First beer after Covid, smell & taste starting to come back… this well known classic of this year‘s vintage is a good way to start. As earlier years, it pours dark brown in glass, with massive head on top. I get hints of nutmeg, sweet (Caramelly) dark fruit and woody notes in the nose.

Tastewise it is fresh ‘n bubbly, with that typical belgian yeast-driven interface, if you will. Entangled in somewhat spicy/herbal notes, fused with the given heat from the solid ABV, the 2021 version stands out with a much thinner body than all previous years.  Almost a bit watery(?) Still, the overall taste is nice. Regardless of the season.

Photo: M. K. Burheim

This is an interesting one as I’ve had this particular beer several times before. However, when you strike a bottle from 2009 (that’s 10 years back in time from when writing), one simply has to try. This also means that this bottle came right before craft beer became hip in Norway (and partly Europe). Visuals: Murky brown color. Very little carbonation. Pours no head at all! Lightly boozy nose with oaky, caramelish notes. Highly ripe, perhaps on the borderline to what’s optimal. Let’s dive in…

The sweetness is at first present, before a small flame of heat. Taste of figs and dark fruits and dates. Further on, small bubbly action (surprisingly!) going on in there, and really really mature malt-driven taste that has developed beautifully in the bottle over the years. Long, warming aftertaste. Nice recap with this classic legend.

Photo: M.K. Burheim

Brownish-black coloured with a beautiful foamy hat. The nose is highly malty and the actual taste does of course not disappoint. Well-balanced is just the first letter- this is nothing but astonishing. Caramel, Norwegian brown goat cheese, rounded off with the elite of delicious honey. All around in the mouthful, it’s just spreading like a virus throughout, escalating to culminate in a finish of long tasting toffee/lightly bitter climax.

With a colour as dark that one can’t see through, one expects some heavy business… And it sure is. But especcially in the way, that the sharp taste of alcohol eventually shines through- Because it is draped in a great veil of sweetness and a taste similar to a weissbier (a dunkel one) with grand carbonization. Surprising in the way it takes turns, not in a negative way. As a matter of fact quite tasty for being as sharp as it is.

Deep roasted malts with hints of caramel. Dark brown in colour with a beautifully perfect head. It reveals itself gradually, starting off with a quick fresh intro (even though the texture is quite light, it’s very powerful for the tastebuds) which evolves into roasted walnuts and sweetness- the malts herein are making this as significant as it is. After this, it goes into an interesting, mature bitterness, all topped with a dry finish.

Now we’re talking belgian style! Quite dark  for a Trappist to be, but well tasting. Almost like an angry Weissbier with a nice fruity, rounded body but slightly bitter- somehow this feels more balanced than the 0,33 cl version of the blue Chimay.