t Smisje Calva Reserva

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 10 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 10

The t Smisje Calva Reserva was one of the beers I had at Max's 72-hours of Belgian Beers Fest. In fact it was my favorite beer that I had that day and probably the best beer I've had in ages. When I asked for this, I had no idea what I was getting myself into, but I'm sure glad I reached for this.

When the beer was served, I examined it and found it has a very warm looking, reddish-brown color to it with a light cloudy haziness. The head was small and white with a slight fizziness to it. The lacing on the other hand was out of this world! Absolutely the best lacing I've ever seen on a beer with a full coat on the walls of my glass. I was shocked considering how small the head was when I was served the beer. The aroma was wonderful and warm. A huge bouquet of toasted malts with a hint of brown sugar and maples syrup filled my nose and I was in love!

When I drank this beer, I was bowled over with the warmth and flavor packed into this amazing beer. This one is 12% and can be very dangerous due to the smooth drinking, excellent flavor, and smooth carbonation. The flavor from front to back is absolutely sweet and that taste stays in your mouth well after consuming it. It's a wonderful mixture of caramel, toffee, brown sugar, maple syrup....all the wonderful winter flavors are in there.

I am absolutely floored by the other reviews of this beer. It's almost like everyone got a different beer than the one that I was served. Although I'm positive this is the right beer. Who knows, maybe this thing is a turd in the bottle. All I know is that this is in the top 5 of all beers I've ever had in my life.

Aroma: 4 | Appearance: 5 | Mouthfeel: 4 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 4

Yikes. Nice to find taking the whole "liquor barrel aging" process to insanely silly heights is not reserved just for American brewers. And while I know it's both an older sample (thus general lack of zip to this bottle), to me there is no doubt in my mind that this beer is (was?) so over-the-top as to be both unapproachable and unenjoyable.

But really? That's a little unfair on my part. This does have the hints of something that could be worthwhile. The fruitish (plum?) highlights in the front and the middle do give this some sort of character -- keeping it from sheer one-dimensionality. But really? I think anything worth two glances at in the beer store -- with ~12%ABV -- is inherently going to have the typical elements found in most Quadruppels et al. In other words, I'm not so convinced that the positive elements found in this beer are enough to balance out the many negatives. Namely, the firely liquor-ish aspect of this, the absolute lack of carbonation, and the drying astrigency in the mouthfeel and the finish really kill this beer for me....

I bought this on a whim while in Washington DC. You win some, you lose some...
"R.I.P., 't Smisje Calva Reserva"

Music: 1349's self-titled E.P.
//TB

Aroma: 4 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 5 | Flavor: 4 | Overall: 4

07.03.05 250ml bottle (these little things really bug me). Hazy bourbon brown pour with only a trace of head. Sticky stuff leaves a tacky film on everything it touches. Lots of brown sugar in the nose, some butterscotch, nutty, milk chocolate. Cripes, it smells like a Milky Way, not that that’s a bad thing. Body is completely flat, sticky, and sugary sweet. Tastes like a Werthers hard candy with miniscule hints of drowned fruits, raisin, apple, fig...mostly fig. Way way way way way too sweet. I don’t taste or smell any of the spice mentioned, and the cask aging is mostly showing up as a vanilla and must background.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

Was a barleywine in my book. Poured a murky orange-brown with a bunch of sedimentation. Lots of honey and malty sweetness in the aroma along with sherry / liquor. The flavor was of honey, molasses, caramel and other sweet malts. Candi sugar? I dunno, it was a bit odd tasting (caramel) for being able to pick up on that or any belgian spices. Finishes with some bittering hops noticeable. Mouthfeel was sticky and thick.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 6

330ml bottle. Deep orange gold color, slightly murky. Small sized white foamy head. Aroma is dark fruit, banana esters, wood and a touch sour. A medium bodied Strong Ale. Malts are fruity and sweet, lots of fruit flavors, apples, pears, brown sugar and molasses. The usual balance of spices and yeast esters. Hides the 12% alcohol very well. This beer is kind of murky and confusing, there are a lots of flavors going on here and they really don’t mix very well at times. Mouthfeel is full and round. Finish is clean and smooth. Aftertaste is sweet.

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 10 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 7

Had this one after the Split rock resort festival. Very enjoyable. This beer is a warming beer, great to drink on a cold night under the stars. Well balanced. Malty. Some coriander. Not a bad beer.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 7

Poured a murky brown color with no head. Aroma of yeast, apples, coriander, sweet candy and alcohol. Sweet candy taste, some molassas, and chocolate as well. Alcohol is very pronounced here. Sweet and alcoholic and just slightly enjoyable.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 6

This beer pours with a cloudy reddish-brown body topped by a thin head with little lacing left on the glass. The aroma is sweet and malty with caramel/toffee and candy notes, as well as, slight apple notes. The flavor is a little too sweet and has notes of caramel apples and malt. Medium bodied and smooth.