You'd be Kwakers not to try this (Kwak Beer)

Member Name: thehonesttruth

Product:	Kwak Beer
Date:	04/11/09 (36 review reads)
Rating:

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A little while ago, I reviewed the Belgian Cafe in Eastbourne . One of the many things I praised them on was their impressive beer menu - some 50+ belgian beers were listed, each with a tantalising description of their taste and appearance . Kwak, however, was listed simply as ' The one with THAT glass'.

Ooooh, a mystery. And a beer that sounds like a noise a duck makes ! My curiousity was aroused, and I decided that I had to see what THAT glass was like . Maybe it was shaped like a duck! Maybe it was a cauldron shape with a novelty straw. Or maybe, just maybe, it was something rude!

Nope, it was a tall, rather elegant looking glass, flared at the top with a long nck, and with a bottom so rounded, that the glass needed to be slotted into a wooden holder in order to stand it up . It looks a little like a yard of ale glass - but you can see for yourself in the photo .

I was not entirely sure if I should remove the glass from the stand, or lift the stand complete with glass and drink that way. I tried with the stand first, which was rather bulky. So, I decided to use the glass only - a rather complicated procedure which involved lifting the glass so that its narrowest point lined up with the gap in the stand, and pulling it out .

Taking a sip, it was a slightly spicy beer, with a strong alcohol hit - not suprising, as it's a respectable 8.4% . The colour is a rich deep amber, and it has a thick, long lasting head , with a sweet , fruity, and again, slightly spicy aroma , with subtle undertones of vanilla and caramel .

It feels a little thick in the mouth, yet there is some carbonation which does help to lighten it - I do feel that if it was any flatter it might be slightly syrupy in texture . I like a bit of cling in the mouth, but not too much when I'm eating, and I think this beer got the balance about right .

I found the taste to be quite bitter and dry, but again, I could detect a slight caramel and vanilla sweet edge to it, as well as something slightly herbal that I couldn't quite put my finger on . The taste did linger, with a very hoppy aftertaste, and overall, I enjoyed it .

I can't comment on the packaging, as this was poured and bought to the table, and I'm not too sure how readily available this is in supermarkets, or what the price of it there would be . The cost of a glass of this was £3.80 in the Belgian Cafe (but prices there are incredibly high) so I imagine if you could find this in a shop it would be much cheaper .

Overall, it was an enjoyable drink that made my cheeks warm and tingly, and slipped down like a dream, despite the alcohol being clearly present in the taste . I would certainly drink it again, and would recommend it, if only to play with the novelty glass .

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