Vapeur en Folie

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

Dark yellow, white short lasting, little lacing foam head. Quite some CO2 there. Sweet barley aroma and taste, vanilla notes. Great gift from Tim. (Rotterdam 201609)

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

330 ml capped bottle bought at the brewery. Poured a gushing and hazy rich golden-amber coloured ale with a generous three fingers beige creamy head that had a very long retention and tons of micro bubbles. Active carbonation. Many sediments. Some lacing. The aroma is aciditic fruits, apples, citrus, mandarin. The flavour is caramelized malts, yeasty, spicy, cinnamom, coriander, orange peels, sourish fruits, apples, citrus. The mouthfeel is crispy and fizzy. This full bodied ale has a spicy and fruity finish. A real Belgian Strong Ale , behind the spices and fruits, the hiding alcohol is well and truly the dominating actor.

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

A golden appearance with a white head. The aroma is yeasty and spicy with some citrus like lemons and some alcohol showing. The flavor is rather sour with some vinegar, lemon, grapefruit, and spices. My bottle had some age on it but it seemed to age nicely. Overall a good beer.

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

Bottle: Poured a hazy golden color ale with a good size foamy head with good retention and minimal lacing. Aroma of peachy ester with some light spicy notes. Taste is a nice balance mix between some peachy and fruity ester with a nice medium sweet Belgian malt backbone with some very light funky notes at the end. Full body with good carbonation and no apparent alcohol.

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

08.06.05 Sampled from 750ml thanks to Jimmack. Clouded straw color, big white head. Aroma is simple, pears, caramel, cobwebs. Caramel apple flavor, but not like a real caramel apple, more like one of those green candies with the caramel in the middle. Despite the sweet sound, it’s actually nicely tart and finishes dry, almost vanishing. Certainly drinkable and decent if not exciting.

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

Bottled. Hazy yellowish orange colour, big creamy head. Cookies mixed with fruit and malt in aroma. Flavour of sour fruits, sweet cookies and malt. Very dry finish, but refreshing flavour. A bit sticky palate. Kind of hard to say if it’s good or bad, quite special flavour atleast.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 4 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 6

1996 bottle. It was just sour. Smelt sour with some barn yard charactor. Tasted sour. Stripped my tounge with sourness. It was hazy yellow. I don’t know if it was supposed to be that sour, but it wasn’t very pleasing.

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

Now this is a truly odd beer. What the heck is this?

I popped the cap and pulled the cork on this one, and poured a decent amount into one of my Belgian goblets. The very first wiff of the aroma, and the very taste, said to me "Gueuze": very sour/tart, and quite dry. Interesting, as far a Gueuze goes.

But then I get on this site to post a review, and it's listed as Belgian Strong Ale. Since Brasserie à Vapeur doesn't do any Spontaneous Fermentation beers, it just stands to reason that this is not a Gueuze or Lambic. But is it a "Belgian Strong Pale Ale"...? I have no idea.

So putting aside the rather confusing intended style of this beer, it's quite refreshing on a hot Summer evening -- like all Lambics and Gueuzes are, IMO.

The label mentions Haullertauer hops and Cumin (?) -- maybe it's the Cumin that gives this beer such an odd quasi-Gueuze twang?

Regardless, I enjoyed this beer -- even more so now that I know that it's confused more than a few other BA-er's in the past. Infected Pale Ale or Lambic-esqe Ale..., I don't care. In the long run, only the enjoyment of the finished beer counts. And I for one enjoyed the tarter-than-tartness of this rather obscure no-to-litttle beer.
//TB

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

1989... Pored a murky golden color, with a quickly diminishing off white head that left very light lacing the glass. Aroma of barnyard, leather, sweet citrus, vanilla and alcohol. Taste of citrus, yeast, and tart grapes. The fresher bottle (newer label) had a nicer aroma with lots of spices, cardamom, and citrus, with more carbonation. i was still surprised how much carbonation the 1989 vintage had.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 5 | Flavor: 4 | Overall: 4

dark orange colour, fine head, alcohol and bready aroma, soft and sweet, bubble-gum like, dry apricot finish - I'm definitely not a fan of this brewery