Beer – #737 – Hertog Jan – Grand Prestige 2015

Seems that this is an annual beer, this one the Hertog Jan – Grand Prestige 2015 edition. Smaller bottle than a previous version I had, and it feels like I’ve had a couple of BarleyWine types recently, not that that is a bad thing.

Hertog Jan Grand Prestige is a deep, reddish-brown beer with a high fermentation and a full, ripe, bittersweet flavour.

Dinky ceramic bottle with cork and cage, 500ml, which has beer that is 10% ABV, making it 300 calories a serve size, and 25 UBU things also making it 3.94 standard drinks.

Brewed by Arcense Bierbrouwerij (InBev) In the style that is: Abt/Quadrupel and they are Arcen, Netherlands. However this could well be English BarleyWine, Belgium Strong Dark Ale, and/or other styles.

Heavy dark beer with a full ripe sweet-bitter taste.

Hertog Jan Grand Prestige is our crown jewel; the pride of the Hertog Jan brewery.

Prestigious looking man with a beer

For this dark and heavy Hertog Jan beer the special Hertog Jan malt is used: a special mix of four kinds of malt. This gives a rich, full flavor in which sweet and bitter can be distinguished.

Hertog Jan Grand Prestige is one of the few beers that can be aged, the taste will become richer with the years.

Full-bodied dark beer with a sweet-sour taste, Hertog Jan Grand Prestige is prepared with the finest ingredients. It is known as the “barley wine” for its fruity flavor. The hop aroma can clearly discern the sweet and the bitter.

So, I ask, what could possibly go wrong ? Well I really enjoy a bit of theatre and pomp when it comes to opening a beer and this is up there with tat fiddly cage and the small cork.

That bubble-gum rich fruity sugar aroma that is familiar with Belgium Ales.

Deep rich dark ruby brown beer with a thick and decent head that is as thick as milkshake might be. Aroma is that really nice steeped right fruit thing. Nice.

Cracking! Absolutely cracking beer. Initial burst of a bitterness gives way to a rich full mouthful of sweet fluffy sugary sweet beer that finishes both dry and a tick of bitter, and also has a lovely coating lingering taste.

The alcohol astringent is there too, just there under all that heavy sweet stuff.

But my word at this temperature and with this sweetness I find myself sipping at a rapid pace, aware that it’s not a never ending beer, but it’s hard.

Even as it warms and that alcohol bur gets more noticeable there is something very compelling in the sweetness of this, I admit I have a sweet tooth and all that, yet this is only a tad over the line, giving me a really recent drinking beer.

The major thing though, this wasn’t comparably expensive compared to local beers of the same style and volume, and this is quite tidy drinking. and I would easily have another couple if I had the chance.

Like I said at the top of the live part of this, it’s a belter of a good beer.

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 9 a of its things from the thing. This is pretty much the money, but since I can’t figure out what the style is I’m betwixt and between. Has much going for it if you like sweet, fruit laden, higher alcohol beers that are easy drinking. If you’re looking for more flavours or complexity in a strong beer then this might not be for you. This of course is only the way I think about it, for some the fact that this might have caramel colouring perhaps would make the scowl, I found however to be just about the beer I wanted to drink. I’d probably think the same tomorrow.

The double dip review

Where did I get it? Surprisingly the local New World Supermarket in Browns Bay had it in their beer fridge. It was however the last one, unless they have a stash out back.
Am I enjoying it? Gosh yes,
Would I have another? Guess who’s off more in hope than anything to see if there is more.
Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? This is a beer that is sweet and has a bop of alcohol, is easy drinking without surprises and is quite the tasty thing. Plus the bottle is brilliant.

Music: For this “Death Cab for Cutie” ‘Kintsugi ” on Spotify Death Cab for Cutie is an American alternative rock band, formed in Bellingham, Washington

ABT/QUADRUPEL

Abt, or quadrupel, is the name given to ultra-strong Trappist and abbey ales. The name Abt was pioneered to describe Westvleteren and the beer that would become St. Bernardus. Quadrupel was pioneered by La Trappe. Abts are the darker of the two, with more rich, deep fruity notes. Quads are paler, with corresponding peachy notes. Neither have much in the way of hop, and both are very strong and malty. Though both are bottle-conditioned, abts trend more towards yeastiness. Alcohol is very high (10+% abv) for both.

BARLEY WINE

A Barley Wine is a strong, top-fermenting ale, with an alcohol contents of at least 9% and up to 13% (or more) by volume. Hops may be hardly noticeable at all or very noticeable. Sip them out of the special glass, that will concentrate the aroma. They are excellent with cigars or with dessert.

BELGIAN STRONG ALE

Belgian Strong Ales can vary from pale to dark brown in color, darker ales may be colored with dark candy sugar. Hop flavor can range from low to high, while hop aroma is low. The beers are medium to full-bodied and have a high alcoholic character. Types of beers included here include tripels, dubbels and ultra-strong abbey ales.