Duysters Loterbol Bruin

A darker, slightly sweeter beer than its blond counterpart, Loterbol Bruin is a delicious strong Belgian ale, brewed in tiny batches at Belgium’s smallest brewery. Highly drinkable, even at 8% alcohol, this beer lives up to its name, which translates roughly to ’prankster.’

Unlike most Belgian beers of this strength, Loterbol Bruin is not loaded with candi sugar. It does not want for malty sweetness, but it is superbly balanced with enough hops to stand up to the high alcohol. A remarkable brew, if a difficult one to find . . . we bring in only about 60 cases a year.

3.6

265 reviews

Diest, Belgium

Community reviews

3.2 From bottle, 10%. Dark amber color with huge lasting head. Aroma is dark fruits, nuts. Flavor is malt, dark fruits.

3.9 Head is large, creamy, off-white and slowly diminishing. Body is brown, some sparkling is visible. Aroma contains loads of fruits (sweet and sour), spices, citrus fruits and brown sugar. Flavor is light acidic, then light sweet and light bitter and finish is bitter. Body is medium with creamy texture and soft carbonation. The flavors are surprising,it's a lot less sweet and more bitter then I expected. Lovely beer, well balanced.

1.6 Trying after the Duysters Drossaard. It has the same harsh bitterness in the back that I can’t get past. Again nice pour. Aroma here relatively neutral.

3.5 Tasted when it still had an ABV of 10%. Dark chestnut colour, beige, loose head, strong estery aroma of dark fruits, candi syrup, spices, yeasty and fruity taste with dark maltiness and even a roasted bitter accent in the finish. Scotch-type ale.

2.5 Net als de blonde loterbol een bier met iets te weinig smaak aan naar mijn goesting.

3.4 Bottle from a friend. Dark brown color, beige head. Bitter taste with citrus, nuts, roasted malts, ripe fruits, syrup and earthy notes. Bitter finish with citrus, nuts and ripe fruits. Very nice belgian strong ale.

3.3 bottle. dark hazy brown, smooth fluffy yellow-brown head. fruity and yeasty aroma, fermented sweet fruits, dark dried fruits, raisins and stuff. flavor is raisins, malts, dark drived fruits, alc. and a little spice bitterness. quite tasty actually, and quite complex.

3.1 Uit fles mooi donker bier vol met gist, redelijke kraag. Aroma donker fruit, kersen, zoet. Smaak is tintelend zoet met klein zuurtje in afdronk.

3.3 33 cl. bottle. Dark brown colour with a beige head. Aroma and flavour of fruit, malt, yeast and spicy notes.

3.7 Good Belgian dubbel beer. Sweet of course and with lots of dark fruits, some dark malt and added candi sugar.

3.3 Dark, brown, healthy beige head. Nose: bit of malts, liquorish. Above average CO2, bit of chocolate, slightly alcoholic. Taste is sweet, some yeast, prunes. Finish is dry, slightly bitter but still well balanced.

3.6 Bottle (33 cl) from beergium.be. Shady mahogny, medium tan head. Fruity with red berries, figs, spicy phenolics, some alcohol. Meidum bodied, high carbonation. Semi dry, medium bitterness, some light astringency.

4.5 33 cl. bottle @ home. Procured from Willems. BBF 12/2014. Murky smashed strawberry fox brown with an off-white head. Muted nose, dark red fruits, malts, brown sugar, liquorish, leaves, sticky dark fruits & nuts. Taste is sweet liquorish, red fruits, figs, malts, brown sugar, cacao, light chocolate, slight bitter herbs & overripe red fruits, tobacco + strawberries in the finish, hazelnuts, creamy mocha & candy. Quite creamy body. Lovely surprise here, very yummy.

3.0 33cl bottle. Expiration date: July 2013. Appearance: caramel clear brown beer, pours a way too large not so stable light brown head. Nose: some caramel, lots of malts, little dried fruits. Didn’t like this really, maybe already too old?

3.0 quite thick brown beige head with thick CO2 bubbles, foam head, but disappears without lacing. dark amber chestnut clear colour. very alcoholic aroma, sweet, spices, some faint sulfur note, yeast and esters. tastes alcoholic, sweet, dates, prunes yeast. an aftertaste that is initially bitter like from roasted malted but with a long sweet caramel aftertaste. medium body and a lot of carbonation. bottle 33 cl / best before july 2013

3.5 Glowing light brown body with bubbly tan head. Light caramel, some roasted malts, fig like sweetness. Okay, not very excited. Taste is better, sweet caramel notes, brown sugar but enough flavour. Small carbonation, quite nice. Funny how the ’commerical description’ would like you to believe its not a sugar-infused standard Belgian dubbel, which it certainly tastes like. Not bad at all though. (33cl bottle from Bierparadijs)

4.0 330 ml bottle. Pours a dark mahogany with medium head. Aromas of deep dark fruit with hints of sugar and nuts. Flavors of malts, chicory, burnt sugar, nuts,and light bitter hops.

4.6 Bière curieuse comme on va le voir, et comme son étiquette avec un joker ... Couleur brun roux foncé. Clarté nette, si l’on exclut la levure qui tapisse largement le fond de la bouteille... très forte refermentation, mais seulement 8 % abv au compteur. Bulles moyennes pas très nombreuses. Mousse beige clair à flocons moyens qui tient un moment à 5-6 mm, mais n’est pas spécialement jolie. Arômes de malt à whisky, avec un zeste d’agrumes (pamplemousse rose) et une pointe de sucre d’orge. 1ère bouche à la texture imprécise mais à la forte entrée sur du malt/houblon/piment. En arrière du malt torréfié et une amertume sèche. 2ème bouche avec beaucoup de nuances, du malt à whisky, et assez sèche. 3ème avec une force de caractère, mais très sec, et en gorge une épice étrange. Arrière-bouche agréable. Longueur où une richesse de goût s’affirme, et où on arrive quasiment à une triple... Levure très jolie, bien définie, amère. Alcool bien dosé, progressif mais assez rapide puisqu’on est à l’apogée de son effet à demi dégustation. Finale quasiment de triple. Il s’agit vraiment de ma première bière brune qui finit en triple sur le houblon !! Bière curieuse donc, comme on disait chez nous, dans le sens d’originale ….

