De Proef Van Twee
This latest collaboration in the Signature Ale line from De Proef also arrived along with the bottle of Batemans Rosey Nosey. This is the second in the series that I’ve had — the Port Brewing collaboration never saw a review on the site, but was enjoyed thoroughly about this time last year.
Van Twee features the collaborative efforts of John Mallet from Bell’s Brewing as the two companies combine for a Belgian Strong Dark with a decent helping of cherry juice. Now, I’ve had my own issues with cherries in beer in the past, so I was hoping that this would be the one to break the losing streak.
Appearance
Pouring a dark brown in color, Van Twee has a garnet edge when held up to the light. The head was large, fluffy and caramel in color.
Aroma
Van Twee starts off rich and surprisingly malty with a spicy yeast presence. The dark cherry notes are definitely there, but compliment the Belgian characteristics. There’s also a hint of sourness in there.
Taste
Dark cherry tartness starts out the taste with lingering sour notes in the sharp finish. Wow. I’ve got to say the levels of cherry in this beer is at just the right level for me. It’s there, but in the background enough to not dominate the beer in the least. There’s also a light funkiness from the wild Brett used.
Overall
This one honestly surprised me. I thoroughly enjoyed the Port Brewing collaboration, but was skeptical of this one based solely on my experience with Bell’s and cherries in the past. This one, however, is very well balanced with all the right levels of sourness, tartness and funk. I would love to see how this one turns out with a little age to it.
Rating: 3.5/5