Leffe Brune Belgian Abbey Beer Large Bottle, 6 x 750 ml

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Leffe is great when compared to commercial beer manufacturers. But compared with most Belgian brewers with the excepton of Stella, it's not as good...but it is cheaper. So it deserves some overall marks for this. This Flemish beer, the main product of the family-run Bosteels brewery, is not all that special – it's an amber ale sweetened by a little sugar – but it's served in dramatic style with its distinctive hourglass placed in a wooden stand. 14. Leffe (Leffe Brune 6.5%, Leffe Blond 6.6%) spring water, phenolic, wheat, rye, buttery hopes, roasted hops, corn, and some type of coal ash. Not dry and crisp. Also something instead of caramel something like eucalypti sweet sap. Leffe Brune is full bodied, close to a Stout or a Porter, but not too heavy, very quaffable. ( Terry Pratchett– one of my favourite authors – describes quaffing as ‘a lot like drinking, but your ears can get wet’.) The flavour of the Brune is altogether richer, fuller, slightly sweet, but ultimately satisfying there are notes of dark treacle, and chocolate, and a hint of coffee, but it’s not too sweet. Against these ales, most lagers and British ales pale (no pun intended) by comparison.

After Blond and Brune, Leffe Radieuese is only available in bottles, but at 8.2% ABV it’s not something you would expect to encounter on draught. As you pour, the head is the colour of a stronger latte than the Brune shows, the beer is a rich ruby colour if held up to a bright light, and the coffee connection follows into the flavour. There are distinct hints of strong coffee and dark chocolate… and a deep rich fruit cake flavour in there, but I also got hints of caramel and even honey. Leffe Triple is the only bottle conditioned ale in the Leffe range and comes through very dark, more of a garnet than a ruby, with a more coffee coloured head. The body is full and the nose slightly sharp, but that sharpness doesn’t translate into the flavour which is rich and warming. Again the roasted barley comes through to give a coffee / chocolate flavour, with maybe the merest hint of bitter oranges and spice.Produced in the Ardennes, this distinctive beer is instantly recognizable by the red-hooded gnome (or chouffe) which adorns its label. It's a refreshing pale ale with a hint of coriander and it leaves a peachy aftertaste. 5. Corsendonk Pater Noster (5.6%) Glad to hear about the other Leffe options — the Brune and Blonde are fine but leave me feeling like there’s something more to pursue. We’ll start with what should be the lightest of the Leffe family, although still a respectable 6.2% ABV, as you can see Leffe Blond came out considerably paler than I remembered, but make no mistake, despite its pale amber colouration, this is a full bodied ale. It has a full mouth feel, and a substantial head that lasted well down the glass, leaving a distinctive lacing down the glass. Named after – and allegedly the favourite tipple of – the Habsburg emperor Charles V, Gouden Carolus is a full-bodied dark brown ale with a sour and slightly fruity aftertaste. Brewed in the Flemish town of Mechelen. 7. Delirium Tremens (9%)

Produced at a Trappist monastery in the Ardennes, Rochefort beers are typically dark and sweet and come in three main versions: Rochefort 6, Rochefort 8, and the extremely popular Rochefort 10, which has a deep reddish-brown colour and a delicious fruity palate. 17. Rodenbach (Rodenbach 5%, Rodenbach Grand Cru 6.5%) Similar aromas as the blonde, just a little more caramelly and more bready. I actually prefer the blonde aroma. The abbey that first produced Leffe, Notre-Dame de Leffe, was founded in 1152 and has a long and rich history. In 1240, the monks decided to build a brewery. Beer at that time was a much healthier alternative to drinking water, which was often full of diseases. The brewery was a great success. In fact, it was said at one point that the master brewer at the Leffe brewery made a beer that was so delicious, parishioners preferred drinking it to going to church on Sundays. Needless to say, the abbot at the time had to step in!A am very satisifed with it overall. Not crisp. Full As. Very Caramel. Not watery. It is like drinking a dark FORREST.

For those in or near NYC, I recommend this little Belgian place on 75th between 2nd and 3rd Ave (can’t remember the name) — some decent selections on tap, more in bottles, nearly all in the abbey/trappist style. A fun place to spend a lazy weekend afternoon.

So, in conclusion, Leffe produce a fine range of Abbey style beers. As such they’re industrial rather than craft or artisan beers, but they’re full bodied, full flavoured and well worth seeking out.

I’m not a fan of blonds. I do prefer stout beers. I’ve never tasted a Leffe beer that I liked (and I already tasted the blond and the triple). But I should try this Leffe Radieuse. At least, seems a little bit different in flavour.The flavour is well rounded, slightly sweet, slightly spicy, but with all these brews there is something that is distinctively ‘Belgian’. Okay so not quite trappist, but once you’ve tasted a Belgian beer, you’ll spot that flavour whenever you are fortunate enough to encounter it.