strong boozy undertone. Finish is dry.
Does not try to hide the impressive ABV. A bit too harsh and boozy for my taste buds.
Mar 03, 2025Pours unclear golden yellow with a small white head. Settles as thin, almost transparent layer of foam struggling to cover the surface of the beer. Moderate lacing.
Aroma is intense with boozy sweet malty odor mingling with plywood. Sweet pale malts, canned pears, black pepper and sharp alcohol. Chemical glue and sawdust.
Medium strong carbonation. Medium thick, oily, greasy, lightly tingling texture.
Flavor fairly intense with a strong sweetness followed by a moderate bitterness. Aftertaste sweet but strangely harsh. Strong boozy undertone. Finish is dry.
Does not try to hide the impressive ABV. A bit too harsh and boozy for my taste buds.
Reviewed by Hephaistos from Netherlands
3.09/5 rDev -11.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
3.09/5 rDev -11.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
A well brewed stromg Belgian blond.
Lovely small bubble carbonation.
Good lacing.
a bit poor head. Often the case with high abv drinks. As this is a 15% abv headroller.
Quote:" A kaishakunin (Japanese: 介錯人) is a person appointed to behead an individual who has performed seppuku, Japanese ritual suicide, at the moment of agony. The role played by the kaishakunin is called kaishaku.
Aside from being spared prolonged anguish until death, both the condemned and those on hand to observe are spared the spectacle of the writhing death throes that would ensue.
The most recent kaishakunin of the 20th century was Hiroyasu Koga, who beheaded the novelist Yukio Mishima and political activist Masakatsu Morita during their seppuku."
Smell, alcoholic, Sweet, flowery. rum-like
Mouthfeel, full and offensice
Taste: it is not a beer,It is more like liquor or cocktail category.
It is not bad.
But I am happy to not to order more.
Jul 24, 2024Lovely small bubble carbonation.
Good lacing.
a bit poor head. Often the case with high abv drinks. As this is a 15% abv headroller.
Quote:" A kaishakunin (Japanese: 介錯人) is a person appointed to behead an individual who has performed seppuku, Japanese ritual suicide, at the moment of agony. The role played by the kaishakunin is called kaishaku.
Aside from being spared prolonged anguish until death, both the condemned and those on hand to observe are spared the spectacle of the writhing death throes that would ensue.
The most recent kaishakunin of the 20th century was Hiroyasu Koga, who beheaded the novelist Yukio Mishima and political activist Masakatsu Morita during their seppuku."
Smell, alcoholic, Sweet, flowery. rum-like
Mouthfeel, full and offensice
Taste: it is not a beer,It is more like liquor or cocktail category.
It is not bad.
But I am happy to not to order more.
Reviewed by HugoPedro from Portugal
3.5/5 rDev +0.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.5/5 rDev +0.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Surprisingly light bodied. A refreshing way to get shitfaced. Cheers
Edit: 12/04/2026
Still light bodied. There are some fruity hops and, even though the ibu is quite low, there is some bitterness coming from the alcohol, which is very prominent. Very unique. Cheers
Jul 03, 2022Edit: 12/04/2026
Still light bodied. There are some fruity hops and, even though the ibu is quite low, there is some bitterness coming from the alcohol, which is very prominent. Very unique. Cheers
We love reviews (150 characters or more)! Check out: How to Review a Beer. You don't need to get fancy. Drop some thoughts on the beer's attributes (look, smell, taste, feel) plus your overall impression. Something that backs up your rating and helps others. Thanks!