De Halve Maan Brugse Straffe Hendrik Brune

De Halve Maan Brugse Straffe Hendrik Brune

n the 80’s the interest for traditional regional beers increased. Véronique, daughter of Henri IV, launched a new special beer in 1981. It was a blond beer of high fermentation. The first time it was brewed it was for the inauguration of the Saint-Arnold statue in Bruges. Saint-Arnold is the patron of the brewers … However, the beer was a success and the Mayor asked for it to be served at receptions in the townhall. The beer was a bit stronger than other beers and that is why it got the appropriated name of ‘Straffe Hendrik’ (Strong Henri). In 1988 Riva NV took over the beer brand. Straffe Hendrik have been brewed by Riva in Bruges until 2002.
3.5
189 reviews
Brugge, Belgium

Community reviews

3.5 On tap @ Hotel De Beer. Clear, dark golden body with a fine beige head. Aroma is malt, caramel, ripe fruit, brown sugar and a hint of alcohol. Flavor is fruity, sweet malt, caramel, fruity and balanced bitter. Very nice.
3.5 25cl, recently retired brew, from De Bierloods Adegem, complex brew, balanced, hazy, small head, good brew
3.7 Deep clear ruby amber with thin tan head. Aroma of plums and alcohol. Taste of dark fruits, raisins, malt, with a balanced hop finish. Good one.
3.2 Mahogany with ruby tints and a beige rim. Specks of lace on slight legs. Don’t remember this being so cloying and flabby..fat molasses aroma thick with doppelbocky maltloaf notes, Dolly Mixtures, Pelforth Brune primed with HP Sauce. No surprises beyond that. Heady, sweet and warming. Liquorice, maltloaf, demerara. Spice not malt or hop-derived hint of bitterness. Not much else going on. Simplistically tasty and too sweet. 250ml is plenty.
4.1 On tap. Deep red/brown beer, big off-white head. Aroma of dark fruits, lots of brown sugar, some alcohol. Taste is soft and rather sweet, caramel, dark fruits, some roasted malts. Well balanced sweetness. Creamy mouthfeel. A personal favourite.
3.3 Bottled. A deep red beer with a thin tan head. The aroma is powerful of berries, alcohol, and brown sugar as well as hints of yeast. The aroma is sweet malty with strong notes of over ripe fruits, berries, brown sugar, and medium notes of alcohol and yeast, leading to a dry alcoholic finish.
3.8 Bottle @ Den Tatoverede Enke, Cph. Pours deep brown with a small, off-white, creamy, film head. Aroma is roasted, lots of caramel and lightly roasted with some yeastiness. Super creamy mouthfeel. Sweet flavour with light toffee, good yeast and nice viniousity. Super balance - extremely drinkable.
2.5 Bottled. Fresh, roasted malt, alcoholic. Malty with some fruit (plums) and alcohol. Alcohol is not well balanced.
2.9 I had huge hopes for this beer because of its alcohol percentage and being a brown ale... The head was not dense, aroma was extremely mild without much else going on.. Hints of caramel and fruit, drink a Westmalle Dubbel instead! ;)
3.2 25 cL bottle. Pours murky brown with a dense tan head. Fruity and mild caramel malt aroma. Quite classic bruine/dubbel, fruity and mild yeasty flavour, caramel malt base. Ends withba nice lingering yeasty mellow and fruity note.
2.9 Bottle: Brown, amber colored pour with medium sized head. Sweet malty aroma with a sweet malty, veggie flavored finish.
3.3 scura buona schiuma persistente notertostate frutta acidula in bocca metallico dalla troppa gasatura ma un note acida vinosa che la rende interessante
3.4 25cl bottle, best by September 2009. Trade from sunevdj - thanks Sune!!! Dark ruby, lots of chunky yeast - reminds me of a Rodenbach. Thin beige head. Sweet caramel and brown sugary nose, a bit of toasty bread and dark fruit. Medium body with good carbonation. Caramel and fruit flavors, apple and plum, sweet thick malt, nice. Some alcohol is evident. Mildly dry finish, a touch of acid, overall a nice beer.
3.0 75cl bottle dark brown coloured body with a large off white head a malty fruity aroma a medium pallet and a yeasty fruity little finich
4.0 Hazy dark brown with medium head leaving laces. Sweet malty aroma with overripe fruits, yeast and toffee. Flavor is sweet with malt, raisins, plums and alcohol. Good balance and delicious.
2.8 75 cl A dark redbrown colourd beer with a medium head. Strong fruity arome with some touches of yeast. Mouty fruity taste with some bitter sparkels in the background.
3.3 75 cl. bottle and the beer forces the cork out of the bottle as soon as I loosen the metal wire. It’s reddish brown with a nice head and the aroma has notes of malt and fruit. the mouthfeel is very carbonated. The flavour is complex with notes of malt, caramel, candy sugar, fruit and alcohol. It has an OK bitterness as counterweight to the sweetness. Nice but not overwhelmingly so...
