Vleteren Alt

Bright red dark beer with a spicy aroma of cookies, gingerbread and caramel. Also fruity; ripe apples, red fruit, dried fruit, and a little acidity. High fermentation with secondary fermentation in the bottle, unfiltered, not pasteurized.

3.4

201 reviews

Woesten-Vleteren, Belgium

Community reviews

3.7 From bottle. Transfer of an earlier rating without text recorded, rating only.

3.5 Robe brune, mousse peu persistante. Nez sur le malt épicé, les épices, un coté torréfié. Bouche à l’attaque ample et épicée, bulle amère, ampleur moyenne, finale abrupte. Pas mon style.

3.6 Bottle from a Carrefour in Bruges. Pours hazy brown with a red hue and a foamy, off-white head. The aroma contains roasted malt, caramel, yeast, hops, herbs, perhaps some zest and orange peel. It tastes medium sweet and light to medium bitter; faint sour hints and a herbal, hoppy finish. Medium body, oily texture, soft carbonation. Good balance, rather easy but enjoyable late night drinker.

3.3 First had one of these about a decade ago, back when Moeder Lambic in Saint-Gilles still had hundreds of bottles from across the country. It’s nice to revisit it. Pours a lovely dark chestnut brown, light beige foam not so resilient, lace not so sticky. Mellow aroma of stewed fruits, treacle, touch of vanilla, but none of that is really leaping out of the snifter. I have to dig for it. Leans sweet but not cloying, somewhat balanced by a light acidic tang and mild, earthy bitterness, clingy, somewhat resinous bittersweet aftertaste lingers long with a pleasant touch of alcohol warmth. It drinks far easier than its strength.

3.9 Flaska från belgiuminabox. Mahognybrun vätska, medelhögt beige skum. Doft av torkad frukt och mjuk pepparkaka. Smak av söta röda äpplen, torkad aprikos och fikon, skånska pepparkakor. Bra balans känns inte tung, söt eller stark utan lättdrucken och med stora smaker. Riktigt gott.

3.4 33cl bottle at home (12 V 2017), labeled as Vleteren Alt, dark old strong ale. This beer not really is an Altbier; rather a sweet, reddish strong Belgian brew. This one is - I admit - somewhat overly sugared. But nonetheless, I find this hazy red brown, with orange glow beer (almost bronze, even) one of the better beers amongst the Belgian strong ales range. The collar is not long lasting, but has a firm vividness and lovely white to beige colour. The appearance is quite appealing, and the nose has some great features. The sweetness is accompanied by an almost fruits-and-herbs hoppyness which is quite rare within the style. The flavours have keen notes of caramel, raisins and some milk chocolate. The mouthfeel has a soft and very pleasing carbonation, with only a mild alcoholic warming in the background. The lovely hops make up for quite a quencher, never dull and with a broad range of tastes. The palate goes from caramel and slight toffee dashes over old bread and rye grains to a faint brandy constituent - I’m not kidding, really - and almost coffee residue aspects. Spices make a perfect contribution. The sugar-bitter balance ranges from a sweet and powerful onset to a dry and tasteful finish. This 8.0% ABV strong ale has an ardent "Belgian" character but a surprising palpation. This high fermentation ale, unfiltered and unpasteurized, is a beautiful and well balanced brew from Deca Services. Pretty, pretty, pretty good.

3.5 F: medium size, tan, average retention. C: dark brown, hazy and totally opaque. A: malty, chocolate, red apples peels, dates, brown sugar, molasses, yeast. T: chocolate malty, dark fruits, caramel, yeasty, toffee, dark bread, medium to full body, medium carbonation, very nice, enjoyed, 33cl bottle as “Vleteren Dark Old Strong Ale” from Prik & Tik Dranken Marlou.

3.2 Bottle, 330 ml from Beergium. Shared with JFK10000 and Josip. Pours unclear brown with tan head. Malty, caramel, some yeasty fruity notes, brown sugar. Sweet. Medium bodied.

