Moinette Brune 8.5%

A brown ale from brasserie Dupont, manufacturers of the famous Saison.

This would have made a good head-to-head with the Maredsous. I'm not sure why I didn't taste them together. 

Treacle Toffee apple noie and palate. Pleasing acidity and spicy hop notes but perhaps not the saltiness from the abbey ale? Only back to back tasting would reveal if salty one day is spicy another...

I'm keen on this although the appearance in the glass is perhaps a little less alluring that l than Maredsous, as the head dies more quickly and the colours is more chestnut than ruby.

I'll happily drink a case full. 8/10

Maredsous 8 Brune. Abbey Ale - 8% abv

Caramel, Treacle Toffee malt fills your palate, but there's enough tongue tingle from the lasting effervescence and the accompanying acidity to keep the sweetness from becoming overpowering. 

As the sweetness dies there's bitterness and a salty edge, that I suspect comes from the hops.

The ruby brown is accompanied by a pleasing yellowy head that persists long enough to keep things attractive.

It's a satisfying beer from many angles. It will be interesting to see how it measures up to the Trappist ales that it aims to emulate.

Golden Caroulus

World's best dark beer is quite a billing to live up to. 

Head is medium fawn, persistent and bubble quite large. A reddish brown liquid, without excessive fix on the tongue.

Aroma is strongly led by malt, caramel following shortly behind. Not the Christmas cake of St Bernhard us or Rochefort 8.

Sweet on the palate but not overly so. Caramel, Toffee and A hint of chocolate. Nice acidity follows on, raisin levels though, nothing sharper. 

8.5% and we'll balanced with it. A keeper for the winter months.

Arend Blond 6.5% deRyck

Sweet and tart, not overly fizzy. Not especially complex but very drinkable with a sharper aftertaste. Yeast residue was clean smelling. Almost a tripel? Nice.

http://www.brouwerijderyck.be/

Silly Forest Abbey

All about the fizz and pepper spice. Insane head. Not much sweetness for a blond. One to have another one of.

Herten Heer King of Hearts

Blond and bitter it says on the bottle and that describes the initial impression well. Something a bit like a British take on an American IPA in a funny kind of way. investigating the brewery proves to back this up as it is a new craft brewery rather than an old traditional family affair.

Hapkin

If Leffe had every last vestige of chemical plant removed, and it was all replaced by cream soda...

100% pleasant, but then so is Coke.