Bière De Belœil
Brasserie Dupont sprl

4.78/5  rDev +20.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

I found a few bottles of this from 2011 (7 years old) sitting sadly on a shelf at a local distributor a few days ago. I decided to give them some love and brought them home.
OMG, I have no idea if it is the 7 years or the beer is just that good but the first one I opened was one of the best beers I've ever had. Kind of a mildly sweet brown ale. It screams Belgian yeast but in a good way. Complex and a nice crisp finish. A little funky smelling but nothing wrong with that. Kind of reminds me of an Orval. Just an awesome find.
This may be bs but I think something about this beer got me a little wacked. I had a legendary case of ancient Abbey De Roc Grand Cru that had a very similar effect. I'm wondering if something happens to these Belgians that sit for years.

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4.13/5  rDev +4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

This one comes on strong with a powerful malty flavor. The smell is malty and boozy. It has a beautiful head and significant lacing. Their is some fruitiness there that allows for a tart finish... There is also some bitterness in that sip too, with some boozy undertones. This is on the creamier side of this style, with some spicy notes, and the appropriate zing of carbonation. This is a solid ale. Worth the purchase, but I have had better.

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4.06/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

750ml bottle from 2014. Not a gusher.

Pours a semi clear deep gold with plenty of long lasting foam. Serious lacing.

Spicy fruity malty nose with an apple like presence that suggests dryness. Hmm. .that's an expected quality from the style.

Fruity again with an almost tart flavour or 2. Malty and spicy and hoppy with the latter bringing a lot of dryness. I like the interaction between the malt and hops.

Medium body with very lively carbonation.

I expected something good considering the brewery; I was not disappointed.

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4.19/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

2014 Vintage according to the 2,014 on the cork.

Big dark green bottle like many of the Belgian farmhouse beers I love so much. Label shows some sort of Belgian Castle and has a little discription on the back label. A beautiful bottling all n all. Poured into a stemmed skinny belgian style tulip.

A - dark reddish orange, rustic and burnt. Hazy and nice small specs of sediment floating about. Head pours very big and has a nice tight appearance to it, like a fluffy pillow covered in a sheeted case.

S - funky belgian yeast with some light fruitiness along with big wafts of dirty herbal notes. Some spices and notes of sweet and biscuit malt. Almost a flowery note as it warms

T - lovely dupont yeast adds the funk I expect. Weird herbal notes are quite nice paired with fresh flower and light fruits. Some real sweetNess going on in the back ground of caramel, small hints of chocolate and buttery biscuit malt. Belgian funk paired with subtle spice finish things off nicely.

M - excellent body. Smooth and thick with a sticky texture that coats the entire mouth. Tasty and enjoyable from one of the great farmhouse breweries.

O - this is an excellent offering from Dupont. They make some of the greatest farmhouse ales on the planet and this is no different. A little bit darker and sweeter than the original dupont, but a damn tasty ale that makes me forget the cold February weather and think of a warm spring day. This Is What Beer is about.. Taking our minds to places they'd rather be. Dupont does that with this gem. I was a bit worried about the 2014 date, but we know some things age well. And this one definitely has.

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3.94/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On-tap 11/20/2015 at Doherty’s Ale House in Warwick, RI, served in a snifter glass.

A: The beer is a deep amber color, with a thin off-white head that fades slowly and leaves a thin lace on the glass.

S: The aroma contains fruit, caramelized malts, faint Belgian yeast and a touch of hops.

T: The taste starts out sweet with flavors of caramel and fruit. Then some Belgian yeast comes in along with a hearty malt character and a touch of alcohol. The hops presence is very mild but complementary and brings a good balance. The after-taste is slightly sweet.

M: Crisp and smooth, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is slightly sticky.

O: Tasty, goes down very easily, not too filling, good kick, good representation of style, this is a solid beer to drink for a while if you’re in the mood for the style.

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4.08/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

750 ml bottle

L - Dirty blond/brown with no clarity, not filtered, and 1/2 a finger of head

S - Dupont belgian yeast. candy sugar

T - Apples, pears, and slightly, very slightly, sour. Tasty!

F - Light bodied and well carbonated

O - A very good belgian ale. Easy to drink, and the high ABV is well hidden

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3.17/5  rDev -20.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

From notes.

