Style: Fruit sour beer
Brewery: Brouwerij De Brabandere
Origin: Belgium
Size: 33cl
Alcohol: 8.5%
Price: 41kr
Systembolaget: 88371
Award won: World’s Best Flavoured Fruit & Vegetable beer – 2023 World Beer Awards.
This is a blend of two different sorts of beers: 85% dubbel bruin with cherries and 15% Petrus Aged Pale foeder beer. A foeder beer is a beer that has been stored in big oak barrels called foeders. In this case, the beer was stored for two years, which has imparted a sour and intense note. This also won a silver medal at the World Beer Challenge, then went on to win first prize as Belgium’s best fruity beer.
The colour was a pleasant mix of ruby red, purple and dark chocolate brown. The slightly pink head held with the thick body sticking to the edges of the glass when swirled. The aroma was amazing, with the fresh cherry notes expanding with every sniff. Blackcurrant leaves, oak and almonds were also noted, creating a delicious aroma that just begs to be tasted. The thick, sticky body instantly coated the palate, leaving the big fruity notes at the forefront long after tasting. What I particularly enjoyed is that even though the cherry notes are massive, they don’t override the malts and the character of the beer is still present behind the fruit. The aftertaste was warming, with the alcohol noticed well after swallowing.
This was absolutely amazing. The bold cherry notes really made this beer stand out in the crowd. If you like dark fruits, this is a beer you need to try.