Vapeur D Antan
Brasserie à Vapeur

Vapeur D AntanVapeur D Antan
Beer Geek Stats | Print Shelf Talker
From:
Brasserie à Vapeur
 
Belgium
Style:
Belgian Pale Strong Ale
ABV:
8%
Score:
83
Avg:
3.54 | pDev: 20.34%
Reviews:
16
Ratings:
22
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Jul 22, 2020
Added:
Jan 28, 2002
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  1
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Bouleboubier:
Photo of Bouleboubier
Reviewed by Bouleboubier from New Jersey

4.26/5  rDev +20.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
(found this, a 1996 edition, at a well-known shop I may have mentioned before - poured into a Teku)

L: label looks relatively new - can't say the same for the rusted-ass crown... green bottle, with the cork visible, though it's looking a mite decayed... a little ring of bubbles starts to build once the cork is out - no gush though... the liquid is a clear, fiery orange, while some messy, wide-open head forms soon disintegrates... looking once more at the label, it would appear that the bottles were sitting around for years and only recently were labeled - perhaps not...

S: the cork is definitely funky with a bold shade of green... liquid - certain brett overtone, with some grape and unripe pear highlights... right away a hint of perhaps water-logged diaper? - it twists into a horse blanket, of sorts... pouring in some of the dregs at the end, it takes on the air of a pond

T: initially, most of the funk seems to be on the nose for the first few sips, then some woodsy flavors creep in and, eventually, a modest wash of lactic joy covers the palate... this is sooo easy to drink, and the tartness builds with each sip, reaching a peak, then blending back into the mix,.. I was going to mention earlier the apple, fairly cidery tone in the aftertaste, but it does become rather eclipsed by the lactic element... is that golden raisin lingering in there? dried apple?

F: quite dry and apporaching still - okay, a mild sizzle up front... no seriously tart twang and no alcohol burn or artifacts, really... this is truly drinking like a slightly more muscled gueuze... touch more residual body

O: this may not appeal to a number of recently anointed 'sour' fanatics as it doesn't have, despite some fruitiness, nearly the candy/berry-sweet element that I think attracts at first... if you're a gueuze lover, you will fall in with is immediately... hope they still have some bottles left
Jul 04, 2015
More User Ratings:
Photo of JudgeRoughneck
Reviewed by JudgeRoughneck from Louisiana

4.63/5  rDev +30.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.75
1996 Vintage sampled in 2013
APP - lightly hazed brassy amber w low ring of off-white head
AROMA - green apple, cherry, nut, woody, grassy, dried berry, candy sweet malt

FLAVOR - very spicy mid-palate w/ grainy malt sweetness. nice goldings hop character coming through. steely white grape notes - like chablis. brisk, dry, honey and citrus finish

MF - light bodied an spritzy, very acidic in finish suggesting this is probably a mixed fermentation

Overall - very bier de garde-like
Jul 22, 2020
 
Rated: 3.5 by suckaj from Florida

Feb 27, 2016
 
Rated: 3.75 by DrBier from Pennsylvania

Jul 24, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by TKEbeerman from Florida

Aug 30, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by srw from Virginia

May 05, 2013
Photo of sudsellier
Reviewed by sudsellier from Florida

4.35/5  rDev +22.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Also a 1996 vintage... weird. Must have been a few cases recently unearthed.

Mine also opened with a nice, loud, wet pop.

Nice, shimmery yellow-orange color with abundant head. Settles down to a good 1/8 inch cap with minimal to no lacing. Some tiny dots of particulate floating around.

Smells of green apple skin, orange peel a few days past its prime, must & a hint of barnyard. If this were intentionally a sour ale, I'd have loved to have found it in its prime. For a 12 year old bottle, it's doing just dandy, thank you.

Apple juice, hint of tart Bing cherry, bready yeast, library dust. It's got a good sour quality. Like the ghost of Petrus Aged Pale past came to visit me on Christmas Eve.

Carbonation sizzles across the tongue the instant it's sipped. Thin mouth feel; nothing oily or heavy or weird.

Overall, very nice beer for its age. Never thought a Belgian pale ale would turn out like this after aging in a dark cellar since 96. Person who bought it told me the brewery had been renovating recently and found a few old cases. How this ended up on Florida's panhandle is a bit of a mystery. If you find one, I think it's worth the $16 for a 750ml.
Oct 13, 2012
Photo of braksmak
Reviewed by braksmak from Massachusetts

4.12/5  rDev +16.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
1996 Vintage.

Unlike others, I did have some carbonation on the beer.

An amber color with limited lacing. This beer had a unique funky nose with lots of apple and sour notes.

It was medium bodied and complex, albeit somewhat metallic and chalky. As someone who loves funky beers I really appreciated how well it held up, even if it had some ruff edges to it.
Aug 12, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by BeerzMcKenzie from Ohio

May 17, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by JAHMUR from Connecticut

Nov 14, 2011
Photo of JugglerPeter
Reviewed by JugglerPeter from Minnesota

3.29/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3
With so much variability from reviewer to reviewer for this beer, I thought I would add my opionion to the mix.