Fills glass with fizz
Dull stale note lots of bread lots of earthy malt, little Belgian-ness
Nicely carbonated
Overall a bit stale and flat tasting :-(
Brasseries DuPont worst offering to date

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4.48/5  rDev +12.8%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

First thing to note- the head on this is insane; it's been 5 minutes and it literally looks like meringue. So tightly knit with a silky sheen. It's got me hypnotized, to a certain extent, but onward I shall go. The aroma is soft and elegant, and intricately woven together. Wildflowers and citrus hit me first, bringing to mind a bright sunny day. Underneath are bread, caramel, hay, gentle spiciness (coriander, anise, vanilla). Whether there are any genuine spices in here or not I couldn't say, but those are the aromatic impressions I'm getting. The palate is moderately full, highlighting caramel most of all, but the spiciness is right up there with it. Lemon peel and straw come out on the long finish. It's a bit sugary while on the palate, but finishes pleasingly dry with just the slightest warming sensation from the alcohol. At the very end I'm also getting a slight hint of dried lavendar.

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3.87/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

A. Pours a hazy amber-orange, 1.5 fingers of off-white head that fades to a thick skim.

S. Orchard fruits, mainly pears and apples. Light brown sugar, a touch of banana and spice, light fruity phenols.

T. Light orchard fruits again, sweet light malts, spicy yeast and light earthy hops with a bit of bitterness in the finish.

M. Medium+ body, medium+ carbonation.

O. A good brew. I'd drink it again.

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4.47/5  rDev +12.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

La Bière de Beloeil pours copper amber with a slight haze under a very fluffy off-white foam collar that slowly dissipates to ¼” and leaves very clingy, clumpy lace. Caramel on the nose with hints of chocolate and light citrus. On the palate starts light fruit and spice introduce dark malt flavors balancing between caramel and chocolate that dries out on the finish with a mellow bitter accent. Medium to medium full body and fine soft, natural carbonation. Big flavor, easy to drink.

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3.72/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Poured into my large Gulden Draak tulip, Bière De Belœil is burnt gold with a big bubbled white head that is pretty quick to dissipate, leaving light lacing.

Smell is fruity esters, tropical.

Taste is also rather fruity, with a very sharp dry biting finish, a mix of minerality and alcohol. A little caramel from the malt, develops more as it warms.

Mouthfeel is dry, medium bodied.

Drinkability is pretty good, nice stronger, slightly maltier saison.

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3.74/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

A-Pours a cloudy, pale orange color. Head starts big but quickly dies off to a thin sheet. Speckly laced.

S-Musty and dusty with light, sweet, moldy bread. Earthy and yeasty. Light spice notes. Damp basement.

T-Again, very musty. Modest sweetness complemented by spice. Finishes a bit bready with a herby, earthy finish.

M-Softer carbonation. Medium bodied.

O/D-An interesting BSPA. Very old timey, I can see farmers blowing this bad boy back back in the day or at least something like it.

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4/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750ml bottle served in a Duvel tulip

A - Hazy reddish orange with 2 full fingers of pillowy off-white head. The head never drops below 1/2 an inch.

S - Dry and yeasty, earthy mushrooms, bready malts in the background, old bubblegum, spearmint, fruity alcohol, spiced taffy, spiced tea.

T - Spicy yeast, very spicy, nutmeg, all spice, maybe some cinnamon, very dry but there is an underlying sweetness tied to the heavy malt base, some herbal spearmint-like hops, finishes dry with yeast coating the palate.

M - Full bodied, foamy carbonation, creamy body with snappy dry finish.

Yeast and spice dominate this beer. Not a typical BSPA which is nice. A sturdy malt base brings intentions of strong sweetness but is snuffed out but the dry yeast. Very complex and ever changing through the different temperatures of the drink. Dupont delivered my expectations of this beer.

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3.97/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Bottled "L12011A". Not sure what that means other than 2011.

Beer is chestnut-brown with a large off-white head. Good retention.

Nose contains apple, bready malts, yeast, caramel. A bit of spice.

The malts are prominent in the flavour. Bread and caramel. Yeast, some fruits (apple primarily). Finishes quite dry, but overall the beer is on the sweet side.

Full bodied, moderately carbonated. Chewy. Goes down easily.

Overall, pretty good. Solid on all fronts, but not exceptional in any way. Not something to seek out, but quite enjoyable if the opportunity presents itself.

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4.06/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from 750 mL bottle into snifter.
A: Pours a cloudy orange-amber with 1-2 inch light tan head (tightly packed bubbles form a quasi-meringue). Good retention.
S: Bright herbal yeast notes hit first followed by spicy notes (white and black pepper in particular). Dancing in the background are caramel malt notes, mint tea, grass, and honey. An invigorating aroma.
T: Caramel malt, honey, and spicy herbal yeast upfront. White pepper, dry grass--hay, herbal tea, light toast, and candi sugar. A bitter hop note lingers throughout. Hint of apple and pear emerge with warming.
M: A distinct blend of tea-like tannins and hop bitterness...both leading to an astringent feel. ABV is extremely well hidden. Light-medium body. Clean and crisp.
D: A well-designed brew. Refreshing and yet intriguingly complex. Seek it out!

