"Belgiums strongest beer" Apparently!

So the first review I am going to do on the new blog is of a beer which claims to be something different. I like different beers.....This one claims to be the strongest Belgian beer (or so the label says). Although a quick scout on the net soon reveals that there are others at the same strength, but I am sure that the marketing people already dismissed 'one of Belgiums strongest beers'. Anyway to cut to the chase this beer is Dubuissons 'Bush Ambree'.

 The beer doesnt normally float like that, thats just my dodgy camera

So the beer was served from my lovely Spiegelau snifter and served at about 12°C. Just for the record where I am based at the moment in France, this beer is very easy to get a hold of from bigger supermarkets. It set me back about £1.60 for 250ml.

The beer is 12% ABV and is an amber style belgian strong ale. Well it poured nicely out of the bottle, not too livley but a nice touch of fizz about it. Going into the snifter it was quite syrupy and I could already smell the alcohol from it and also spade load of sugar and caramel.

Look- A real tangerine look about this beer, not quite the colour I was expecting for an amber style beer. Absolutely crystal clear no hue to this beer at all. It went very fizzy into the glass but that was shortlived and the head disapeared very quickly.

Nose- A real strong alcohol kick from this one. A little treacle and a huge dose of freshly cut grass. I can almost smell a vegetable smell from it....not unlike raw carrot. Huge doses of caramel.

Taste- Straight away the alcohol and pepper overpowers, far too much of a good thing coming through. However after this subsides slightly the caramel does come through and balance this beer out a touch, but just not enough for my liking. There is some dark fruit on the palate too, followed by a very lingering taste of farmyard. It does feel quite round in the mouth I suppose which could make this a suitable after dinner beer (also coupled with its strength).

I actually cannot tell you whether I liked this beer or not. I know for certain that I found it to be quite unbalanced but I can also see that it has a time and a place like a lot of other beers that I wouldnt drink every week. Overall, I do not think I will be rushing back to buy it again, but similarly I wouldnt avoid it.

On the plus side I am going to a beer shop nearby tomorrow which claims to have over 400+ beers, so I can stock up the cellar a little. I just hope that they are not all made by the faceless giant brewers! I hope you have enjoyed my first beer blog....all comments/suggestions are more than welcome. I am new to being on this side of the beer blog so they will be taken on board.

Thanks for reading!