Forestinne Primoria
Brasserie Caracole

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why do forest creatures have pointy ears and oversized eyes as the one on this label does? Bottle served at De Kelk, and served in its own glass. On to the beer:

This beer is amber blonde with a decent head on top. Head retention is solid. The aroma is spicy like ginger, and also brings a Portuguese sweet bread element. The flavor is refreshing, bringing a honey base and carrying a pleasantly sanppy ginger note. Fruity esters appear here and there. The alcohol in the beer hides itself well. Despite the spice, it's balanced nicely. It's a medium bodied beer with buzzy carbonation.

Pleasant spiced ale out of Caracole. This is a good changeup in the Belgian world of beer.

Tried this beer @ Poechenellekelder in Brussels, outside in the shade on a hot day +25°C.
The waiter poured the beer in the original glass and they do it properly over there, so appearance was as it should be !
So far, so good, ... The smell is very neutral and apart from some citrus notes there was not really anything to tell. Unfortunately, this 'dullness' continued into the taste as well, apart from some grapefruit there was ... nothing. I had some expectations from this 'Forestinne' but it was a disappointing experience. I have tasted much better stuff from this brewery !

 

Poured into a Troubelette glass. Beer is orange / amber mostly clear with a thin head, low retention, moderate carbonation no lacing.

Aroma is tea like strong corriander and sage aroma. Very spicy.

Beer is thin and dry on the finish, very earthy in the midpalate and it tastes like tea. Very strong, interestingly floral. Decent not bad but I don't think I'll have it again.

My new favorite beer.

Spicy notes on a deliciously balanced base. Some sweetness, but not in the "pucker up baby, you are about to get a big sloppy kiss of Belgian candy sugar" way. Smooth, lovely, and enjoyable.

One word of note: drank at the panchekelder (sp) puppet bar in Brussels and was wonderful. Had one the other night at Moeder Lambic in St. Gilles, and the flavor profile was off... it almost seemed oxidized.

Clear and bright orange color with medium white head, some lacing. Sweet caramel nose with a bit of spice in the background. Cloyingly sweet taste, lots of malt but scant hops, so overall not well balanced. Not much of a finish, and not much complexity.

What a cute little elf-chick on the label of this one.

Pours an almost clear orange. Thin creme head falls fast. Nose is odd, like hairspray. Weird alcohol tone. Flavor is smoothly sweet with floral tones clearly present. That weird alcohol tone is just passable. I think if this warms up more I might not be able to appreciate it so much. I can appreciate it though. Feel is slick and thick and smooth on liquid. Carbonation is lower. This is an interesting ale. A bit odd and unusual, and I'm not sure I can drink a whole 750ml bottle by myself, but it's not too shabby. Just unique.

Finding our hostel's bar had some from the caracole brewery was a very pleasant surprise.

Forestine is a fantastic beer experience, with a beautiful golden tone and a brilliant diverse and fruity/floral smell. the taste is brilliant, difficult to describe because there is quite a mixture of tastes, but predominantly sweet and sour fruity, bitter ending and a medium body.

this is one fine caracole.

Picked up this bottle yesterday at the Miorge Mihoublon bottle shop in Arlon, Belgium. The cute little troll girl on the front attracked me to the bottle. That and the cool glass that matched the bottle. I bought both.

The beer poured a dense golden color with a thick and fluffy white head that stuck around for a bit. The aroma was very spice and piney with some floral tones as well. The taste was spicey as well with some other interesting tastes. I noticed some honey notes and throughout a present piney taste that mixed well with some citrus notes, lime. The texture of the beer was a bit dry but very interesting and pretty drinkable as well.

Oranged-golden appearance, lightly clouded, intense and thin perlage, white head.
Light soapy notes, but beside that: a strong and pleasant aromatic, fresh anise, very floreal, and herbal.
Fresh, spicy. Good.
The taste is quite bitter, and spicy, with aromatic notes of anise, and something like mint. Definitely pleasant and fresh.
Spices in the aftertaste again, with a good background bitterness.

(Noted as being made with pine cones.)

The beer arrived lightly hazy amber wtih an off-white, low and persistent head which lasted well to lace the glass.

The aroma contained a nice strong caramel presence with a very strong piney and light citrus character.

The flavor was lightly sweet on the palate with pine and lime characteristics that worked very well together. The caramel in the flavor was just excellent and other than the initial impression, did not present itself as overly sweet. The beer also contained a nice spicy presence.

The finish was dry wtih a lasting piney lime lasting into the aftertaste and beyond. The body was medium wtih a creamy mouthfeel. A very nice beer, extremely interesting and compelling.

Draft at Hotel Erasmus in Brugge on 9/13/06. I was told not to order this as my first beer by the owner. He said it's flavor would be far too strong. He was wrong, of course.

Note: also noticed around Belgium in bottles.