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3.67/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Lovely amber color. Yeasty, strong. There's some caramel in it, though it stays well shy of a double. Makes good burpies: lots of carbonation. For the price ($11 for 75cl) it's a pretty decent beer, and it does go excellent with strong cheese. This is not my favorite Dupont beer.

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4.06/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: The beer is clear amber in color and has a high amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a two finger high light beige head that has excellent retention properties and took a very long time to slowly die down, also leaving lots of lacing down the sides of the glass.
S: The smell has moderately strong aromas of earthy yeast.
T: Like the smell, the taste has flavors of earthy yeast but also has added complexities with flavors of biscuit and hay like malts plus hints of floral hops and fruits. Notes of peppery spices are present in the finish. There is a light amount of bitterness.
M: It feels a bit shy of medium-bodied and very dry on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer shares some similarities with a saison, but is much more complex in taste and is also a little fuller bodied. No traces of alcohol are detectable.

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3.15/5  rDev -20.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

An atypical downer from Dupont, the color of beef bullion (made from past-the-expiration-date salty cubes) with a hint of old mushrooms in the aroma. More mushrooms in the taste, although the expected yeastiness smothers them enough to make it taste like a decent beer, but still not one up to Dupont's regular standards. It added nothing to "Port of Shadows." Eh.

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3.68/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pour is a rustic amber copper with a large bubbly off white head and a moderate lacing. The nose has a fair bit of yeast and peppery spice, dusty farmhouse notes with a lemon twang and lightly toasted biscuit to balance. Taste has less yeast to it, still nice and spicy in back lingering through the finish with toasted grains and lightly doughy malt body with a faint citrus hop in behind. Medium body with a creamy palate and assertive dry finish. Drinks more like a saison.

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4.17/5  rDev +5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Deep maple syrup colored with an orangey glow. Very turbid with a huge, choppy head.

S - Acidic, tart, funky yeast. Dry and tangy with some mild citrus notes, and a subtle spice. In comes some sweetness in the way of dates, prunes, molasses and raisins. A hint of fennel.

T - Spiced and sweet with a warm side. Sweet dry fruit sugars, slight barnyard funk and yeast notes. Grape skins and fruit nectar, with a bitter component also. Pretty complex flavor profile.

M - Mellow bodied with a soft effervescence. Clean drinking with a dry finish.

O - A good BSPA with what I hoped for, a complex palate.

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4.03/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a Gulden Draak tulip. Pours a cloudy medium to dark orange amber, just about the color of honey. Massive very light brown head with good retention and tons of lacing. Looks very good. Aroma of light stone fruit, Belgian spicing and light caramel malt. Flavor follows, dominated by caramel malt, peach and apricot fruit overlayed by bitterness from hops and spicing. Finishes somewhat dry malt, fruit and residual hop bitterness with slight caramel aftertaste. Medium bodied, but active carbonation gives it a lively mouth feel. Flavors a bit attenuated, but pleasant. A nice pale Belgian with an interesting flavor progression.

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4/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Max's.

The beer pours a slightly hazy, copper amber color with good head retention and lacing. The nose is pretty nice as well, as I pick up some sweet malt, light clove and orange citrus. The flavor profile replicates the nose, though there's a touch of licorice in the finish as well that helps to counter the modest sweetness. There's a nice dollop of spice as well in the finish, which adds to the enjoyment. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with adequate carbonation, and the finish is fairly long and spicey.

Nothing extraordinary here, but for all that, another tasty beer from Dupont.

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3.76/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a hazy, deep orange-ish color with an off white head. In the aroma, light earthiness and a note of fruit. In the taste, apple fruitiness and a dry earthiness, with a nice yeast presence. A small bite and a medium bodied mouthfeel, with a dry green apple and earthy aftertaste. Earthy and a light fruitiness, a small abrasiveness but nice.

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4.42/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottle from Harvest Wines. From notes.

A - Poured a really cloudy dark gold. Good carbonation and a one finger eggshell head. A little lace and a finger of retention.

S - Hoppy, fruity, grassy, floral. Pretty great aroma.

T - Grass, hops, fruitiness, some funk, bubblegum, and caramel. Again, pretty awesome.

M - Mild bitterness with a sweet note as well and good carbonation with a medium body.

O/D - This was a terrific beer. Really tasty and easy to drink while being extremely complex with layers of flavours I certainly wasn't expecting to find. Lovely combo of hop/yeast/malt profile made for a very enjoyable experience. Great stuff.

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3.83/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On tap at Little Bear in Los Angeles, CA.

Pours a slightly murky honey orange with a foamy bone colored head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Foamy swaths of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is grain, malt, grape juice, and some spice aromas. Taste is much the same with a medium amount of spice bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a good beer with a better taste than smell in my opinion.

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