Scaldis Caractėre Imperial Belgian Ale

Scaldis Caractėre Imperial Belgian Ale. AKA Bush Caractėre.

12 % ABV, 25 IBU. Brasserie Dubuisson, Pipaix, Wallonie Belgium

Clear, amber hued, slim white head. 

In the nose: Here it is. Belgian yeast, Belgian malt, all the goodies, dark, sweet, funky, ...this has the goods. The deep, dark, Belgian yeast goods. 

In the mouth: Sweet meets strong. Bam. Malt is king, and alcohol is queen. 12%? Ha! I laugh at thee! And it rich, malty, nutty, caramely, all well-balanced, and delicious and lovely. So many layers of deliciousness, so many kinds of yum a dum dum. 

It's my last bottle of the 4-pack (as is my custom), and I wish I had more. $20 a 4-pack is too much for me to repeat it so soon, but I can only expressly encourage you to follow my lead, and pick this one up if you see it...you won't regret it. 

Introduced in 1933 under the name of “Bush Beer”, this is one of the oldest specialty beers in Belgium and the flagship brand of the Dubuisson Brasserie.

The Bush Caractère is a filtered, top-fermented beer made from malt, hops, natural sugars, water from the brewery’s own underground source and an exclusive house yeast that has been cultivated for 80 years.

The pronounced bitter-sweet taste of this beer, its gentle taste structure and characteristic amber colour are all due to the caramel malts used and the expertise and patience of the master brewer (the beer rests for four to six weeks). The high density – the proportion of malt – and the active house yeast make for one of the strongest Belgian beers, with an alcohol volume of 12%. 

Scaldis Triple Blond Ale

Scaldis Blonde Ale Tripel, Brasserie Dubuisson, Pipaix,Belgium. 10.5% ABV.

I can't believe I've never had this before. Where has it been? Here in the Nib, I've included only a few beers from Brasserie Dubuisson, those being the Scaldis Noel (they're called Scaldis in the States and Bush in Belgium, probably due to issues with Anheuser-Busch.) and the Cuvee des Trolls 10th Anniversary edition. Over in BeerAdvocate.com, where I posted my reviews before starting this blog in 2010, I've had, in addition to those, the original Cuvee des Trolls, Peche Mel, Scaldis Amber, and Bush de Noel Premium. How did this one escape me? Well, I finally found it, marked down at a local store.

I can't help second-guessing my glassware choices.
I hunted for my Scaldis glass, which must have gotten
broken long ago, but should definitely have gone with
a fancier Belgian chalice, rather than this simple snifter.

To the eye: slim, white head, murky appearance, amber hue, very rustic-looking.

In the nose: a little sour at first, slightly fruity, touch of hops.

In the mouth: Hops, fruit, alcohol. Bigness in each. A load of crispy, cracker-y malt on the palate, but high hops, booze, yeast loom over all. Large and boozy. Not that that's ever a bad thing. Big, boozy, Belgian-y, yum. I enjoyed this big bottle until the night came to a crashing end. Funky, fruity, wild and weird. These guys....man, these guys. Note to self: Go out and get the rest of the Scaldis', bring 'em all into the Nib.

In this tripel, the in-bottle re-fermentation has given an intense effervescence to the aromas of the Bush Blonde. The re-fermentation has also sympathetically developed the Blonde's well-rounded, tender character. 

I yanked that off of Untappd, not sure where they got it from. This is the back label: "Scaldis Blond Triple is Brasserie Dubuisson's golden ale. Sharing the finesse and balance of all the delicious Scaldis beers, it is an elegant and day ale with wonderful orchard fruit aromas of orange and peach. And because it is re-fermented in the bottle, it has the natural sparkle that perfectly compliments it's flavors. Suitable for cellaring."

Scaldis Noel

The Brasserie Dubuisson makes a variety of strong ales under the name of Bush. Unfortunately, a large American (formerly, now Belgian-owned) beer firm dislikes the similarity to their family name and kindly requests they call it something else on our shores. Scaldis, it is. Scaldis Noel was part of Belg-a-Rama #2. These are my notes from a bottle consumed in February, 2003:

"At $4.99 for a tidy 8.48 oz. bottle, this is the champ for the title of most expensive beer I've ever purchased. Was it worth it? It was worth the try, but I don't imagine breaking the bank to stock up on this tiny powerhouse.
Muddy, dark brown in color, creeping on violet, with small yeasty particles floating about, and a small, diminishing head. Aroma is heady and deep, dominated by fruit associations of the grape variety. Sweet, but not too hoppy. Malt is predominant to an incredible degree. Full and fierce on the tongue, with hops showing off to give a good charge upon the palate. And alcohol follows into the fray, and never lets go...
One sip in, and I'm feeling drunk already! Look at me, one leg in the air, arm wrapped around a lamppost, swinging to no discernable rhythm, finger crooked inside the handle of a little brown jug, marked XXX, singing, "How Dry I Am"...
Body is full, flavor is thick and fascinating, and boozy!, texture is marvelous, altogether, a formidable and unforgettable beer!
However, the large grape/wine flavor, and the 12% ABV make me wonder how a glass of 14% Shiraz doesn't smack me up like Scaldis does?"

The keg just killed today, but I didn't go without my personal fill. Awesome stuff, smoother and maltier on tap, but still sharp, strong, and very brandy-ish, barley-wine-like. A great cold-weather treat.

I think I've beat the price once or twice, and still wonder about the booze effect.