"This beer might have brought a revolution at WhiskyWobbles with its impressive power and depth"
(Photo from Bronckhorster Brewing Company)
About 3 km from the beautiful little town of Bronckhorst in the eastern part of the Netherlands lies the Bronckhorster Brewing Company founded by Englishman Steve Gammage. Originally from Yorkshire, Steve settled in the Netherlands after meeting his future wife Yvonne. After his 50th birthday in 2010, Steve decided to quit his restoration painting company and follow his other passion: brewing beer. The brewery has gathered many national and international prices for a variety of beer styles leading to rebranding the the original “Rodenburg” into the more international sounding “Bronckhorster Brewing Company. Brok in de Keel, translating as “Lump in the troat”, is an Belgian strong ale, a style that is closely related to Belgian quadrupel. According to the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP), Belgian dark strong ales are “A dark, very rich, complex, very strong Belgian ale”, which are “Complex, rich, smooth and dangerous”. I have also seen this beer categorised as “double bock” and it has won prices as the best heavy bock beer, so I guess the it lies somewhere in between the two styles, although my brewing knowledge is currently too little to exactly tell you the differences. I have had this beer lying around for over a year now, just because I have been too involved with other tasty drinks. I decided to finally open it the other day, which turned out to be the right occasion to properly introduce me to the world of special beers.
Nose
Fresh, slightly bitter start with citrus, lemon and a hint of blood orange. Then a short wave of fruits with fresh raspberries and strawberries, which develop into sugared fruit-flavoured sweet. A hint of pears and milk chocolate with the chocolate starting to dominate the nose. Now the scent move much more towards raisins and caramel, while it also turns slightly drier. Add to that some sweet meaty notes and orange and citrus sweets.
Taste
Full on chocolate, raisins and dark caramel. A different start compared to the nose. Lots of instant coffee powder, roasted nuts and a hint of bitterness in the aftertaste. I would say something like ginger. There is a very nice development, which direct my taste buds towards strong coffee, a really good one too, and roasted coffee beans or those coffee flavoured beans you sometimes get with a coffee in a fancy restaurant. It is all very pleasant, well balanced and rather complex. It tends to become nuttier. There is also a beautiful coffee bitterness in a surprisingly long aftertaste.
Overall
So far I never really cared that much for beer. I rather saw it as something to drink in stead of something to enjoy. Something for the pubs and parties, not for a quiet in my favourite chair. This beer might have changed that. The power and depth of the nose and palate really impressed me. So much that I already prepared a follow up with a range different styles to explore this area further. Can I make a greater compliment for this beer? Probably not. Prepare for a full month of crafty brews.
- Review 2020-017
- Belgian dark strong ale
- Bronckhorster Brewing Company (Rha, The Netherlands)
- Bronckhorster Brewing Company
- Undisclosed use of malts
- Undisclosed use of hop(s)
- Undisclosed use of yeast
- No added ingredients
- Not barrel-aged
- 8.5
- Bottled in 2019
- Standard range
- ±3
- Still available
Untappd score / 5
Bierista / 10
Score / 5
Scores
• these are my personal views so do not take them too seriously, nothing beats tasting these yourself •