REVIEW #115: Ename Cuvee 974 (Brouwerij Roman)

Pours out an attractive rose tinted amber. A fluffy cream head develops as is the norm with many Belgian beers. Highly floral aroma of carnation and coriander. Again floral notes come across on the palate, especially pear and elderflower. A sweet, punchy corn syrup and candy cane sugar melts into a dryly herbal, slightly tart finish. The mouthfeel is mid-range and the whole beer seems refreshing and drinkable; not quite the heavy winter beer I was expecting. A solid abbey ale.

The name 'Ename' refers to the location of the brewery, a municipality of Oudenaarde, East Flanders. 974 (AD) is a reference to the year in which the borough came into being, and it was approximately half a millennium later, in 1545, when Brewery Roman also saw the light of day. But not until 1990 did the brewery shack up with a nearby abbey (the done thing in Belgian brewing) in order to launch its Ename range of 'abdijbiers'. Others in the range include a blonde, dubbel and tripel (the strongest at 8.5%). Cuvee 974 is the youngest, born in 2002, is intended as a winter beer and as such suits the snow-covered scene visible from my window as I write this.

• MALTS: ?
• HOPS: ?
• IBU: ?
• ABV: 7%
• Bottle conditioned
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