Bière Du Corbeau
Roman N.V.

33 cL bottle - cool cool sullen Crow in the moonlight label - poured into a snifter in Toulouse, France. Bottled on November 6, 2023., that’s 39 days to my lip. Best by Nov 6, 2025.
Glorious bright white heavy foam. Yellow blonde brew. Spiderweb lace.
Nose is dank hop and expressive malt back.
Taste - if this beer was found in the USA, it would be considered an IPA, I believe. All the fruity notes are there, lemon, piña, it’s dank, it’s stanky, bitter orange. Tits sweet note downshifts to a fine long wet finish. And then that 9% ABV tells ya who’s Boss.
Glides in the mouth, carbonation delivered from Zap City.
Overall., tell ‘em Poe:
“Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling,
By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore,
“Though thy crest be shorn and shaven, thou,” I said, “art sure no craven,
Ghastly grim and ancient Raven wandering from the Nightly shore—
Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night’s Plutonian shore!”
Quoth the Raven “Biere du Corbeau”.,,

 

Poured from just under fridge temp. Pours a transparent yellow with white head. Significant lacing. The nose is skunky, dank, wheat, orange, grass, leather, dirt, pine, and oak. The taste is initially pretty sweet. Pineapple, candy, banana, a touch of spice, bread, huge malts, and toffee. Amazing. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with a sweet aftertaste. Overall, a fantastic beer.

L- Pours with a galloping head/bottle rested mid pour. Quite pale gold, clear so far, 1/2 poured with a 10Cm fat white head.
S- That quite piquant/dryer style.
T- Maxing on Blonde esters, reminiscent of quite deep part-sour stewed fruits.
F- Hefty, rich, notably meaty yet quite a bright engaging feel for it. Perhaps more suited to slow-sipping in colder months than as any kind of refresher.
O- One of the more 'BE/Blonde-y' beers I've had in a long while, it really maxes out that aspect, the kind of rich/sour musky aromatic depths. It's so prominent this could almost be categorised as a 'flavoured beer'. Would likely go with fat slices of soft or blue cheese served on warmed baguette.
330ml bottle BB: 15/06/22 £3.95 Bought from BeautfulBeers/BurySt.Edmunds as part of a large pick-your own consignment to London.

 

 

 

 

This brew pours an amber clear body with diminished head, a little disappointingly.

The aroma is light, but boozy. A touch floral, a touch zesty.

Taste is even more, the zesty fruits really come through, as does the ABV. Think an alcoholic jif lemon tinged beer and you're there.

Feel is good also, goes down a treat, which in tonight's instance is a negative given it's guts. Not many 9% beers you can drink like Pepsi max.

Overall it is a good brew, dangerous but good.....but then everything dangerous is good if you're looking at things correctly.

In the words of Starsky....do it! Try this beasty!

 

 

Crow on bottle...

Oh no...it's French.

Lots of head, more than I was expecting for a blonde, except a Russian one.

After the froth dies down, aroma is well balanced and subtely fruity.

There is serious sediment in this, really not cool. This is filled with so much yeast that I am worried I shall be a baguette by the morning...

Regardless, flavor is a bit Duvel like.

Much much much too yeasty, this is dangerous to drink and will give you the worst hangover ever in the morning

Color: golden, clear, good-sized, white foam, fairly durable, decently adorned with glass.
Aroma: fresh bread, a bit of dryness, light metallicity.
Taste: fresh bread, parched crust of bread, hop accents, delicate spices.
Gentian small, but at the finish. High saturation, quickly causes a feeling of fullness, alcohol perfectly hidden.

A less famous Belgian Strong Pale Ale than the Duvel and the likes yet worth a try. I'm not sure about the availability. Since it was barely rated and reviewed here I guess it would be a treasor in the States. Fairly good, 9%ABV...

Poured from a bottle to a tulip
A - Hazy gold with a thick white head
S - Roasty, toffy malts and herbal hops
T - Very sweet, almost sugary
M - High carbonation
O - A good Belgian ale on the sweet side!

 

Juicy, Yeast, Crackers, Chalky

Brilliant clarity, stunning trail of lacing. Smells and tastes of taffy, chalky cotton candy, dried mango, bready yeast, and floral alcohol. Clean and warming, a bit too drinkable as well. Very clean with a bit of sweetness in the finish, this is actually a great character for the style which help to show that lighter colored beers can be big, aggressive and not always light and fizzy. Well with a go if you are looking for a quick Belgian fix.

STYLE: Belgian Strong Pale Ale | ABV: 9.0% | AVAILABILITY: Year-round

Review from BeerAdvocate magazine issue #95 (DEC 2014)

A nice citron color with a healthy head and a near permanent lacing. Smell is a tad skunky and very fruity yeasty. Taste has some lemon and citron flavors that open up in the back of the mouth to more alcoholic mouthwash flavors like the original Listerine. A decent brew but a one time deal for me.

 

9%, pale, lemon colour with crisp, white head which has good retention. Fruity lemon scent with a crisp tangy taste. Refreshing and light with well balanced alcohol content. Very pleasing on a hot summer evening watching the sun go down.