BBT 2010 - La Trappe

We had to visit La Trappe since they are the first Trappist Abbey to open up their brewery for a tour. Actually we didn't see any of the brewing process and it felt like a more sane version of a'Chouffe. We didn't even see a single monk. However, the Abbey is a nice place and it was an interesting tour.

La Trappe Bockbier
Netherlands
ABV: 7%
Rating: 3
Burned malt. Tastes a little like a heavy Eastern European dark lager but not as carbonated. A bitter after-taste. I would have liked it if it would have had something that stood out but it is a good beer that don't leave any real impression.

BBT 2010 - In de Vrede

You don't get closer to the most exclusive brewery in the world, Westvleteren Abdij St. Sixtus. I have been here once before and that was the first time I tasted their lovely and by some named as overrated beer. In de Vrede is nothing special in itself but they serve the beer we are there for and nothing else really matters. Unfortunately I was the driver this day and had to limit my consumption. A Swedish guys overheard us speaking Swedish and it turned out he was there waiting for his 48 bottles of Westvleteren 12 that he had ordered and he had drove there for that sole purpose. We told him about the nearby De Struise Brouwers and he got the address for a drive over there. He told us that he was a home-brewer and he promised me some bottles of his next batch since he only lives 50 kilometres or so from me. We'll see if he remembers it and contacts me or if it just was talk.
Westvleteren 12
Belgium
ABV: 10.2%
Rating: 5
This beer is rated number one in the world by many and I find it nothing but fair. It is a classical Belgian strong ale with mild licorice and chocolate notes and it is perfectly smooth to drink. Too bad it isn't that often I get my hands of one though.

BBT 2010 - Kulminator, second visit

Friday night it was time for some more aged beer at Kulminator. First I tried an oak aged La Trappe that the monks had brewed for some sort of anniversary and Dirk had bought what they had left after the celebrations. Not aged but worth buying since it is probably not available anywhere else.

La Trappe Quadrupel Quercus
Netherlands
ABV: 10%
Rating: 4
Less fruity than the standard Quadrupel and more rough. A pleasant note of sweet licorice shines trough and I notice that this is also a little sweeter than the standard Quadrupel. As it grows warmer the alcohol starts to taste in a nail-polishing way but that's actually not bad but interesting. Good but not as great as it could have been ageing one of the best beer in the world on an oak barrel.








Gouden Carolus 1987
Belgium
ABV: 8.5% (?)
Rating: 3
I had to try something really old and this is a beer that has been aged for 23 years so it should fit the criteria. When taking a sip from it it is like you let a mouthful enter your mouth but only swallows half of it. It's like it is vanishes into thin air when it contacts oxygen. Intersting. It's also very dry. Unfortunately it's not very drinkable and this is the turning-point in my life where I decide aged beer is nothing for me.







Gouden Carolus Christmas
Belgium
ABV: 10.5%
Rating: 4
The heaviest licorice-taste I ever tasted in a beer. It's a little like drinking licorice allsorts (the candy) and you just have to like it.

BBT 2010 - d'Achouffe

This was the big disappointment of the trip. Disappointment is the wrong word but after visiting 4 small breweries this gigantic complex felt like an abomination to mother earth. What just some days ago should have been interesting was now just like visiting a factory. Sure, the guide was good and kind to us speaking English a little even if the tour we went with were in Dutch and everything was professional. But seriously, how interesting is that?

The worst part of it was the tasting afterwards. We were led to some kind of smokey local bar playing this terrible song. We drank up and left for the long trip back to Antwerp.Mc Chouffe
Belgium
ABV: 8%
Rating: 2
A very mild and quite tasteless beer. Dull.














Chouffe Houblon Dobbelen IPA Triple
Belgium
ABV: 9%
Rating: 4
Tastes surprisingly much like a good IPA. Alcohol well hidden and not much of the Belgian style showing.













La Chouffe
Belgium
ABV: 8%
Rating: 3
A pleasant fruity standard Belgian ale. Nothing special.

BBT 2010 - La Brasserie Fantôme

Expectations were high when we reached La Brasserie Fantôme and we entered a very cosy building. The Fantôme himself, Dany, showed us around in his brewery. You could see that he is a hard-working man and a real enthusiast. Unfortunately for us he seemed to be in quite a hurry and the tour was very quick. I don't blame him though, he seemed to have a lot of work going on.