3.1 Bottle shared. Dark brown with a tan head. Aroma of overripe dark fruits, caramel, toffee and yeast. Flavour is moderate sweet and bitter. Medium bodied with soft carbonation. [05-09-2016]

2.9 - brauntrübe Farbe mit leichter Schaumbildung - Aromen nach Honig, Karamell, Dörrobst, Holzt und einer gut erkennbaren Säure - die Carbonisierung ist mir eine Spur zu moussierend - der Antrunk überrascht erst einmal mit einer hohen Säuerlichkeit - danach kommt die Fasslagerung verbunden mit der Weinnote dominant auf - der Abgang erscheint dann leider etwas unausgewogen Fazit: Im Ganzen ein interessantes, aber auch leicht unausgewogenes Bier

3.8 Bottle at home. Murky amber, big and stable beige creamy head. Roasted malty dried fruits, brown sugar, caramel, honey, herbal, light liquorice. Finish lingers a bit. Good body, medium-high carbonation.

3.0 0,33l fles bij wapen van Wogmeer 3 jaar extra rijping hebben het bier niet veel goed gedaan ben ik bang geef het daarom voordeel de twijfel. Roodbruin met een crème kraag. zoetig met caramel verder beetje dun.

3.0 Flasche ("Vleteren Dark Old Strong Ale", 33 cl) vom Bierzwerg. - Rotbraun, trüb; fester Schaum. - Nase appetitlich süßsauer mit Karamel und milder Zitrone, abgerundet durch obergärige Hefe. - Antrunk warm dunkelmalzig mit einem milden Schuß fruchtiger Säure: Pflaume, herbe Zitronenschale, Bitterschokolade; eingebettet in runde Malzsüße. Mild rezent, für ein Starkbier fast leicht. Im weiteren Verlauf setzt holzige Herbe ein, die in einen fast schroffen Abgang mündet. Etwas penetrante muffig-harte Noten (oxidiert?) im Nachtrunk. - Schöne dunkle Malzigkeit, aufgelockert durch zart stechende Säure und abgerundet durch kräftige Herbe. Wäre ohne den muffigen Nachtrunk noch besser.

3.1 Into a chalice at cellar temperature. A little mist from the proteins in suspension once the yeast goes in. A Tawny, ruddy chestnut with a compact and tight off white sheen atop. Head holds and laces a fine Belgian lace. Bread pudding nose with hints of spicy brandy, sultanas, dried orange peel, prunes and treacle. Quite light on the palate. Well attenuated and lean. Plenty of booze, sherry, rust and blood with an almost taste to the finish. Bready and yeasty with hints of plum, sultana and dates. Slightly tannic and astringent on the swallow as it goes. Becomes harder to drink, which I found odd. Not a very demanding or complex strong but it does have that oxidised ’old’ ale character that gives it a little charm - if that was they were going for!? (33cL, BBE 10/17, Int’l Beer Shop, Leederville)

3.5 Bottle. Hazy dark reddish copper color with a medium thick foamy off-white head. Aroma of berries, yeast and wheat. Medium bitter taste with some sourness. Medium body.

2.8 Sweet aroma, a little brown sugar, a bit of cough syrop. Taste sweet and alcoholic on top. Falls on your tongue, which hollows out the taste..

3.3 Amber coloured with beige quickly vanishing head. Sugary and caramel aroma. Taste of ripe fruit, caramel and some vinegar.

2.5 W aromacie suszone owoce, karmel, cukier, niezbyt zachęcająco. W smaku zaskakująco puste, zbyt wysoko nasycone, karmel i cukier. Brak szlachetnych nut drożdżowych. Przeciętne piwo.

3.1 Some corianre in this one, very bad aroma. Kind of a lager+coriandre. Not so bad though. At first caramel, coriandre, fruity, but then the hopps kicked in. It would be much nicer if the watery lagerish aftertaste didn’t last... drinkable brew though

2.9 Quite sad brew.. If aroma at first seems boozy, but dried fruits kinda welcomes, then first sips are, too harsh, too boozy, too unbalanced, and too watery in finish.. Some caramel, fark fruits floating around. Light sweetness with light bitterness. Boring.. disappointing for Belgian strong..

