peepers

On the eleventh day of Beermas I went and got for me
A scene ripe for peeping
Ten space lords leaping
A third of nine dancers carefree
Eight spice rack maidens
A taste of one of seven seas
Six alarms a-ringing
A high-powered ring of fire
Four silent moths
Three frisky parrots
A bottle but not two cans
And more than half a liter of perry

Yeah, OK, peep not pipe, but it’s close. Also, the guy probably has some pipe he could show us if he was in the right mood. De Verboden Vrucht comes from (shudder) InBev, but it’s down to the wire for Beermas and I have to find something that fits. It’s something that comes more from InBev’s Belgian roots and while it doesn’t brandish the Hoegaarden label, that’s the origin. Somehow I imagine music came after the eyes of humanity were opened. Living in a pre-life paradise doesn’t seem like it would lend itself to instrument creation.

It’s a warm nutty brown beer, this one, with a fluffy off-white cap. The aroma is quite vegetal, fresh carrots, canned peas. Canned corn usually isn’t a good sign, but that’s not quite what I’m getting. The taste is gingerbread at first, although there’s a little bit of metallic aftertaste. It’s a little tangy, but without the extra hanging around that so many Belgian beers have, it is a much cleaner and silkier feel. A little bit of apple starts to make an appearance after a good few minutes on the table, which is fitting. It does have a certain seasonal essence to it, a touch of Christmas spice. I wouldn’t go so far as to call it a truly forbidden fruit, but it feels like it came off a tree of pleasure. Eleventh day down!