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Category Archives: Bosteels

Review of Bosteels Pauwel Kwak

What’s up guys? Everyone doing alright? Thanks for checking back in on another craft beer review. Today, I’m going to be trying the Pauwel Kwak produced by Brouwerij Bosteels from Buggenhout, Belgium.

I’ve never had this beer before. Actually, I’ve only ever had the Tripel Karmeliet from Bosteels…. and we all know how good that beer is.

Let’s get to the website, bestbelgianspecialbeers.be, and see what we can find out about this brew.

Full-bodied Belgian Specialty Ale. Amber in color with beautiful foam and slightly sweet, seductive malt character. Rich, satisfying Belgian experience.

Ok. Let’s give it a pour.

The Kwak came in a 25.4 oz. bottle and it possessed an 8.4% ABV.

It poured a hazy, deep orange, amber, burgundy mixture of color. The head was off white and rather small. The texture was a touch fizzy and soapy, however it was tightly compacted. The retention time was slight as was the lacing. It kind of looked like a Coca-Cola (crown and all). The body became more clear as it warmed.

The nose released big hints of cinnamon bread and banana bread. A gorgeous waft of yeast commingled with spices of cinnamon and clove. Tones of brown sugar and caramel added even more goodness. The bouquet sort of smelled like those dehydrated banana and apple chips. Very nice. Only a light bit of alcohol was identified as well.

The flavor had an enormous yeast and bread characteristic. Savors of overripe banana and maybe even a smidgen of pear added some welcomed fruitiness. More of the sugar and caramel aspects came into play while the spicy clove added some balance. A fairly meek toasty aspect came into play as it warmed, which again, helped with complexity and harmony.

The mouthfeel was medium bodied. Smooth, chewy and mostly dry. The carbonation was of medium strength and just a wee bit of warmth was felt from the alcohol. A very nice shot of flavor was left behind for me to enjoy between each sip as well.

Yeah, this was a nice beer. I’ll definitely revisit it again. I really liked the big yeast and bread notes as well as the dried fruits. This brew totally reminded me of the Fall season. The drinkability was pretty good considering the higher ABV, yet it also had enough “oomph” to take the chill off on a cool evening. If you guys get the chance to try the Pauwel Kwak don’t hesitate. It’s a complex and well built beer that shouldn’t be passed up. Feel free to leave me a comment and tell me about your experience if you’d like.

Thanks for reading everyone. I really appreciate it.

Score: 4.15 out of 5

Grade: A-

Review of Bosteels Tripel Karmeliet

19 Jan

Hello guys. For today’s craft beer review I’m going to be trying the Tripel Karmeliet produced by Brouwerij Bosteels located in Buggenhout, Belgium.

I’ve never had this brew before nor had I ever heard of it, so I’m going into this thing completely blind, which is always exciting.

Let’s see if we can find some information about this brew on the website, bestbelgianspecialbeers.be.

Tripel Karmeliet is still brewed to an authentic beer recipe from 1679 originating in the former Carmelite monastery in Dendermonde. Written over 300 years ago, this recipe describes the use of three kinds of grain: wheat, oats and barley.

The name Tripel Karmeliet thus refers both to its origin and its in-bottle refermentation. From many trial brews of multi-grain tripels carried out at our brewery in the 90’s, it appears that the particular historic combination of the 3 kinds of grain still remains the ideal blend.

Sounds good enough to me.

This beer comes in a 25.4 oz. bottle and it has an ABV of 8.4%.

It poured a relatively cloudy, golden to honey yellow color with a bright white head. The texture was soapy, rocky, soft, and billowy. It was huge in stature, the retention time was very good and it left behind some patchy lacing for nearly half the drink.

The nose brought about a very clean and airy smell. Some subtle spices of coriander mixed with hints of lemons, oranges and tangerines. Light notes of yeast as well as some fine and fresh bready malts. I noticed a very floral fragrance of honey suckle too. Very nice. As it warmed it became a tiny bit herbal, but overall very well balanced and pleasant.

The taste was very lively. Spicy “bites” intermingled with some very clean bready and yeasty savors. Just a touch of tartness from some of that lemon and orange citrus. A light bitterness and subtle hops brought even more stimulation to the taste buds. Only the most remote amount of alcohol was even noticed. This brew had a very, very good flavor in my opinion.

The mouthfeel was medium bodied. Dry, clean, crisp, mostly smooth and refreshing. A vigorous amount carbonation sparkled on the tongue. A small bit of warmth was felt at the back end and a suitable amount of flavor was left on the palate for me to ponder between sips.

I’ll tell ya. This was a great little beer. It would be perfect for those fresh Spring days when the flowers are in bloom. It was a joy to drink and it was quite easy to down also. I would have no problem making an afternoon out of it that’s for sure. It really represented the style well and it would make for a great conversation piece. So, if you see the Bosteels Tripel Karmeliet sitting on the shelf at your bottle shop, definitely give it a try. I’m glad I did. With that being said, when I first started drinking craft beer about 5 years ago, I didn’t much care for “Belgian” beers, but as I’ve gone along and tried more and more of them, I’m really starting to appreciate all that the style entails.

What are some of your favorite Belgian styled beers? Leave a comment and let me know.

As always, thanks for reading. I really appreciate it.

Until next time. Cheers.

Score: 4.2 out of 5
Grade: A-