Duvel Triple Hop 2013

 

Stubby bottle, 330 ml, at home. Poured into my tulip glass. ABV 9,5%. Great appearance as with all Duvels, with clear golden yellow body and a snow white, thick and sopay head of a bit more than three fingers. Foam has average retention. Nice lacing left on the glass once again. The new hops offer an tropical fruit aroma, a bit of mango too. Very refreshing smell, just like a good IPA. Very nice bittery taste as well, with the flavour following the aroma. Lots of tropical fruits, very refreshing, very hoppy. The high alcohol masterfully hidden for one more time, deceiving you into taking big sips of this excellent beer. Medium thin body, good amount of carbonation. Dry on the palate, but nothing extreme. Overall, this one is very close to an IPA, both aroma/taste wise and hops level, although not overly bitter. Great beer, and as with the 2012 version, they should have made it year round or at least seasonal instead of an one-off. 

AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 8/10   PALATE 3/5   OVERALL 17/20

                                                   3.9

Hertog Jan Karakter

I am still taking those damn pills for my skin fungus infection and I still have to take them for another five days. But tonight I decided I had enough of not having any beer. So what better way to go back to my beer drinking than with a 7,5% ABV beer? While I am waiting for my spare ribs to be ready, I thought to post the review I had posted on beeradvocate, only much much altered, since now that I used a more suitable glass, what I perceived from this one was quite different than half a year ago.

Poured from a 300 ml bottle into a Chimay chalice. Colour is light amber, kind of ruby once it's hold against the light. Head of one finger in height, brownish in color that doesn't last long. Aroma is fruity and to be more specific, that of dark fruits, like plums and dates.The taste is sort of metallic, but other than that sweet, with the dark fruits element much more obvious. Some caramel too, but mostly on the aftertaste. The alcohol very nicely conceiled.Medium thickness on the body, light carbonation. A little dry on the palate.Another very good beer from Hertog Jan.

3.38/5

Brigand

ABV 9,0%
I had this one at a bar in my town, served with its appropriate glass. Usually I don't go for so expensive beers when I'm out (3-3,50 at the bar), but the rest of the options were not the best you could find, even for macro lagers. I took some quick notes back then and recently I found it in my local liquor store, so I got one bottle for 1,50. At home I poured it into my Chimay chalice.

330 ml bottle, poured into its original glass. Deep golden colour. A little hazy on the second pour. Huge head, going down slowly untill it becomes a thin layer on the surface. Leaves some light lacing around the glass.
Aroma is fruity , with obvious banana notes. Dark fruits too, plum and dates.
Taste is sweet, with the dark fruits very obviously there. The high ABV gives a warming feeling and although is very nicely concealed, you will feel it.
Thick body and quite carbonated .
Overall another specimen of great Belgian beer.

  Those are the notes I took back then. As you will see on the next photo, the head on a chalice from "huge" becomes just one finger in height.Also, scratch that "deep golden colour", I guess it's a term I should reserve for pilsners, but I wasn't alone there and I was trying to write everything down as soon as possible, so this was what crossed my mind first while someone was talking to me. Today I would say "pale -or light - honey colour". It was more clear on the first pour though as I write, but probably because with the second pour the yeast got into the glass, same happened at home.
On the aroma I would say that now the dark fruits are more obvious, instead of the bananas, and some clove too. That concludes the main differences between a pour at the bar and a pour at home, I guess.None extreme difference in order to change my grading for this one.

3.93/5
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4