3.7 Bouteille 330ml. De couleur brune foncée et opaque. Nez de levures fruitées (raisins, léger de prunes), de sucre brun, léger de houblon herbeux et caramel aux petites notes rôties ainsi que des notes de pain grillé. Moyennement ronde en bouche avec un pétillement moyen-élevé ainsi qu’une texture légèrement crémeuse. Goût de levures fruitées (moyen de raisins, léger de prunes, traces de figues) avec des traces de réglisse noire lors de l’entrée en bouche auquel se rajoute un goût de céréales sucrées et légèrement rôties avec un moyen goût de sucre brun ainsi que des notes de pain grillé, de chocolat noir et de caramel puis en finale l’on retrouve une légère amertume de houblon herbeux. Post-goût moyen, légèrement amer de houblon herbeux avec un goût de levures fruitées ainsi que des traces rôties.

3.6 75cl bottle from Delices et Caprices shared with Steve.Reddish brown pour with medium sized light beige head.Cherry,chocolate and light floral aromas.Chocolate and dried fruit with mocha taste making a pleasant easy drinking beer.

2.1 Aroma of cherry Juicy Juice and light tootsie roll; *sweet* as a bruin can smell, I think. Appearance is dark garnet brown with slightly sticky bone head. Flavor of very sweet chocolate, boozy cherry and a long, messy alcohol finish. Palate is medium, slick and soft. Besides the slightly redeeming mouthfeel, this was a mess of a beer.

2.7 brown, cloudy, minimal head, chocolate, alcohol, cough drop, medium sweetness, umami, medium body, thin feel, average carbonation,

2.9 6 years past best before. brown, clear, minimal head, tan foam, licorice, chocolate, roasty, medium body, thin feel, flat, medium sweetness, medium bitterness,

3.9 Dark, sweet and tart. 8% well hidden. Smooth on the tongue, yet finishes with a tingle. Flavors of dark chocolate, raisins, dates, and lemon. Very interesting brew.

3.6 Bottle from Blue Max in Burnsville, MN. Very dark mahogany pour with a small white head. Chocolate and prune in this. A bit flat on carbonation but I think this bottle is a bit old (bought it off the discount shelf). Still a solid beer.

3.6 Pours a murky milk chocolate color and sports a decent tan head. Leather, some alcohol and sweet malt in the nose. First sip is a blast of chocolate and alcohol kicker with some dark fruits: raisin and fig; and maybe a rustic dark rye bread. Well done. There is some bitter hop on the back of the tongue. Palate is medium, maybe just a tad sticky for my taste. One is plenty.

4.2 Got this in the closeout bin at Vaudree in Liege for 1e (can’t figure out why - - the date punched is July ’13). Zesty, bright fizzy texture like well-fermented apple cider, and then the hops hit hard & deep, and then a sourness kicks in, with just the slightest hint of sweetness (sweetness is why I mostly avoid brunes, but this is more a hoppy sour beer). Very lively on the palate - - it just dances all over the place. This is a super tasty and really fun beer. I wish I had bought the whole close-out binful (but I already had over 40 bottles to haul back in my luggage to Germany).

2.8 11.2 oz. bottle, consumed on 6-25-12. Vegetal aroma features chocolate chip cookie, cheap chocolate candy, cabbage, and wet poop (sorry, readers) scents. There’s a yuckiness that ruins the smell. I drank this beer in two separate pours, and the second pour did not produce the fecal smell. Pours an effervescent, deep red, nearly brown with some suspended particulate. Small to moderate amount of beige/taupe head. Salty, sharp flavor features dark chocolate and plum. Alcohol noticeable. The taste doesn’t have the off-putting quality that the aroma has. It’s not as flavorful as I would prefer, but the taste is pretty good. Light dry, roasted aftertaste. Medium to heavy body. Forgettable palate effects but not bad. This could have been a pretty good beer if not for the gross aroma.

3.9 Bottled This was something I found in a box while moving. I wish I would have found it sooner. Despite the fact that it has held up well this is a beer that deserves to be drunk rather than age indefinitely. Grab one, let it chill for a day or two, and crack it open to discover a fine Flemish style beer. Aroma / Appearance - The reddish brown base looks the part of a potent Belgian. Soft with a thin powdery head the feel is warm like the setting sun or the dying embers of a hot fire. The nose is cherries, chocolate, and a tartness that perks up the nose. Flavor / Palate - The mouthfeel is very thick and on par with a strong Belgian. Chocolately and warm it sticks to the corners of the palate. Reminding me of an amped up Cuvee de Jacobins it makes me want to track down another bottle of the former and do a side by side at some point. Don’t pass on this if you love great beer.

3.6 29/V/2012 - 33cl bottle from Geers (Oostakker) @ home - BB: XI/12 (2012-551) Clear red brown beer, big fuzzy light beige head, unstable, non adhesive, lots of very small sediment floating around. Aroma: very floral, almost soapy, some dried fruits, grapefruit, fresh figs, citrus fruits. MF: soft carbon, medium body. Taste: dark chocolate, some mocha, bit of dried fruits, nice fruity hops, warming alcohol. Aftertaste: ripe fruits, bitter hops, sweet alcohol, chocolate, honey. Not bad, but had higher expectations for this one. Don’t know why...