Category Archives: De Proefbrouwerij

Hello again everyone.  It’s time for another craft beer review.  Today, I’m going to be sampling the De Proef La Grande Blanche concocted by De Proefbrouwerij (bvba Andelot) located in Lochristi-Hijfte, Belgium.

I must say that I’ve really enjoyed the De Proef brews that I’ve had thus far.  They really make some tasty beers, therefore I’m really looking forward to trying this one.

I wasn’t able to find a commercial description of this beer, but be sure to check out there website, proefbrouwerij.com, anyway for some nice insight on the brewery.

Let’s just get it poured and see for ourselves what it’s all about.

This brew came in a 25.4 oz. bottle and it had a 7.5% ABV.

It poured a very hazy, honey/yellow color with some bright yellow highlights at the bottom of the glass.  It formed a billowy, frothy, soapy white head from a medium aggressive pour.  It was sized great and the retention time was excellent.  The lacing was a bit patchy, however it hung on to the sides of the glass fairly well.

The nose released tones of lemon citrus and orange in addition to some subtle spices of coriander and pepper. Furthermore, hints of grain, wheat and yeast added an almost hay type of aroma.  Overall, the nose seemed relatively bright and well balanced.  Fairly typical for a beer of this style in my opinion.

The taste seemed fresh.  Soft citrus of orange and lemon commingled with more of that coriander and light, white peppercorn.  However, the flavor was much more pronounced with the yeasty and bready aspects.  Not that it was a bad thing, but I was kind of wanting the fruitiness to stand out a bit more.  Oh well.

The mouthfeel was medium to light bodied.  Very crisp, refreshing and thirst quenching.  It was a tad bit watery, but the carbonation was lively and spritzy.  The flavor, unfortunately, vanished from the palate kind of quickly after each swallow.

Well, this was decent beer.  I don’t think it is quite on the same level as the other De Proef beers I’ve tried, however it is a different style and White/Wit beers have never been one of my favorites anyway.  Other than that it was very easy to drink and it would be an outstanding, refreshing beer for Summer.  It didn’t provide anything out of the ordinary, but it still had enough flavor and kick to get the job done.  So, if you guys get the chance, try the De Proef La Grande Blanche and see what you think.  You may really like it.

Thanks for reading and commenting everyone.

Until next time.  Cheers.

3.5 out of 5

Grade:  B-

Welcome back to another craft beer review everyone.  Thanks for stopping in.  For today’s tasting pleasure we are going to be trying the Broederlijke Liefde brewed by De Proefbrouwerij (bvba Andelot) located in Lochristi-Hijfte, Belgium.

I’ve only had one other beer from De Proef and that was the Flemish Primitive Wild Ale (Surly Bird) and I really liked it, so I’m eager to see if this one is just as well made.  This was a collaboration brew created with Sly Fox Brewing for Philly Beer Week.

The website, proefbrouwerij.com, doesn’t reveal any info regarding this beer, so I checked on ratebeer.com and found this.

Broederlijke Liefde (Brotherly Love) is a slightly higher gravity interpretation of the saison style. It is fermented with two yeasts – a classic saison yeast as well as brettanomyces from an original gravity of 1066 (16.5 plato). These yeasts yield a dry and slightly spicy ale with a strong hint of farmhouse character that will continue to develop with age. The use of Target and Styrian Golding hops at 37 IBUs add floral aromatics and a balancing bitterness.

Alrighty.  Let’s pour.

This beer came in a 25.4 oz. bottle and it had an ABV of 8.0%.

It poured a very hazy, orange color with a greatly sized white, soft, fluffy and soapy crown.  The retention time was magnificent and it also left behind some choice, patchy lacing as it finally did settle back into the liquid.

The nose presented a Brettanomyces “bug” type of character.  A lot of good barnyard funk.  Very yeasty with undertones of lemongrass and sweet orange peel.  Hints of coriander and pepper type spices too.  A favorable and welcomed earthy waft started to show itself after it warmed.  A very nice smelling brew in my opinion.

The flavor let loose with more of the Bretty funk.  It seemed to be of a suitable medium strength.  The lemongrass and orange citrus held true while a yeasty and white bread savor added some “roundness”.  The spicy pepper “bite” was a touch more intense and the earthiness only complimented and didn’t dominant in any way.

The mouthfeel was medium bodied.  Dry, crisp, kind of spritzy and bitey.  The carbonation were a bit more on the livelier side and a very minor amount of warmth was felt from the combination of the pepper and the alcohol. A superb amount of flavor was left covering the palate after each sip as well.

I tell ya.  I thought this was a very, very, very nice beer.  I wish I would have picked up another bottle.  I love the Brettanomyces aspects.  The harmony and balance were exceptional as no one profile outshone the other.  The drinkability was outstanding as well, so in that regard this beverage would pair super well with the Spring and Summer season.  I’d definitely recommend giving the De Proef Broederlijke Liefde a try if you can obtain a bottle.  If you like the funky Saison style I have no doubt that you would love this one.

Thanks for reading and commenting everyone.  I really appreciate it.

Until next time.  Cheers.

Score:  4.3 out of 5

Grade:  A