I'd been looking forward to trying this beer for some time. Achel is one of the seven Trappist breweries currently operating in Belgium. As I mentioned in my last post, I am partial to Belgian beers, and I've never found a Trappist or knock-off Trappist brew that I didn't enjoy. Achel Brune was no exception.
This beer poured with one heck of a head, and the high levels of carbonation, good head retention, and moderate lacing add a lot to the appearance. It's got a very appealing color, and the aroma is bready, malty, and sweet, with hints of dried fruits. You can kind of see it in the picture above, but there was quite a bit of sediment in the bottle, too, though there was little to no clouding in the poured beer.
The taste matched the aroma pretty well, and it is nicely full-bodied, with raisiny tones under the main bready/malty flavor. I also picked up on some delicious phenolic hints and spiciness, cloves in particular, that are usually produced by several of the Belgian ale yeast strains, and it finished with a good alcohol-warmth in the back of the mouth, thanks to its 8% ABV. There's also a good bit of residual sweetness to nicely balance out the breadiness and spiciness. Overall, this was a very satisfying beer in terms of appearance, aroma, taste, and mouthfeel. I would give this one an 8/10. Achel Brune might appeal to folks who like Schneider-Weisse Aventinus, though Brune's palate seems a little less fruity (Aventinus has much more in the way of plums, dates, and the like).
And, since I do believe in savoring good beer, I switched to yellow fizzy afterwards:
It's yellow. It's fizzy. It's a slim ass-hair better than Coors Light, Bud Light, and the rest of them. It's still more adjuncty than I'd like, but it's decent when you want a beer but don't want a big price tag or extra calories. Like soda for grown-ups.
I hope everyone (responsibly) enjoyed St. Patty's Day as much as I did. Cheers!
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