Piraat

Piraaaaat is a delicious bottle-conditioned Belgian ale from Brewery Van Steenberge. The brewery makes several varieties of beer that are pretty reasonably priced and easy to find in the US (and easy to spot due to their funny-shaped bottles). Anyway, Piraat has been one of my favorite beers lately. I had one on tap at Burp Castle last week and it put me in a pretty good mood.

It has a nice coppery, golden color with a big, white head that almost looks like a meringue. The aroma is sort of soapy with hints of yeast, honey, and plenty of alcohol. But the smell is actually rather subdued compared to the taste. I try not to read too much about a beer before I taste it. I care much less about what someone else thinks than what I think. After tasting this beer, I read several reviews that totally contradicted each other. So, fuck em. I can trust my own palate.

The first sip tastes like you're biting into a steak. It has a pretty full body with a nice bitter hop aftertaste. I don't think this bottle had quite as much complexity as the one I had on tap, but it still made my body release some endorphins. At 10.5% alcohol, it's pretty intoxicating. Maybe I should eat something.

Piraat
Is it delicious?: A-
Is it interesting?: B-
Drinkability: B-