His wife then took care of us for some tasting of their beer and it was a relaxing and interesting experience. Fantôme experiments a lot with spices and according to me that's only positive. Too bad I didn't like all of his experiments but my guess is when Dany gets it right it will be fabulous. The whole place is very likeable and I hope to return there some day for more bizarre experiences.

Fantôme
Belgium
ABV: 8%
Rating: 4
A nice smell of Abricots meets the nose as it is poured. It tastes of a fruity yeast and you can sense some classical ale far away but the taste of this brew is unique. As it grows warmer it tastes a little like artificial strawberry. In a good way. What holds it back a bit is that it has very little after-taste.









Fantôme Chocolat
Belgium
ABV: 8%
Rating: 3
A chocolate beer that doesn't taste like chocolate. Instead it tastes like banana. It has a bitter after-taste and gets rounder as it grows warmer. More fun than good actually.












Fantôme Fleur de Bomal
Belgium
ABV: 8%
Rating: 3
This is bizarre for real. It scents and tastes like pencil sharpening. Very spicy, mostly oregano but even some other spices. I just now found out that oregano is actually used in this brew so I give myself an extra golden star for my developing tasting skills. It is a smooth beer but also a little sour. Also more fun than good.









Fantôme Hiver
Belgium
ABV: 8%
Rating: 2
The saison-brew for the winter. It smells like strawberries but unfortunately it tastes like canned mushrooms. It's acidic with a sour after-taste with hints of sweet licorice. Since I was scared of mushrooms when I was a kid and still have problems with the taste this beer is nothing for me. I guess it deserves a better rating but I can't honestly give it that.

BBT 2010 - Abbaye des Rocs

New day - new adventures. This day we travelled to the south of Belgium and our first stop was Abbaye des Rocs. No one seemed to know we were coming even though I had been in mail contact with them but they welcomed us for a detailed brewery tour and some tasting without hesitation. The language barrier was a major problem since none of us speak any real French and none of them speak any real English. Still it was very interesting and they patiently answered our attempts at questions so it was a really pleasant visit.
The brewery had a very rustic feeling to it and the dungeon-lift to the basement was a story in itself. A great start of day two.

Abbaye des Rocs Blanche des Honnelles
Belgium
ABV: 6%
Rating: 3
Wheaty. A little mild but not wimpy at all, rather well-balanced. Notes of citrus. A good standard beer.













Abbaye des Rocs Nounette
Belgium
ABV: 7%
Rating: 3
Very sweet. Dry but smooth in mouth and throat. Great taste but nothing special enough to reach a rating of 4.













Abbaye des Rocs Montagnarde
Belgium
ABV: 9%
Rating: 3
Sweet and a little sour. Tastes a lot from coriander. A little dull but fully drinkable.













Abbaye des Rocs Brune
Belgium
ABV: 9%
Rating: 4
Licorice and vanilla. Pleasant round taste with hints of ginger. Very nice and very close to a rating of 5.

BBT 2010 - Kulminator, first visit

In the short time I have been knowing about Kulminator expectations had grown big. Kulminator is such a rare thing as a pub that specialises in aged beer. The owner Dirk has some reputation for being a bit odd and judging when it comes to his customers so all these circumstances together made me feel almost like executing a pilgrimage.
I was both disappointed and satisfied after my visit. Dirk was not grumpy at all, rather the opposite and the rumours about his wife being bullied around seemed to come from thin air. There were some cats sneaking around and the restroom's smell wasn't the best but apart from that the place was clean and smoke free.
I think my main problem is the clientèle. Students in uniform and loud-mouth American world champions have never been my first pick of company and I know that I'm ignorant when writing this. But I still write it since it makes me sad that I'm a person who loves beer that dislikes persons who loves beer. It's a strange world isn't it? Anyway, this is not Kulminator's fault but it clouds the experince a bit.

At least I had some interesting beer:

Witkap Dubbel 2000
Belgium
ABV: 7%
Rating: 3
I was warned by Leen about it being very sour and I thought "What the heck, I have been drinking infected Witkap with a pure stable taste so I should be able to handle this.". It was actually a pretty interesting beer with a sharp lime taste. It was very sour as Leen told me but taste actually became more well-rounded as it grew warmer. Nice but not worth ageing for ten years.







Dominus Dubbel 2001
Netherlands
ABV: 6.5%
Rating: 3
Tastes like blackberry jam with a very weird bitterness that I can't describe properly with words even if I would try in Swedish. Notes of citrus and the blackberry taste transforms to raspberry as it grows warmer. Interesting but a little to strange.