Brasserie Lefebvre Abbaye de Floreffe Prima (Melior) Belgian Strong Dark Ale at 8% ABV ($5.24 from Crowfoot Liquor Okotoks)
Pours clear amber-brown with cola red highlights, a short and short-lived light tan head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim, no lacing. Nose is brown sugar and boozy dark fruit, mild spice. Taste is moderate candi sugar sweetness, apple fruitiness and fruitcake spices, slight sour/tart. Medium body, prickly sustained carbonation, with an off-dry mild bitter lingering finish.
Probably the best of the Floreffe offerings I’ve tried. I’m not going to break my neck trying to get any more, you understand – this is just the best of a fairly mediocre bunch. Kind of a boozy medium-dark fruitcake, that somebody got confused while making, and added apples. (What is it with Floreffe and apples? Every one of those beers tastes like apples. Must be their house yeast.) It’s very, very similar to the Dubbel, except with a little more pronounced nose and a much more noticeable booziness. Definitely falls short of greatness, and there are definitely many better examples of the style to be had.
7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
