The bottle I'm drinking tonight was picked up on a whim. I've been on a brown ale kick for the last few days. It turned my last trip to the beer store into one where I only focused on all forms of brown ale. As you saw yesterday, I started with a classic brown ale from Samuel Smiths. Tonight, I'm going towards the other end of the spectrum with Nostradamus, a Belgian brown ale from Brasserie Caracoles. And due to my aforementioned brown beer buying binge, throughout October, you will find plenty of other brown ale reviews with my name on them.
Brasserie Caracoles is located in Belgium. That's about all I got on these guys. Their site is entirely in French. And despite Google Translators best efforts, it could not overcome the websites broken links. Apparently the Belgians care not for functional web design. Here is a link to the site incase you are interested... Brasserie Caracoles.
This Belgian brown is actually classified as a Belgian Dark Strong Ale. But the color remains true to the name on the bottle. Colored copper and amber-brown with a minimal tan foam, the aromas swell from my pint and infuse the surrounding air with candied dark fruit, sweet malt and hints of clove and Belgian yeast. The first sip brings a load of carbonation that's hard to get past. But after a few minutes, the carbonation subdues itself and brings more candied fruit, toasted malt, milk chocolate and brown sugar flavors to the forefront. Some grape and plum flavors are noticeable as well. The high level of carbonation actually helps to balance a somewhat heavy malt body that would otherwise be overpowering. Some hop bitterness comes through towards the finish to further dry out the sweet malty profile. Did I mention the 9% ABV? I didn't think so. It's because I couldn't taste it. The alcohol is virtually non-existent.
Overall - Even though I was tricked into believing that Nostradamus was a brown ale brewed with Belgian yeast, I was delightfully surprised and impressed with this incognito brew. I'm a sucker for well brewed Belgian ales and it's tough to argue against one brewed within the country itself. Nostradamus is a great Belgian Dark Strong Ale. I highly recommend it.
This Belgian brown is actually classified as a Belgian Dark Strong Ale. But the color remains true to the name on the bottle. Colored copper and amber-brown with a minimal tan foam, the aromas swell from my pint and infuse the surrounding air with candied dark fruit, sweet malt and hints of clove and Belgian yeast. The first sip brings a load of carbonation that's hard to get past. But after a few minutes, the carbonation subdues itself and brings more candied fruit, toasted malt, milk chocolate and brown sugar flavors to the forefront. Some grape and plum flavors are noticeable as well. The high level of carbonation actually helps to balance a somewhat heavy malt body that would otherwise be overpowering. Some hop bitterness comes through towards the finish to further dry out the sweet malty profile. Did I mention the 9% ABV? I didn't think so. It's because I couldn't taste it. The alcohol is virtually non-existent.
Overall - Even though I was tricked into believing that Nostradamus was a brown ale brewed with Belgian yeast, I was delightfully surprised and impressed with this incognito brew. I'm a sucker for well brewed Belgian ales and it's tough to argue against one brewed within the country itself. Nostradamus is a great Belgian Dark Strong Ale. I highly recommend it.
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