Bellegems Bruin

Despite illness and poor wi-fi capabilities, and not drinking as much, I'm still holding to my goal of a post, or, I should say a beer (bottlecaps don't count!) for every day of the month. Got some catching up to do. And if that means 3 posts on a Friday, so be it.

And here we have this tasty oud bruin that I just tapped last night. Tapped keg one in November, and it was part of the first Belg-a-Rama line-up. The other two kegs of the three I brought in have been waiting since then. They're doing fine, and it's Bellegems Bruin's time to shine. Now, it's on right next to it's brother, Cuvee des Jacobins Rouge Flanders Red.

So, here are my original notes from November 2010:
"On tap, from a fresh keg. Appearance, clear, dark garnet hue, deep eggplant with crimson edges, under slim, but lasting dotted beige head.

Aroma: grape, cherries, and blackberries hit the nose first, with caramel malt beneath. A rendezvous between sour and sweet, with sour taking over assuredly.

Taste: the sweet and sour tug of war begins immediately again on hitting the palate. Sour fruit commands the stage with malty brown ale flavors holding steady in the background, but plainly giving way to the dominant tart. Another sip, another wince and pucker, but the sweet factor and the comforting caramel malt backbone ease us away from any onslaught of tartitude.

Medium bodied, and long in the finish, with sweetness and sour aplenty, quenching and refreshing as the best of them.
I do love our bruins, and perhaps I prefer them to flanders reds, the jury's still out on that one. This one would make a fine every day drinking, with-food-drinking, all around enjoyable ale, with price being the only hindrance.

Glad to finally try it at last, after seeing it in my old, dusty Michael Jackson tomes of yore!"