This Benelux Life

This is the strangest, lightest, sweetest brown beer I’ve tasted in a long time. The beer is flavoured with “sour cherry juice” which initially makes for a very sweet drink, but one with a very satisfying bite to it.

I was really thrown when I first tasted it, but it does grow on you quite quickly. This is definitely a beer to enjoy on a warm summer afternoon.

Another abbey beer. This one brewed - according to the back of the bottle - to the traditional methods of the Benedictine monks of Maredsous.

It struck me as very yeasty initially, but this died down as soon as the - very frothy - head did. From here on in, the beer was okay, but not great - and did retain a bit of a yeasty aftertaste.

I stuck with it for the duration of the evening, but can’t see me ordering it again.

It’s that time of year again when the Belgian breweries start producing their winter ales. And The Met has an offer on at the moment for Tongerlo Christmas.

Copper-coloured beer of pure spring barley, with a touch of vanilla in the aroma, a fruity and complex flavour and a smooth aftertaste.

It’s quite nice, too.