Category Archives: Brouwerij Bocker

Hello everyone.  Thanks for checking in on another craft beer review.  Sorry that’s it’s been a bit since I last posted.  Well, for today’s tasting I’m going to be trying the Bellegems Bruin produced by Brouwerij Bockor N.V. located in Bellegem-Kortrijk, Belgium.

I’ve really been craving an Oud Bruin lately, so I figured I’d give this one a go.

Let’s check on the website, bocker.be, and see what they have to say about this beer.

Originally called “Ouden Tripel”, this ancient West Flanders Brown beer has found a new élan as a regional specialty under its current name: “Bellegems bruin”. The main ingredients of our Bellegems Bruin are malted barley, wheat, hops, water, and caramelized malts. These are used to brew a bottom-fermented beer. Blending this beer with lambic beer aged in oak for 18 months results in this specific West Flanders Brown beer. Its typical flavour is characterized by a well-balanced, hardly noticeable sourness. This first flavour impression is soon followed by a second pleasant discovery: a slight bitterness followed by a hint of sweetness.

Sounds good.  Let’s drink.

This beer came in a 25.4 oz. bottle and it had an ABV of 5.5%.

It poured a brown color with some ruby highlights showing through when held toward the light.  A fairly well sized, off white head was formed from a relatively easy pour.  It was a bit fizzy and soapy in texture and it subsided a little quicker than I’d hoped.  The lacing was thin and a touch inconsistent, however a small ring of foam was left on the liquid around the edge of the glass.

The nose brought forth hints of soured grapes and cherries.  It smelled tart and acidic.  Only a minor amount of oak was found and it seemed to be buried deep within.  It was very “red wine” like with the bouquet, which is always a good thing in my opinion.  It wasn’t overly complicated, yet solid and true to the style I thought.

The taste let loose of more of the soured grapes and cherries.  I also detected a dab of soured red apple, which added to the semi-tart profile.  A slight relish of acidity and vinegar was found along side a nice savor of wood/oak.  Towards the end some earthy goodness intermingled with all of the characteristics to create a very nice and harmonious palatableness.

The mouthfeel was medium bodied.  Bitey, semi-sharp and mostly dry.  The carbonation was of medium strength and a good deal of seasoning was left behind of the roof on the mouth and tongue for me to enjoy between each sip.

Overall, I found this to be a very, very nice and proper brew.  It wasn’t extraordinary, however it still had plenty to be happy about and enough personality to sit and ponder.  I know I really enjoyed it that’s for sure.  It was plenty easy to drink and I wouldn’t have a bit of a problem sharing or recommending this beer to anyone interested in trying a traditional Oud Bruin.  So, if you guys happen to run across a bottle of the Bellegems Bruin, pick it up and give it a go.  I think that you may find it to be very satisfying.

Thanks for reading and commenting everyone.  I’m forever grateful.

Until next time.  Cheers.

Score:  4.05 out of 5

Grade:  A-

Hello again everyone.  For today’s craft beer review I’m going to be trying the Cuvée des Jacobins Rouge brewed by Brouwerij Bockor N.V. located in Bellegem-Kortrijk, Belgium.

This will be my first beer ever from Brouwerij Bocker and from all I’ve heard they brew some really great stuff.

Let’s get to the website, bocker.be, and see what kind of information we can drum up about this particular beer.

Cuvée des Jacobins Rouge is a Flemish Sour Ale, red in color with a beguiling balance of malty sweetness and acidic sharpness. It is made from spontaneously fermented and barrel-aged beer of at least 18 months in age. The beer is cooled overnight in a large, shallow metal vessel called a coolship and then fermented and aged in large oak foudres which are made in France and assembled on-site at Bockor.

I’m ready for a sip or two.  How ’bout you guys?

This beer came in an 11.2 oz. bottle and it had an ABV of 5.5%.

It poured fairly clear with an extremely deep ruby color and a very, very light tan head.  It formed to a nice size. It was a touch fizzy, but rather smooth.  The retention time and the lacing were somewhat slight, but it still looked pretty good standing in the glass.

The bouquet was great!!!  Hints of soured cherries with undertones of wood.  Tones of vinegar and slight wafts of musty barnyard too.  Some earthiness, yeast and bread began to develop as the brew warmed a little.  It could have just been me, but I even thought I smelled a meager amount of chocolate.  I wasn’t expecting that.

The taste popped with those sweet and sour cherries.  Quite wine like.  They weren’t overly tart or acidic, however they definitely made the lips pucker a bit.  Some woodiness really helped balance the vinegar and sourness most commendably.  On the back end I picked up on savors of ripe red apples too.  Very, very nice.

The mouthfeel was medium bodied.  Dry, refreshing and kind of sharp, but mostly smooth at the same time. The carbonation was fairly lively, which helped contribute to a very long finish.  Tons of flavor was left drenching the palate long after each sip.

Well, I felt that this was a great beer.  Most definitely a beer to try if you favor the Flanders Red Ale style.  It had a super drinkability too.  It went down with remarkable ease.  I believe that it could be enjoyed at anytime of the year, but I’d probably enjoy it best during the Summer.  Either way, I’d have no trouble drinking it no matter what time of year it was offered.  That’s about all that needs to be said really.  So, pick up a bottle of the Cuvée des Jacobins Rouge and enjoy.  Let me know your opinion when you do.  I hope that you appreciate it as much as I did.

Thanks for reading and commenting everyone.  I’m grateful.

Until next time.  Cheers.

Score:  4.4 out of 5

Grade:  A