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

500 ml bottle, batch #28. Bottle conditioned. Very cloudy brownish colour, moderate but lasting off-white head. Pleasant aroma of aromatic hops, hints of cider apples and leather, even some barnyard. Flavour has some malty and brown sugar sweetness, but also a distinct peppery and resinous bitterness. Peppery mouthfeel. Long bitter aftertaste. Will probably improve with age.

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

300 ml bottle, bought in Frederikshavn, Denmark. ABV is 6.8%. Top fermented blonde ale, brewed since 1994, allegedly replicated from a city of Haarlem recipe from 1501. Cloudy golden colour, huge head. Yeasty and fruity aroma, notes of barnyard and rotting/fermenting apples and pears. Flavour and aftertaste are fruity and mildly acidic, hints of oak and spices. Good beer!

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

330 ml bottle, bought in Frederikshavn, Denmark, as "Kapittel Watou Blond". "Het" seems no longer to be part of the beer’s name, or have they different labels for different countries? Anyway, the beer pours hazy golden with a large head. Typical Belgian blond ale elements in the aroma: Yeasty, fruity, spicy, oaky, hints of barnyard. Flavour is mildly spicy and hoppy on a moderately sweet and malty background. Not a "big" beer, but nice.

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

330 ml bottle, bought in Frederikshavn, Denmark, as "Kapittel Watou Pater" (no "Het" on the label anymore). ABV is 6.0%. Clear and beautiful reddish brown colour, large and lasting light tan head. Nice malty aroma with notes of caramel and bakery, hints of wood, Christmas spices and dark fruits. Flavour is malty sweet but also fruity and zesty, quite nice. Some spices in the background. Definitely not a bad beer, but a tad too sweet to make me ecstatic.

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

(330 ml bottle, ABV 6,2%). This fine beer is cloudy deep golden with an enormous creamy head. It has an intense, overwhelming but lovely aroma of ensilage, horse stable, leather and spicy fruit cake. The flavour is complex and spicy, hops stand out, the aftertaste is dry but could have lasted a little longer. Still, this is clearly a world class beer. Definitely moreish!

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

I guess Belgian blonds are not my favourite style, the yeast becomes too dominant in both aroma and flavour, not least in this one. Of course it's better than any macro swill, but give me a darker beer, please!

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

This was my first Trappist ale, surely most of the others must be better?? Well, it's not a bad sipping beer, but I expected so much more. Lovely aroma when you open the bottle, diminishes considerably in the glass. I started drinking it too cold, but it didn't improve much as it warmed up. Sweetish aftertaste. Maybe I would have liked it more with a solid meal? Definitely not worth the price.

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

750 ml champagne style corked bottle, bought in Denmark. Pleasant fruity and yeasty aroma. Clear golden colour, good head. A light bodied (despite 6.5% ABV) blonde ale, aimed to please - and it does. Flavour is fruity sweet but not cloying, just a faint hint of spices. Easy drinking, some other raters seem to have expected a strong and dark Belgian to hit them in the head - forget that, this is a delicate French blonde to be savoured for what it is. I like it!

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

(33 cl bottle). Golden colour, good head and lacing. Nutmeg, cloves and oak in aroma and flavour, aftertaste a bit short, but not bad for a blonde. Some sweetness, but not too much. Decent.

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

(Bottle in Amsterdam, the restaurant nearest the Concergebouw). Reddish amber colour, moderate head. Flavour and mouthfeel more of a premium lager than an ale, good beer but nothing to get excited about. Fairly malty, some caramel, lager-like carbonation.

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

This Easter brew is one of the best Dutch beers I've had, even if the "style" isn't my definite favourite. Had it on tap in Amsterdam, very enjoyable indeed. Pleasant spicy aroma with hints of leather and wood, the yeast is not as dominant as with some other beers of this style. Some sweetness in flavour and aftertaste, but not too much. Apparently this is a "you either like it or you don't"-beer. And I like it!