3.5 Bottled 75cl. A redish brown beer with huge beige head. Roasted malt aroma with notes of caramel. Taste is malty and fruity with notes of toffee. High carbonation. Nice bitternes in the end
3.6 [i]Bottle (25 cl) from hildigöltur’s beer cellar[/i]. Murky mahogny with a small beige head. Fruity and toffeeish aroma with notes of yeast, dusty hops, and wood. Light to medium bodied, low carbonation. Good balance with initial sweetness followed by a dry and bitter finish.
3.6 Bottle. High creamy and long lasting light brown head. Hazy orange to red body. Aroma of berries, weak and hard to describe in a proper manner. Berries cocoa caramel hops bitterness with a good deal of carbonation. Alcohol level is just about being too much of a good thing. Long bittersweet aftertaste.
3.1 Vermelho-escura, turva, de creme bege. Aroma de toffee, carbonatação alta, paladar de frutas vermelhas, mas o final, seco, é algo fraco.
3.5 Date: 01/29/2003 Mode: Bottle Conditioned Source: Ziggy’s, Chattanooga Opaque dark brown, fine tan head, sour malt aroma, very rich dark malt flavor, nice amount of lactic tartness, -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 07/20/2005 lots of winey character in the aroma, rich malt flavor, hints of ripe fruit, very melllow compared to before Aroma: 5/10; Appearance: 8/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 5/10; Overall: 16/20 Rating: 3.5/5.0 Score: ***/4 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The score was calculated based upon the notes and an old scoring system.
3.0 330ml bottle from Beers of Europe. A brown Belgian ale with a fluffy tan head. Toffee, quite yeasty and perhaps a bit of spice. Reasonable.
3.4 2001 vintage keg, Sampled May 2007 at The Stuffed Sandwich Pours with a frothy , light tan crown of foam. The beer is quite hazy and a dark amber brown color. The aroma is quite malt focused with notes of caramelized aged malt leaning towards notes of prunes and concentrated raisins. A spicy note is here as well and mixes with notes of dusty toasted malt towards the end of the aroma. The age of this beer is certainly evident in the nose, but it is not to the point of being harmfully oxidized / aged; in fact it probably adds to the complexity of this brew. Sweet flavors of prunes and raisins meld with notes of toffee and browned caramel; both of which accentuate the malt flavors of this brew. The beer finishes with a light spiciness that reminds me of ginger, clove, some notes of caramelized orange and even a touch of something like cola (the last seems to be a contribution of the age). This beer is note going to get any better, in fact it will probably only get worse. Right now it is at that tipping point and I am glad I got to sample a 6 year old version of this beer.
3.5 Bottle: Poured a dark brown amber with cream head. Sweet rich aroma of malt and fruit. The flavor was similiar very sweet and rich malt.
3.8 Dark mahogany color with no head with slight aroma of malts and fruits. Thick and rich with flavors of raisins and dark fruits. Very little carbonation remaining in this one, the cork was dated 1999. I really enjoyed this one
3.6 Bottle. Brown / red (mahogany) color with a average fizzy fair lacing mostly lasting off-white head. Aroma is light to moderate malty and yeasty, alcohol, marzipan, dry fruit. Flavor is moderate sweet and bitter with a average to long duration. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is flat, finish feel is light alcoholic.
4.2 Garrafa, 750 ml. Coloração preta avermelhada, turva, com um creme bege consistente e persistente. Notas de frutas vermelhas e caramelo, com final seco. Carbonatação alta. Encorpada, mas com boa drinkability. Um pouco mais leve que as demais brune.
3.7 750 ml (1998 stamped on cork). Deep mahogany; clear ruby red when held to light. Small, creamy light brown head tries to hang and leaves a sugary lace. Aroma is toffee, funky leather, vanilla alcohol, and some slight vinegar. Taste is dry raisins, toffee and caramelized brown sugar. Some slight lambic-like acidic tartness, but no vinegar thank goodness. Held up very well if this really is a 1998 vintage. Nice medium mouthfeel with the right touch of carbonation, and peppery hops on the end. Mostly dry and fairly complex; on some tastes it reminds me of a juicy medium-rare steak!
3.3 Bottle. Nice head with ok duration. Color is borwn. Aroma is fruit and spices. Taste is same. Lively carbonation. Sourish finish.