My bottle was capped and corked, and the cork looked fine. There wasn't a hint of carbonation, or any hint that there had ever been carbonation. However, from other reviewers it sounds like this might have been a carbonated beer 11 years ago.

Overall the beer is sour, and tastes strongly of orange (because it's sour?). It reminds me a lot of cider in flavor. I really like the flavor of this beer. The smell is a bit sour, and since there is no carbonation I can't say it has agood mothfeel or drinkability.
Apr 27, 2007
Photo of truthbrew
Reviewed by truthbrew from Minnesota

2.39/5  rDev -32.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2
Hmmm.... yet another '96 bottle. Purchased for discount ($7) at Blue Max. Capped and corked, cork looked fine, top of cap had starting hints of rust.

Pulled cork, barely a pop. Amber orange liquid poured without a hint of bubbles. Okay, there were some tiny bits of carbonation, but not much. Super thin fishing line lacing.

Smell was pretty sweet with some tart sourness. Not lambic sour, but some hints at. Was hoping at this point, surely the best point of this beer was the aroma.

Taste was a semi-sweet flabby beer. I love a sourish complex farmhouse ale but this it wasn't. Pretty one dimensional. Some beginnings of acedic acid.

Mouthfeel was medium, but lack of carbonation was a severe hit.

Drinking? Boring. Finished the 750, but wasn't worth another. Acetic acid was distracting.

Obviously this is a beer that could have been decent about 8 years ago, but as an aged version from '96 it was a failure. The lack of carbonation is astonishing. The cork seemed in decent shape and the cap was tight, yet almost no carbonation, perhaps under carbonated from the get go? Has anyone ever reviewed a fresh bottle (or were they ever available fresh?) Makes you wonder if they are simply trying to pawn off old product or if they though this would turn out well. I do really like their other products (e.g. La Rousse), so this one was a let down.
May 07, 2006
Photo of corporatejim
Reviewed by corporatejim from Minnesota

2.61/5  rDev -26.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2
This beer looks beautiful in the glass. Light golden color. No head. No lacing. The first sip is, um, ok, it was horseshit. Extremely tart, unripened fruit and metal. Somewhat of a sweet tart aroma. The metal fades a bit as the beer warms. I still wouldn't call it good though. Strong vinegar taste persists throughout and the metal comes back as an unpleasant aftertaste. This is what it must be like to have braces. I would not have this again.
Jan 14, 2006
Photo of BeerBuilder
Reviewed by BeerBuilder from Minnesota

2.8/5  rDev -20.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Bottled 1996

Pours to a golden-copper color with no head, just a ring of white around the rim. The aroma is souring and funky... has a wet cardboard smell. The flavor is tart and acidic, a bit cider-like with a metallic taste in the finish. It is medium in body, souring and metallic. Not my cup of tea.
Jan 14, 2006
Photo of Sephiroth
Reviewed by Sephiroth from Indiana

4.59/5  rDev +29.7%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Bottled in 1996: The cork was wet on top. I figured this was a lost cause, but opened it anyway. No pop, but there is carbonation here. The body is sunset orange, with some yeast visible. The aroma is of barnyard funk and sweet and sour orange rind. Very complex.

The taste is slightly sweet, mostly sour, and somewhat earthy yeasty funky. Some malt can still be tasted, but not much. I would like to get this a little bit fresher, but I love it for what it is. A sour, somewhat sweet, orange and earthy yeast flavored Belgian ale. Mouthfeel is still carbonated, suspect cork and all. Judging from other reviews, I think my bottle was ok. I could drink lots of this.
Nov 08, 2005
Photo of BuckeyeNation
Reviewed by BuckeyeNation from Iowa

2.65/5  rDev -25.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2
Candied orange peel with a significant number of particulates, ranging from light to dark and from miniscule to chunky. The head was small from the start due to the nearly anti-foaming pour. I'm left looking at a slim (and shrinking), one finger, light ecru disk that never really had the opportunity to deposit any lace, even if it was tacky enough... which it wasn't. I like the look of the beer, but the head is pathetic.

Vapeur d'Antan smells like tangy apple cider with earthy undertones. I'm not sure what's responsible for the major thrust of the aroma; yeast, hops or spices. Probably a combination of all three. Belgian strong pale ale is a stretch, unless the flavor is nothing like the aroma. I guess it could be a variant of the usual BSPA. If so, it's a tenth cousin, twice removed.

Not good. Thin, overly sour and metallic are my initial impressions after one small sip. There's very little malt on hand and absolutely no sweetness. None. This beer is as acid-washed as all but the most full-throttle lambics or Flanders reds. There's an unripe fruitiness that brings to mind little green apples, white grapes and sour cherries. If it sounds like my impressions are all over the map, that's because the flavor is all over the map and I'm trying to keep up. Alcohol? What alcohol?

