Rader Ambrée
Brasserie de l'Abbaye du Val-Dieu
- From:
- Brasserie de l'Abbaye du Val-Dieu
- Belgium
- Style:
- Belgian Pale Strong Ale
- ABV:
- 10.5%
- Score:
- 84
- Avg:
- 3.67 | pDev: 13.9%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 25
- Status:
- Inactive
- Rated:
- Apr 24, 2016
- Added:
- Jul 02, 2006
- Wants:
- 2
- Gots:
- 3
SCORE
84
Good
84
Good
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Reviewed by flagmantho from Washington
3.68/5 rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
3.68/5 rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured from 330mL bottle into a tulip.
Appearance: hazy light-brown hue with a thick finger of frothy white foam. Not too bad.
Smell: rich malty aroma (it is sweet, like Whoppers) with an interesting component that's almost piney. Could this be the hops? Hard to tell.
Taste: sweet and smooth. Rich malt flavor but with plenty of alcohol coming through. There's not a lot of complexity here, either, but it is not bad.
Mouthfeel: medium body with a deliciously rich carbonation and creaminess. Good stuff.
Overall: this beer is a little bizarre but I find it rather satisfying. I grow a little bit fonder with each sip.
Aug 15, 2011Appearance: hazy light-brown hue with a thick finger of frothy white foam. Not too bad.
Smell: rich malty aroma (it is sweet, like Whoppers) with an interesting component that's almost piney. Could this be the hops? Hard to tell.
Taste: sweet and smooth. Rich malt flavor but with plenty of alcohol coming through. There's not a lot of complexity here, either, but it is not bad.
Mouthfeel: medium body with a deliciously rich carbonation and creaminess. Good stuff.
Overall: this beer is a little bizarre but I find it rather satisfying. I grow a little bit fonder with each sip.
Reviewed by Knapp85 from Pennsylvania
3.5/5 rDev -4.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.5/5 rDev -4.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
This beer poured out as a really nice amber color, the head is a light fan color that leaves a decent lacing. The smell of the beer is a little tart bit has a sweet malt aroma also coming off of it. The taste of the beer has a good malty flavor with a pretty good hoppy bitterness. There was whist a hint of tart cherry I was picking up in ther but not much. The mouthfeel was nicely carbonated and was medium bodied. Overall I found this err to be pretty decent and would drink it again.
Jun 21, 2011
Reviewed by BucBasil from Rwanda
3.52/5 rDev -4.1%
look: 5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
3.52/5 rDev -4.1%
look: 5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Served on tap into a tulip glass at Delirium Cafe in Brussels.
A: A very deep brown, clear when held to light. 2 finger offwhite head that doesn't seem to ever go away. I actually got excited when this beer came out. Rare occurance for me.
S: Caramel and butterscotch without much else in there...
T: Good malt profile - caramle and a slight buttery note. Butterscotch flavor. Fresh bread.
Not very balanced. Good but not a great beer. Looks amazing though...
Nov 04, 2010A: A very deep brown, clear when held to light. 2 finger offwhite head that doesn't seem to ever go away. I actually got excited when this beer came out. Rare occurance for me.
S: Caramel and butterscotch without much else in there...
T: Good malt profile - caramle and a slight buttery note. Butterscotch flavor. Fresh bread.
Not very balanced. Good but not a great beer. Looks amazing though...
Reviewed by BlackHaddock from England
3.92/5 rDev +6.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
3.92/5 rDev +6.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Dumpy 33cl brown bottle, best before 10 Jun 2011, drank 22 Aug 2010: poured into a 2000 special Duvel tulip.
Light amber, or dull orange depending on your mood. Managed to pour the beer without any grist getting into the glass, even so the beer had a haze/mistiness to it. On top sat a huge, large bubbled head, white in colour.
Yeast esters more than anything elae, very Belgian in its smells, malt aromas outnumbered any hop smells but the whole aroma was enough to excite my tastebuds.
Tangy and interesting, sweet molasses vieing with a hop bitterness and some spice elements (peppery maybe?). It is one of those pesky Belgians that hide the alcohol content so well, the 10.5% ABV only becomes apparent towards the end of the tasting as the beer warms in the glass.
Highly carbonated, but not 'fizzy', it might have benefited with a little more time to age, as it seemed a bit 'young' or 'green' to me.
Most enjoyable and one I wouldn't be frightened to try again. It went well with raw hazelnuts.
Aug 22, 2010Light amber, or dull orange depending on your mood. Managed to pour the beer without any grist getting into the glass, even so the beer had a haze/mistiness to it. On top sat a huge, large bubbled head, white in colour.
Yeast esters more than anything elae, very Belgian in its smells, malt aromas outnumbered any hop smells but the whole aroma was enough to excite my tastebuds.
