Lovely russet brown coloring, bright ruby red highlights, beautiful off-white foam, lace-leaving.
Aromatics: soft and creamy, vanilla and spice. Some caramel, a little date. Nice. Very nice.
Taste: Mellow, rounded and groovy. Flavors of apple, molasses, brown sugar. Caramel. Spice, pepper. Raisin and plum.Keen malty flavor, with a great buzz of hoppiness, matched with yeast character. This is a great little tango, medium malt body, sweetness kept in check with hop bitterness, dark fruit and mild cocoa flavor dominates.
It's hard to really make a clear call on this one, for it's unlike any other beer I've ever had, and doesn't fit any style there is. A conundrum, a challenge, and a call to clear the mind and seek out every aspect.
It seems close to an abbey dubbel, but lacks the depth or sweetness. Not that that should be a detriment, not everything has to be thick and rich. This is elegance, it's classic, it's sui generis.
At first I thought I had the key to this, when I read of it's origins as a doubled version of an old style called "speciale belge", and how it wasn't truly an abbey dubbel. But now, I'm getting just enough like one, and a whole lot apart from that, that still spells a terrific Belgian dark ale, regardless of the label.
This is elegant, sophisticated, clean, clear and purposeful. It just is. Damn good, that is. Wow.
Every Glazen Toren beer I've had has been like this, utterly unique and colored outside the lines. This is what's great about Belgian beers, and Kleinbrouwerij Glazen Toren is an excellent example of the non-conformist spirit of Belgian brewing.
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