So a quick word tonight on a bottle of what proclaims itself "the strongest Belgian beer", coming in at a fairly hefty 12%abv.
The beer is bronze in colour with a nose that drifts between malty and slightly floral. On the palatte, the beer is quite sharp with hints of citrus; but there is also a noticable sweetness, particularly after it's been stood in the glass for a while. The high alcohol content also leads to a certain astringency. The finish is somewhere between bitter and sour and tends to catch in the back of the throat. At first the finish is somewhat muted, but once again becomes more pronounced with exposure to air. Overall, I can't say I was overly impressed. I felt the beer lacked character; although I would not say the beer was unpleasent.
I should probably note that the bottle I sampled did have a slightly cloudy appearance. I'm not sure if this means the beer is bottle conditioned (the bottle makes no indication if this), it had thorn a chill haze, the glass had some residue in it which reacted with the beer, or it was simply a sub-standard batch that slipped through (the beer was still within its best before date). So my review may not be based on the best specimen. Looks like I need to go back to Belgium for some more!
Given this, my scoring may be a little unfair, but I am going for a 6 out of 10. While a very drinkable beer, I just felt it lacked character and is sold mostly under the claim of being "the strongest Belgian beer". Of course, if I find a better specimen I may yet change my mind and update thus review and score.
It sounds as if the beer was consumed too cold. I like to enjoy belgians at slightly cooler than room temp. Fridge cold is far too cold.