Lagered up

The Pfiff! guys have chosen unseasonal beers as the theme for the July session. I'm expecting lots of stuff about porter and rich spicy ales. I was hoping to do a dark lager, but have ended up with a top-fermented bokbier instead. It's still pretty wintry.

I'm racking my brains for any time I've had a Belgian bock before, but I think this might actually be the first. Leute comes in a 75cl corked bottled with a painted label and is quite reasonably priced in Redmond's, €7 for this much 7.5% ABV beer.

Check out that head. It just stays there, Irish-coffee-like, forever. The colour is a highly dense brown-red, and the nose hints at sweet dark fruits: black cherries and blackberries. This is clearly a beer for the Low Countries' bock season, as autumn careers onwards into winter. Given that it rained almost continuously here last summer, and it's mostly looking that way this year too, I'm not sure whether I can count this as properly unseasonal. But what is, in this place?

Dark malt dominates the flavour, not dry-bitter or sweet, but balanced in between -- a full bakery of warm cinnamon, raisins and orange zest. The texture is silky smooth, but it's not exactly easy drinking

My big criticism is that there's not enough. The flavours only hint at what kind of beer this could be if allowed run riot. If I were using it as a fireside warmer, it'd leave me wanting more. In fact, in the summer, it's still leaving me wanting more.

I don't think I get this seasonal beer thing.