De Proef Knock Out (K-O)
K-O is the latest invention of Dirk Naudts, one of Belgium’s leading brewmasters. For years, Dirk has been coming up with winning beer recipes for breweries large and small throughout Belgium and Holland. (You would be amazed at how many beers with other people’s labels on them were actually created by Dirk.)
Meanwhile, of course, there’s the beer to talk about. When we first tried it, a year or so ago, K-O was a pretty good blonde ale, with deceptive strength and a black-and-white Xeroxed label that, frankly, really sucked. But then, by chance, when Brother Daniel was poking around the Pike Place Market in Seattle, he found an antique label for a now-defunct apple orchard called K-O that really made a punchy statement. Our good friend Paul re-worked that label a tad, we convinced Dirk to add a few extra shovel-fulls of hops to the brew, and there you have it: a bottle of beer that anyone can understand.
The name says it all. This fabulous golden ale will knock you on your can. But K-O delivers more than just an alcoholic punch in the face – this is real beer, with pure malt and hops, body and character, not just a metric ton of fermented candi sugar.
Meanwhile, of course, there’s the beer to talk about. When we first tried it, a year or so ago, K-O was a pretty good blonde ale, with deceptive strength and a black-and-white Xeroxed label that, frankly, really sucked. But then, by chance, when Brother Daniel was poking around the Pike Place Market in Seattle, he found an antique label for a now-defunct apple orchard called K-O that really made a punchy statement. Our good friend Paul re-worked that label a tad, we convinced Dirk to add a few extra shovel-fulls of hops to the brew, and there you have it: a bottle of beer that anyone can understand.
The name says it all. This fabulous golden ale will knock you on your can. But K-O delivers more than just an alcoholic punch in the face – this is real beer, with pure malt and hops, body and character, not just a metric ton of fermented candi sugar.
3.6
173 reviews
Hijfte, Belgium
Community reviews
I had this on tap at a local resturant. Once I saw that is was Belguim Trippel I had to try it. Great flavor with a nice sweet finish, making it hard to beleive has a 11% alcohol rating. Worth every penny.
A punch in the nose of wheat implying banana with pepper and yeast. Deep Belgian orange with frothy tan head and lace. This one’s about two years old, and has plenty of floaters as a result. Syrup sweet flavor which is balanced by hopping as promised. Moreover, this isn’t a candied sugar bomb; it’s a sugar and hop bomb. Very dense body that has the feel of a quad if not the appearance. In fact, this beer’s looks are very fooling. Hard to take lightly though, so the warning is not needed.
25.4 oz bottle. Foggy orange with a big fluffy white head. Nose is honey and yeast, slight floral and citrus. Borderline syrupy with prickly carb that turns foamy. Taste is apricot, butterscotch and grass finishing bitter to balance the candi. Simple with a subtle complexity; alcohol barely apparent. Nice brewing.
Pours a cloudy lemon yellow with very thick frothy head that never completely dissipates. Aroma is a lot of alcohol, hay and hints of pepper. Flavor is bread, earthy hay notes, mild caramel, alcohol. Body is creamy light with a lot of carbonation.
bottle. Pours a hazy golden yellow, with very sizable foamy white head. Aroma has notes of sweet spices, lemon, bread, honey oats. Medium bodied, lively carbonation, pretty hard to believe its 10% the way it drinks. Flavor is very spicy, with various bread notes, very soft sourdough underlying the sweet spices, with a generally dry finish, perhaps a touch of white grape, zesty spices, cracker.
Tap. Hazy rich yellow pour with a clingy white head. Aroma is sweet caramel and Frosted Flakes. Smooth palate. More sugary grain on taste with some citrus. Nice brew.
33 cl. Golden with a humongous head. Nose is spicy resin, hard candy, and wheat. Taste is the same with a bit of iron, cardboard, more resin, and light vinous notes. Light-medium body is dryish, smoothly carbonated, and watery.
The faint aroma is pleasant and unusual, sort of like pancakes on the griddle. This is a very good Belgian strong ale. When I drink a Wit beer, I want it to taste like this. It’s like a heartier, boozier Wit without as much citrus. The booze isn’t hidden, but you are glad it’s there. This beer feels more like 15% instead of the quoted 10%. Enjoy responsibly.
