Achel Superior Dark
De Achelse Kluis

750ml bottle into a tulip, best by October 2020, so a bit late. Will it matter? (Spoiler alert, it didn't).

Looks great, dark reddish brown body with a persistent off white head. The nose promises bags of dark fruit, but the taste doesn't quite deliver. Very smooth, and certainly enjoyable.

Kulhuse 6/7 2017, 75 cl bottle from Den Belgiske Ølbutik. Shared with my Father in law. Very simple label in brown and white stating that this is an Extra Bruin with a healthy ABV.

Pours hazy maroon with very big brownish head. Settles as several centimeters thick dense layer of foam. Massive lacing.

Aroma is rather sweet. Dark fermented fruit, quite sugary, solid odor of humid cellar. Raisins and plums. Brown sugar.

Soft carbonation and medium thick texture.

Flavor is very sweet bordering on the sugary followed by light bitterness. Aftertaste is sweet and a little boozy. Quite sweet but it feels not oppressively heavy.

A solid bruin who manages to feel light and pleasant.

750ml bottle into a goblet. Was Achel Brune Extra. Last batch of 2022 before change of ownership, had 5/19/24.

Pours a lighter copper color, cloudy, with a two and a half inch head of creamy foam and a good amount of foamy lacing. Aromas of cherries, plums, caramel, brown sugar, figs, dates, some raisin, light yeast. Smells a bit floral. Flavors of cherries, caramel, malt, figs, light yeast and spices, a little raisin. Tastes a little floral. Smooth, a very good lighter medium body, well carbonated.

Lighter for a Quad, but quite good. Fruity, lots of caramel notes, really well done.

 

 

 

 

 

bottling date still fairly fresh as cellar ales go (autumn 2022, i believe). an uneventful pry of the cap, am greeted with welcoming sweet, bready bakery smells. pour (into globular 15 cl snifter) issues a bubbly pinky-finger tan cap which recedes rather quickly but lingers with a dormant-but-gurgling surface activity, and the obligatorily persistent flank of dense microbubbles surrounding the fill line. color an enchanting semi-translucent ruby-brown, with no noticeable particles having a swim. nose after pour validates those first impressions of the newly-opened bottle - bready yeasts, raisins, a certain dankness, other complexities that i don't wish to overstudy. into the mouth, feels rather effervescent, telegraphing those first-perceived scents to the palate, maybe a slightly bitter and sour character is ascertained. for nuanced complexity and balance/synergy, this delivers. swallow brings it on home smoothly, tangy, delicious as it descends.

in summary, i don't know if i could even tell this apart from a revered ol' St B 12 (or eek, a... Westie?) if conducting a blind comparison. which hey, that gives me an idea...

Rerate, 750 ml green bottle, as Trappist Achel Bruin Bier Extra, probably from Vinmonopolet. Brown colour, huge off-white to beige head. Vinous aroma, notes of dark dried fruits, brown kandij sugar, oak, old dry sherry. Oaky and medium sweet flavour with a dry finish. Again notes of dried figs, brown kandij sugar and old and medium dry sherry. A hoppy and oaky "bite" in the finish.

Original rating: Bottle, at Den Tatoverede Enke, Copenhagen. Brown colour. Vinous and oaky aroma and flavour of old dry sherry, even cognac / armagnac. A top notch beer!

dark brown with some red, not too much foam.
lots of raisins and figs, vanilla, sweet aroma.
Tastes reasonably sweet with flavors following the nose.
Some creamy, thick mouthfeel, though drinks smoothly.
Extremely pleasant.

Lovely quad (I'm treating this as a quad, if you want to open the BJCP pandora's box and belgian dark strong ale vs quad discussion). It certainly does not have to hide itself against the likes of st bernardus / rochefort / westvleteren, though misses their complexity by a tiny bit.

 

 

 

Poured from 750ml bottle into Chimay goblet.

L - Dark golden brown pour, sandy taupe head which dissipates quickly.

S - Malt, slight metallic note, buttery brown bread.

T - Syrupy treacle sweetness, dark bready grains. Sweetness is cut by a vegetal (fennel) bitterness.

F - Not over thin, fine carbonation with a dry finish.

An excellent example of the style. Do wish the taste was a slightly better match to the smell.

 

 

 

Actually thought this was their tripel, so I was was surprised by the dark brown pour - very creamy tan head with a nicely fuzzy persistence... It's almost like a quad, but not as sweet and thick - has a fluffy carbonation and a lot of quad-like elements of spice and fruit, but dried out and toned down to something almost umami... There's some wood and bitter char and smoke amid the dates and dark fruited bread impressions... Lots of complexity and depth... Smooth and dangerously drinkable - this 750 mL bottle isn't going to last long - very impressed - highly recommended for fans of quads, strong Belgian darks, Belgian and fine ales in general - as well as all true BAs...

Trappist monks: This is how you do this...

Look: It pours dark brown with a tan head. Head retention is very good. It is clear for the most part.

Smell: Strong rich malty aroma with raisins. There are some dried cherry notes a very low spice and and very light vanilla.

Taste: It is malty rich with bread and raisin flavors. There are dried cherries at moderate levels with a light spice and perfume.

Feel: It has a full body and is quite dry in the finish. There is alcohol warming at pleasant levels.

Overall, a great blend of flavors and aromas.