Vapeur dAntan

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 7

07.08.05 RBSG Big aroma of produce aisle, various traces of musty fruits, lettuces, sprouts, cucumber, unbruised apple and pear. Surprising sourness. Coin tartness. Lots of cucumber. Weird but good.

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

"Bottled in 1996". Also, "7 96" hand-written in ink on the bottle cap.

Apparently a fairly rare beer -- only two reviews previous to this one. So where did this beer come from? Where has it been hiding the past seven years? Is this a riddle wrapped up in an mystery wrapped up in an enigma?

Poured into my Duvel glass, this is yet another Vapeur beer that comes across more Gueze/Lambic-like than any other Belgian Strong Pale Ale I've ever run across. Sour-tart apple aroma.

Flavor-wise, more of the same: mega-tart apple-esqe profile, with a sourness that is almost the Energizer Bunny in lasting power: the sourness just keeps going and going and going...

Actually, that's where my only significant qualm with this beer comes into play. "Yes, I know this is sour, and tart, and quite ciderish. Does it have much else going for it? Some sort of other layer of complexity? Bueller? Bueller?..." Almost tiring in it's constant onslaught of pseudo-Lambicness.

Probably a good intro beer for folks willing to make the not-so-gentle leap from "normal" ales to lambics, for which I guess I have to respect. But for normal day-to-day drinking, this gets tiring way too quickly.

An infected Belgian Strong Pale Ale, that actually comes across vaguely interesting as a pseudo-Lambic.

Grudging respect, but difficult to recommend.
//TB

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

Light orange color - cloudy with a tight head. Complex nose with a bit of lambic like funk in both the nose and flavor. Crisp and sweet / tart flavors combine to make this a very interesting golden ale.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

This brew pours with a cloudy orange body topped by a thin head with some lacing. The aroma is tart and vinious with a slight sweetness and a touch of barnyard. Some lemony notes are also evident. The flavor is tart vinious and lemony with barnyard notes. Light bodied, crisp and dry.