3.2 Brown colored, hazy, some sediment and floaters, medium beige creamy head. Aroma is of brown sugar, caramel, dark fruits, apples, bit yeast. Taste is medium sweet brown sugar and caramel, apple, candy dark fruity, slightly roasted, some yeast. Medium bodied, soft carbonation, sticky. Nothing special really...

3.0 BBE 05-2015. Tummanmustanpunainen väri, maan tuoksu jossa ripaus maustetta (pippuri?) ja alkoholia. Maku jatkaa samoilla linjoilla, alkoholia lievästi ensipuraisussa ja maustetta, jälkimaku hivenen väljähtäneempi mutta jonkinlainen runko löytyy. Liekö ollut parempaa tuoreempana?

3.9 Bottle @ home.ramato carico quasi marrone con riflessi ruggine. Schiuma beige molto fine persistente. Aroma fine complesso ma non molto intenso ne persistente.fruttato di ciliege sotto spirito esteri del lievito tipici belga. Pane fresco, leggermente tostato. Maltato di the inglese. Liquoroso. Gusto dolce abboccato e acidulo. Pochissimo amaro, quasi solo da tostatura. Calda alcolica lievissima astringenza. Carbonatazione debole corpo debolissimo. Pregevole. Equilibrata ed armonica.

3.7 Bottle 33cl. as Dark Old Strong Ale. Slightly hazy dark amber brown, good frothy beige head, diminishes slowly, good lacing; aroma: dark malts, brown sugar, caramel, dark fruits (berries, plum), some apple syrup; taste light heavy sweet and medium bitter, malty, caramel fruity notes; medium to full body, oily to creamy texture, soft carbonation, mild bittersweet aftertaste, light spicy and alcoholic notes; well-balanced and tasty beer, very nice.

3.7 (bottle) hazy ruby-amber colour with a frothy beige head. aroma of sweet spices, bread dough and bubble gum, slightly alcoholic, with a hint of nettles, some kiwi, orange peel and raisins. flavour is mostly bubble gum, caramel and strawberries, with some more raisins, a touch of roasted malts, yeast and a semi-dry finish. heavy-bodied with lively carbonation.

3.3 Bottle. Dark hazy body with low head. Aroma is caramel, fruity, pine, yeasty. Taste has yeasty character. Medium earthy bitterbess. Body is full, high carbonation.

2.8 330ml bottle as "Vleteren Dark Old Strong Ale" (thanks FatPhil). Clearish dark amber color. Nettles, caramel, sour, vinegar in aroma. Sour, died hops, sweet in taste. Sour and hops and sugar in aftertaste. Meh brew.

3.0 330ml bottle (Koht Spring Auction, Tallinn) Pleasant red, brief frothy head. Sour and sweet malty aroma, had a hint of flemish red briefly. Dirty rough and raw sweet mashy aroma some mammi, but also quite sour. Sticky and a bit slick palate. Fortunately the sourness fades after a few sips, so you can ignore it. Very uninspiring belgian strong dark ale, but it does cover the alcohol quite well, so an extra point for that.

3.7 Caramel donker suiker achtig aroma. Prachtig rood bruinig donker van kleur, erg helder troebel (ruwe stukken). Peperachtige bite bij binnenkomst en afdronk, lichte zuring. Mooi eenvoudig maar toch diepgaand palet.

3.5 May 16, 2015. Bottle at home, best before december 2017. Hazy brownish ruby red with a large frothy white head, Aroma is sweet berries, caramel, figs, light tart apple notes and light spices. Taste is light to medium sweet up front with caramel and plums, light bitter. Finish is slightly dry with some light tart apple notes alongside toffee and plums. Medium bodied, rounded small bubble carbonation.