Tangy and interesting, sweet molasses vieing with a hop bitterness and some spice elements (peppery maybe?). It is one of those pesky Belgians that hide the alcohol content so well, the 10.5% ABV only becomes apparent towards the end of the tasting as the beer warms in the glass.
Highly carbonated, but not 'fizzy', it might have benefited with a little more time to age, as it seemed a bit 'young' or 'green' to me.
Most enjoyable and one I wouldn't be frightened to try again. It went well with raw hazelnuts.
Reviewed by manthedan from California
4.72/5 rDev +28.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5
4.72/5 rDev +28.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5
Rader Ambree is one of my favorite beers to drink. It pours a golden amber/bronzeish color with a small amount of head. Has a very distinct sharp nose, a bit like citrus and hint of orange.
My favorite part about the Ambree is its strong taste combined with the dryness of the beer. You get all the flavors of citrus,spice and a slightly malty flavor and it evaporates off your tongue due to the dryness of the beer.
Highly recommended for a warm summer day/evening. A+
Jul 23, 2010My favorite part about the Ambree is its strong taste combined with the dryness of the beer. You get all the flavors of citrus,spice and a slightly malty flavor and it evaporates off your tongue due to the dryness of the beer.
Highly recommended for a warm summer day/evening. A+
Reviewed by mmahut from Czechia
4.18/5 rDev +13.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
4.18/5 rDev +13.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
A: Amber bronze colour with with strong head slowly disappearing leaving nice rings on the glass.
S: Caramel with orange or other sweet citrus if you have a good nose.
T: Sugar with fruits, very soft and pleasing. The caramel smell is not to be found in the taste.
M: Medium body with non-significant carbonation. Alcoholic after-feel.
D: I'm very surprised by this beer and could recommend to anyone. Too strong and too tasty.
May 01, 2010S: Caramel with orange or other sweet citrus if you have a good nose.
T: Sugar with fruits, very soft and pleasing. The caramel smell is not to be found in the taste.
M: Medium body with non-significant carbonation. Alcoholic after-feel.
D: I'm very surprised by this beer and could recommend to anyone. Too strong and too tasty.
Reviewed by josefnewsong from New York
3.98/5 rDev +8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
3.98/5 rDev +8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Best by date: 06/06/09
A - pours a cloudy deep brownish orange with 1 1/2 fingers of soapy white head that recedes at an average pace and leaves some lacing
S - not getting much more than belgian yeast, a lot of sugar, and tiny hints of tart fruits
T - belgian yeast and candied sugar as expected, a nice touch of alcohol warmth right in the middle, becomes a little boozy as it warms, no bitterness to speak of...tastes almost tripel-like
M - on the light side of medium-bodied, an optimal amount of carbonation, slightly sticky and not too dry...an enjoyable mouthfeel for certain
D - at 10.5% it doesn't get much more drinkable than this...it's possible the sweetness may be cloying for some but I could keep drinking this for a while as I don't find it too overwhelming
I'm sure this ale has a couple years on it and I'm curious to try it fresh...not that I think it would be much better or worse, I would just love to compare the two. I wouldn't be surprised if the aged version is a bit more enjoyable. If you're looking for a high-alcohol content/drinkable Belgian, grab it. My only criticism is that I wish there was a little more complexity, maybe some spice or hop characteristics.
Mar 11, 2010A - pours a cloudy deep brownish orange with 1 1/2 fingers of soapy white head that recedes at an average pace and leaves some lacing
S - not getting much more than belgian yeast, a lot of sugar, and tiny hints of tart fruits
T - belgian yeast and candied sugar as expected, a nice touch of alcohol warmth right in the middle, becomes a little boozy as it warms, no bitterness to speak of...tastes almost tripel-like
M - on the light side of medium-bodied, an optimal amount of carbonation, slightly sticky and not too dry...an enjoyable mouthfeel for certain
D - at 10.5% it doesn't get much more drinkable than this...it's possible the sweetness may be cloying for some but I could keep drinking this for a while as I don't find it too overwhelming
I'm sure this ale has a couple years on it and I'm curious to try it fresh...not that I think it would be much better or worse, I would just love to compare the two. I wouldn't be surprised if the aged version is a bit more enjoyable. If you're looking for a high-alcohol content/drinkable Belgian, grab it. My only criticism is that I wish there was a little more complexity, maybe some spice or hop characteristics.
Reviewed by NewGeneric from California
3.62/5 rDev -1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.62/5 rDev -1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Got handed a bottle of this at the WYES International Beer Festival in New Orleans. Opened it the following night and poured an opaque rust color with thick, slightly off-white foam that left plenty of lacing. Smelled of spices, raisins, and bready yeast. Tasted similar with some hints of plum, quite sweet and tart as well. A bit overcarbonated, somewhat oily, plenty warming. This was definitely a sipping brew, no more than one at a time also.
Jun 09, 2009
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