Piraat

Tonight: Piraat Ale
Brouwerij Van Steenberge
10.5% ABV

Drinking a Piraat is like standing in the sunshine on a chilly day. It's listed as a Belgian Strong Pale Ale, but if you're used to US beers, don't fixate on the 'Pale Ale' label. That is to say, this beer isn't going to punch you in the face with hops. I've read at least one review of the beer that describes is as 'hoppy,' but I honestly don't taste it. Piraat is a flavorful Belgian beer. It's a little maltier than the Belgian beers I've reviewed to date. But overall, it's a well-balanced beverage.

I haven't really put much thought into how I would rate the Piraat relative to other beers until tonight. But you know what? I'm going to go ahead and rank it #1. Yes, it beats out both the Leffe Blonde and my beloved Trappist beers. We have a lot of beers to taste, so I'm sure the Piraat will fall from #1 at some point. And if the Leffe Brune were on our list, it would certaintly give the Piraat a run for its money. But for tonight, at least, the Piraat is king of the Avent beers.

Tomorrow: Rochefort 8

The Beers So Far:

1. Piraat
2. Leffe Blonde
3. Rochefort 6
4. Chimay Premiere (Red)
5. Big Butte Porter
6. Trois Pistoles
7. Krusovice Imperial
8. La Fin Du Monde
9. 1349
10. J.W. Lees
11. London Velvet