Trappist Achel Bruin Bier

Trappist Achel Bruin Bier is a certified Trappist ale out of Achel, Belgium. It's brewed by the challengingly-named Brouwerij der Sint-Benedictusabdij de Achelse Kluis (according to Wikipedia--there was an irritating sticker over that piece of info on my 330mL bottle).

This Belgian brown ale is an "Authentic Trappist Product" and contains a hearty 8% alcohol. It's a hazy brown grog that pours with a very substantial cloud of cream-coloured head. It's aroma certainly isn't shy, with forceful malt notes, big booze presence, and, above all, lots of orchard fruit character. There's also a pretty cheeky yeast aroma. A very sweet beer, Achel has strong fruit notes--apple, pear, and fig are well represented. Like you'd expect from a strong Belgian ale, it's yeasty, malty, and boozily warm.

One of the sweeter and fruitier of the Trappists that I've tried, Achel Bruin still manages to be a fairly approachable exemplar of the style for drinkers interested in accessing a strong Belgian brew. It has an engrossing flavour and very few bad qualities.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.