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

Bottle, under its alias "Goliath", RBESG 2005 Grand Tasting. Sweetish malty aroma and flavour, not that remarkable. There are better Belgian beers to be had.

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

330 ml bottle. Pale straw coloured, slightly hazy, very large head. Interesting and complex yeasty, flowery and spicy aroma, some citrus and oak too. Flavour is zesty and spritzy with spices and decent hops, not too sweet. A very enjoyable Belgian blonde!

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 5 | Mouthfeel: 5 | Flavor: 5 | Overall: 5

Bottle, at Den Tatoverede Enke, Copenhagen. Sweet wort aroma, verging on "sickly". Malty sweet flavour too, not much to make me happy here. A cute label and decorated original glass did not help.

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

750 ml bottle, corked "champagne" style, labeled Grain d’Orge Tradition, bought in Denmark. I presume this is the same beer - ABV is the same. Clear golden to amber colour, large to moderate head. Aroma is yeasty and fruity (raisins, cider apples), hints of leather and oak. Mouthfeel is a bit fizzy, flavour is spicy and reasonably hoppy with a noticeable alcoholic bite.

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

750 ml bottle, corked "champagne" style. "Best before" date 23.03.2001! - brewed by De Smedt. Cloudy brown colour, large and lingering light tan head. Excellent vinous aroma, oak, red berries, leather. Pleasant oaky flavour with a nice acidity, vinous character. Notes of spices, well balanced hops. Very nice "cave beer".

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

Bottle, RBESG 2005, Grand Tasting. Cloudy golden colour. Elderflower aroma. Refreshing elderflower and cloves + coriander flavour. The high ABV is well hidden.

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

330 ml bottle, bought in Denmark. Clear golden colour, moderate head that doesn’t last very long. Pleasant sweet aroma of banana, bubblegum, cloves and coriander, Saazer hops of course, hints of dried fruits and oak. Flavour is not that remarkable, spices and alcohol mainly, hints of nuts and oak too. Drinkable, but overpriced.

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

Bottle, reads only "Boerke", RBESG 2005 Grand Tasting. Slightly hazy amber to brown colour. Barnyard aroma. Moderately dry flavour, hints of oak, decent hops.

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

Draught at Café t'Arendsnest, Amsterdam. I expected of some reason this to be a Dutch copy of English cask ales, but it has a more yeasty and spicy flavour than any English brew I've had, and is also more carbonated. (But not as carbonated as Belgian ales). Flavour is otherwise dominated by rather bitter hops (but not as bitter as the barman made me expect). The colour is light brown, slightly hazy. You'd think the ABV was higher than it actually is. It is not a bad brew, but I'd prefer most English ales / bitters to this one. Still it's nice to find Dutch alternatives to the inevitable macrobrews

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

Bottle, at Delirium Café, Göteborg. Amber colour, large head. Spicy aroma with leather, dried fruits and oak. Flavour is quite mellow with some leather, oak, dried fruits and hops. Not bad.

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

Bottle, at Delirium Café, Göteborg. Hazy blonde ale. Hoppy citrus aroma. Citrusy / lemony flavour, quite nice. Made with buckwheat, which probably contributes the the citrussy flavour, together with the hops.

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

Bottle, at Delirium Café. Hazy golden colour, large head. Vinous aroma with leather, barnyard and oak. Flavour is oaky and slightly sour, oily mouthfeel.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 5 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 6

From the tank at the brewery, RBESG 2006. According to the brewer, this beer "with a Belgian palate" is the result of a mistake, and it is weaker than intended. Deep golden colour, slightly hazy, large head. Moderate yeasty aroma with faint hints of barnyard. Moderate flavour of "dusty" hops, faint hints of pepper, fairly dry. Mouthfeel is too watery.

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

RBESG 2006 Grand Tasting. Cloudy pale golden colour, low head. Yeasty farmhouse aroma, some pleasant sourish fruity notes. Moderately yeasty and spicy flavour, reminiscent of a Belgian white.