Pilaarbijter (Tripel Ale) Bruin (Red Cap)
De Brabandere

As noted by a reviewer below in 2014, for the European market this beer is 6.5% rather than the 7% listed in the Description^. Also of note... the bottle had rested for weeks, been chilled and handled/opened most carefully yet unexpectedly some foam spumed out on de-capping it. Sometimes that happens, I'd suggest not opening whilst sat in on a nice white sofa or in a wedding dress hehe just in case...
L- A deep chestnut red, surprisingly clear given how it put on a such a show on opening. Pours with 5mm super fine bubble tan head that's holding really well (and continues to 10mins later).
S- Deep, complex dark yet bright fruit-cake notes.
T- Follows closely with the smell. Dark rich heavily loaded fruit cake, dark raisons, a touch of molasses, even a hint of cherry. I see sour appears in it's Style^ but I don't get that at all, and good job as I tend not to like it. Surprisingly for 6.5% blind-tasted I'd suggest I'm getting a higher-ABV% flavour/feel note....
F- ... Seems unlikely at 6.5%, more likely it's the richness on the tongue plus hoppy zing. I've had some Belgian Bruins where they have been over-rich to the point of being sweet - This is deffo not like that.
O- What a lovely beer, my rating should land this in the top-5% of my 1000+ ratings to date. I can imagine drinking this with a meal in place of wine, or as a slow-sipping after-dinner tipple in front of a fire-place in winter. I'd happily drink this again.
330ml bottle BB: 28/11/2020. Bought from BeersOfEurope/UK for home delivery.
p.s. Interesting name for a beer eh, 'Pillar biter'? The fragment of a painting used on the lable is by the Flemish artist Breughel the Elder from back in the 1500s. He painted 'village scenes', often busy, with much to catch the eye. This is from a famous painting called 'Flemish Proverbs', with characters shown, or group of them, illustrating many different historic proverbs. This one, a 'Pillar biter' referred to someone who made such a big public show of his religious piety that he's in church not just bodily wrapped around a pillar, he almost devours it in a show of prostration to God. Some things never change, call it virtue-signalling just 500 years ago before social media... And this is why Breughels works can be so engaging, not many vices, weaknesses or hypocracies have changed, even 5 centuries later...

 

Poured from just under fridge temp. Pours a fairly clear, but dark, red. Head is a light brown and sticks around for a while. Nose is interesting. A touch of sour cherries, but a lot of leather and earthy notes. Some honey, plums, and maybe a touch of cough syrup. Taste is nice - a touch of toffee, raisin, plum, leather, malts, and bitter smoked wood. Mouthfeel is fairly light. Overall, I would not consider this the best of the style, but it's drinkable.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Pilaarbijter brown poured out of the bottle with a big and tall foamy head. A lot of carbonation here. A light and translucent (almost clear) brown color, a shade over to the red side. At first, all I could smell was the malty yeast scents coming from this long-lasting head: an overpowering yeastiness. After the foam settled (after quite some time), perhaps a little cherry sweetness mixed in with the malty scents.

It tasted fairly sweet — a bit sweeter than I expected — mixed with that roasted chestnut flavor that I really like in browns. Very typical of browns here. Maybe again also hints of cherries, and then with a little bitterness — but not too much — on the finish. The carbonation was lost on the head, however, as this beer went flat very quickly.

After several sips, my main impression was that this 6.5% ABV beer is very easy to drink: Maybe too easy to drink. The flavors are there, but they’re less bold than in other browns. This is a mild brown, a bit thin -- it even seemed “watered-down” to me. This is a beer that would pair easily as an accompagnement to a meal, but is perhaps less impressive as a standalone beer. Quite drinkable, however, and surely a pleasure for those who like sweet brown ales!

(NOTE: Though the page here says 7% ABV, my bottle marketed for northern Europe is clearly marked 6.5%.)

 

 

 

 

 

On tap at La Trappe, San Francisco. Served in a 25 cl Tulip Glass.

Appearance: Ruby-red to brown clear beer, with a light tan 1/4" dense head. Lots of persistent lacing all over the glass.

Smell: Slightly musty, oak, some vanilla.

Taste: Roasted malt mixed in with some woody/oak flavors, sweet malt (again a hint of vanilla) and some sourness at the finish.

Mouthfeel: Smooth at first, but lingers a bit sticky on the teeth. Nice thickness and light carbonation.

Overall / Drinkability: Nice looking beer, but with my first few sips I wasn't sure. However, as I drank more of it, it grew on me and I ended up having another glass. While I ended up sipping on it over the dinner, I found by the end of the first glass I could have easily downed it and definitely wanted another glass to savor a bit more. So drinkable in regards to the fact that you want to enjoy it, slowly, over a longer period than a 25 cl glass can provide.