I have to believe the label ('ale brewed with spices'), but for the life of me, I can't taste any spices. A puckery sourness commands the attention of my taste buds each time I drown them, so they're unable to ferret out any nuances whatsoever. The mouthfeel is horribly light and can only be described as thin and watery. I don't mind all that much because this isn't a flavor that I want to hang onto and savor. Carbonation? What carbonation?

Vapeur d'Antan is one of the worst Belgians that I've ever had. It doesn't look, smell, taste or drink like its stated style. I liked the only other Brasserie a Vapeur beer (Cochonnette) that I've been able to find, but this one needs to be taken back to the drawing board. Better yet, to the woodshed. Pass.
Nov 07, 2005
Photo of daedalus
Reviewed by daedalus from Washington

1.94/5  rDev -45.2%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5
750ml bottle with a "96" written in sharpie on the cap. I was pretty excited to drink a nearly 9 yr old brew, but as I uncorked the bottle, I noticed that the cork was very dry and nearly falling apart - not a good sign.

It poured a hazy honey-orange color into a Chimay chalice with only the slightest bit of carbonation. Just a few wisps of head. The smell was earthy and of tart fruits. I was expecting a Belgian strong pale ale and instead got a lambic/gueze hybrid that tasted like it had been stored next to a furnace. Overly sour and tasted of musty hay and green apples. Very watery mouthfeel due to the lack of carbonation. Couldn't even finish this one. Quite unbalanced and disappointing.

This beer came highly recommended to me from the owner of a local liquor store, though he did mention that there were a lot of variation between batches. Don't know if I got a bad one due to QC issues.
May 21, 2005
Photo of Rastacouere
Reviewed by Rastacouere from Canada (QC)

3.8/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.5
1996 750mL. Original murky orange with a brownish shadow. Slowly diminishing faint head. Funky fruit aroma, tart pomegranate, orange and melon. The nose itself is refreshing. Juicy malt profile, sweet and tart, yogurty and citrus zest. Lemony/cranberry aftertaste lasts long over the slightest alcohol suggestion. Mouthfeel has definitely lost some over the years unfortunately, it’s almost still and lacks life. Still a tasty and unique offering.
Jan 22, 2005
Photo of bditty187
Reviewed by bditty187 from Nebraska

3/5  rDev -15.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5
“Bottled in 1996” says the label. On the cap was “96” written in sharpie. So this beer has some age.

The cork was removed without much of a *pop* or much effort.

Clear, amber-gold in hue with a tawny highlight. The color is lovely. In the liquid was minimal animation and the head was not replenished; at the apex the bubbles barely covered the beer. In a moment it was naked, aside from a very thin collar. This is a nice-looking beer, even though there is a lack of head and no subsequent lacing. The nose is heavy on green apples. Sour. Candied sugar is found in a small amount. Hay. Barnyard funk. Musty. Weakly spicy. Lightly acidic. The bouquet is kind of simplistic. It tries to be rustic but it is too rounded, too soft. I like aspects of the nose but as a whole it is kind of dull. Still it is interesting enough that I want to take a sip. The palate is simplistic. Yes, it is sour. Yes, it has a big blast of green apples. Yes, it is dry. Yes, it is tart. Yes, it is funky. Yes, it is woody with a pepper hint. Yes, it is quite cidery. Yes, this beer has flavor but there isn’t much going on with it. There is no depth. There is no development. It tastes the same from the first sip to the last and every sip tastes the same from start to finish. Where is the complexity? Hell, where is the excitement? I wonder how this beer tasted fresh? Was it always so Gueuze-like? Is it supposed to be? There is a tickle of sweetness at the finish. Spiciness is very minimal and all but disappeared. The 8% abv is very well hidden. There isn’t anything flat-out wrong with the palate but it doesn’t do anything redeeming. It might work well with some funky cheese. Might not. Medium-light in body with just a tickle of carbonation, the mouthfeel is decent, it is too thin and watery but it is manageable. Drinkability is limited. Would I drink it again? Not likely. Would I recommend it? Not likely. Yawn. I purchased my bottle in Ames, IA.
Dec 13, 2004
Photo of feloniousmonk
Reviewed by feloniousmonk from Minnesota

3.97/5  rDev +12.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Deep orangish color, no head at all, ...aroma: citric, lemon and orange, blitzes of spice, very musty, so much like a farmshouse Belgian...really rustic...
Taste: very sour at the front, big puckeration, then it mellows, and becomes rather smooth and mellow...still, with a citric, spicy bite..big mouthfeel, huge presence on the palate...enormous, powerful feel on the tongue, reverberates and resonates....this is a very nice beer, a wonderful thing..hooray, D'antan!
Oct 09, 2004
Vapeur D Antan from Brasserie à Vapeur
Beer rating: 83 out of 100 with 22 ratings