11.2oz bottle in a Trappist glass. Pours cloudy golden with a thick, fluffy, cream-colored head. Aroma strong of caramel and cereal malts, spicy yeast, and a nice balance of floral hops. Flavor about the same. Smooth texture. A pretty good Tripel.
Floral with a hoppy finish. Citrus notes and crisp finish. Nice head. Straw color.
Orangish brew, diffuse head. The sweet intensity of the bouquet is a bit jarring at first whiff. As I settle to imbibe it more deeply, I am ensconced by sugared corn flakes doused in alcoholic fruit punch which soon becomes more distinct. From peeled layers arises apple, which takes center stage. The body is of a buzzy Belgian apple flavor along a layer of sugar-frosted corn flakes. Definitely a brew that is at once interesting, and also redolent of distinct childhood breakfast memories.
bottle... dark honey gold with a bright off white head, good retention and nice lace... sweet honey water with yeast, deceptively light... the taste is way to sweet, sweet wet grains, honey, yeast, alcohol finish yet for 10% its really easy to drink... average
750mL bottle, a few years old. Poured cloudy medium orange with a short-ish cap of off-white head. The aroma picked up lavender and peppery yeast over honey, bready, and raisin-y sweetness.. some sour apple and apricot-y notes accented.. smelled like it was a tad old, but it was still aiight. The flavor found candied raisin and honey malts with dry pepper, cloves, and some sour malts laced throughout.. almost mapley on the back-end, with enough sugars to mostly mask the boozage.. decent stuff, but again it seemed past its prime. Heavier-bodied and syrupy on the palate, with lots of decayed hops evident.. sweet in the middle, and mostly dry in the end.. this was a tough one to rate, and I’d like to try a fresh sample sometime.
750ml bottle poured into glass. Honey gold color with a big fluffy head. Sweet malty aroma with hints of honey and slight boozyness. Flavor is sweet as well. The ABV sort of makes this a little hard to enjoy. Good but I probably wont reach for it again.
Tap @ Uber. Hazy honey-gold pour with a short, persistent white head leaving heavy lace. Dough, pine and fruit nose. Medium body with light, fine carbonation. Honey, banana, light toast, spruce, candy, coriander, well-hidden ABV, but leaves an alcohol warmth in the stomach. Well-balanced, velvety mouth feel.
Hazy blonde/yellow pour thin white head ... light lacing .... aroma is of yeast, sweet fruits (apples, oranges), candi sugar ...... taste is of sweet candi sugar, fruits apples oranges bitter, wheat/grainy and light peppery spice .... lots of yeast in the taste and the 10% abv kind of struggles to hide itself ... the peppery spice lingers into the finish ... on the fence about this brew good for a glass
In short: A rather bland, fruity and yeasty tripel. Meh.
How: Bottle 330ml. Consumed probably relatively fresh, about 2 months after purchase. Bottle dropped at my place by dand645, thanks Dan
The look: Cloudy golden body, many medium size particles, medium off-white head leaving good lacings on the glass.
In long: Nose is loaded with yeasty fruit esters. Taste is very sweet with a honey and granulated white sugar sensation. The beer is also very fruity with bananas and apricots coming out strong. Very yeasty, too yeasty. Strange cobweb sensation. Juicy grassy hops (fresh-hop style) that just seems out of place. Body just doesn’t have that lively carbonation and full fluffy mouthfeel that I’ve come to expect from true Belgian strong ales. Carbonation was too soft and body felt creamy and lifeless. Ok, so I’m complaining a lot but the beer isn’t so bad. It is just very disappointing as a real Belgium Tripel. But it is still drinkable… Kind of. Worst Knock Out since I hit my girlfriend in the eye with my elbow by accident… and she immediately reacted with a very voluntary devastating uppercut.
Pours a beautiful cloudy gold with a fluffy white head. Nose is somewhat subtle with strong wheat and lemon zest. Smooth and thick on the tongue, with strong bitter start moving into a wheaty finish. The texture of this beer is really the most remarkable aspect, but the flavors are well balanced with no overwhelming notes.
