REVIEW #58: Viven Porter (Brouwerij van Viven)

Pours a deep black with caramel coloured head. The beer has a dark fruit and slight smoke aroma. The taste is full of sweet juicy raisins, plums and blackcurrants with a dash of demerara sugar. A biscuit malt, brown bread and sweet cream finish follows. The smoke is lightly applied but adds complexity. Medium to full bodied. Very drinkable but strong and robust English-style porter from a Belgian brewer.

Brouwerij van Viven was founded in 1999 by Willy de Lobel who contracted de Proefbrouwerij to brew his beers due to the lack of a physical brewery. He handed the company over to Tony Traen in 2003. Van Viven produces a range of beers including Brown, Blond, Ale (English bitter), Imperial (IPA) and Porter (take a guess). The latter three were devised by Traen and Dirk Naudts of de Proefbrouwerij as an attempt to brew non-Flemish beers in a Flemish way. They were brought to market in 2010.

• MALTS:  DARK, SMOKED

• HOPS: AMERICAN
• IBU: ?
• YEAST: ?
• ABV: 7%`
• BOTTLE-CONDITIONED.

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