11.2oz btl. Pours a hazy yellow orange with a nice foamy head. Nose of yeast, citrus, a little musty. Taste of crisp citrus, banana, a hint of sugary sweetness, spicy kick and a boozy finish. Alcohol apparent but not undesirable, warming for sure.
A: poured into a snifter. pours a cloudy, murky yellowish orange. Nice white head on top with a great retention rate and very nice lacing.
S: some apples, fig, pears, clove, cinnamon, nutmeg and a hint of honey in the aroma.
T: rich, sweet flavors. a ton of apple up front with a following of other baked fall fruits. the spices are a little lighter than expected but present. In the end its the honey finish, which I really enjoyed.
M: not as heavy as I expected but it does have a great body. high carbonation level. smooth and crisp as well.
D: its a very nice Belgian strong pale ale, but a little to rich, "pale" wise. solid brew though. Another good Shelton Brothers buy.
750ml. bottle. Pours a medium, short lived head, over a hazy, orange gold (SRM 6-7) body....nose is citrus,with a musty cellar smell.....taste is light citrus, bit of spice, slight maple syrup, finishing with a cellar mustiness.....mouth feel is light, alcohol heat is present, carbonation high. This is a not particularly good Triple, and perhaps should be in a different style. It is rather too dark, and lacks the spice and fruitiness one associates with a Triple. The alcohol is a bit high and is too obvious. There are off aromas and flavors. This may have been a poorly handled bottle, but the large variation in recent comments and scores make me wonder about both the importer and the brewery. I will rate it as experienced. BJCP 5/2/12/4/5
Got this as part of a variety pack at World Market. Some how I just wasn’t a fan of this. It was perfectly good it just didn’t have anything memorable about it. Serving: Bottle
33 cl bottle. Hazy yellow color, small white head. Aroma of hay and pepper. Taste is very bitter throughout, a bit over the top.
Bottle. Cloudy dark gold pour, foamy white head. Sweet malt, fruit, honey, quite sweet, biscuit, and slightly herbal. K-O is OK.
Bottle sampled at SIB, pours hazy golden orange. Aroma of citrus, candied fruits, honey, and yeast. Flavour of candied fruits, caramel, yeast, citrus, honey and spices. Very enjoyable.
I dunno, yeah, it pours with a great foamy frothy sudsy thick cream colored head and lots of lace - color is a hazy amber with a little sediment. And the aroma is massively malt and caramel plus yeast... But the flavor is HUGELY SWEET. Way too. Maybe cook with it. I can’t drink it. Body is of course full and round; it does have good carbonation. But the finish is overwhelmingly sweet. Not a session; can’t drink more than a bit.
750ml Bottle: Aroma of yeast, sugar cookies, slight honey, candi sugar, and some spices. Poured amber in color with a large, creamy, rocky, off-white head that diminished but lasted throughout. Cloudy. Sparkling. Full of tiny, small, medium, and large-sized particles throughout. Excellent lacing. Flavor is light to medium sweet. Tastes of yeast, light vegetables, and candi sugar. Medium body. Lightly dry, slightly chalky texture. Average carbonation. Yeast finish is lightly sweet. Tons of yeast... A yeast bomb, if you will. 10%ABV is hidden throughout.
750 ml bottle poured a cloudy tarnished gold with a lasting creamy ivory head. Aromas of yeast, bread, pear, light pineapple and light spice. Palate was medium bodied and crisp with a dry finish. Flavors of straw, yeast, pear, apple, light carmel and a hint of spice with a smooth dry lingering fruity finish.
Bottle From Keg Liquor.
Poured cloudy dark orange color with an average frothy white head that lasted with good lacing. Complex spicy citrus, alcohol and yeast aroma. Medium body with a smooth texture and soft carbonation. Medium to heavy fruity citrus flavor with a medium to heavy sweet finish of moderate duration with a small alcohol bite.
This is a refreshing good beer.
Rich frothy white head tops this dark gold, slightly cloudy brew. The aroma is clean and malty with no hop presence to speak of. Flavor is very clean for a 10% beer. As with aroma, it’s sweet and malty. A beautiful strong golden.