Andelot Cuvee Mystique | De Proefbrouwerij (bvba Andelot)

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Andelot Cuvee MystiqueAndelot Cuvee Mystique
Very Good
66 Ratings
Andelot Cuvee MystiqueAndelot Cuvee Mystique

Brewed by:
De Proefbrouwerij (bvba Andelot)

Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale

Alcohol by volume (ABV): 8.50%

Availability: Year-round

Notes / Commercial Description:
No notes at this time.

Added by Reidrover on 07-25-2005

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User Ratings & Reviews
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Ratings: 66 |  Reviews: 63
Reviews by Cylinsier:
Photo of Cylinsier
3.8/5  rDev -1.8%

Pours an opaque chocolate brown with little light passing through. Tan head is fine and thick. Good retention as a film.

Smells malty sweet like molasses and figs.

The taste is like toasted brown sugar and molasses with a bit of a nutty element.

Feels moderate to full. The carbonation is consistent throughout and fairly soft.

Pretty good dark ale, a little different than some others. Has some elements of a double but also elements of a nut brown and a stout. Interesting number, don't know if I would have it again but I'd like to try more from this brewery based on this.

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More User Reviews:
Photo of RoyalT
4.5/5  rDev +16.3%

Appearance  This one poured a rich, deep brown in color with a thick, monstrous brownish-white head that left some awesome lacing on the inside of my Chimay glass.

Smell  The thick, rich malts have some nice Belgian yeast to go with the gianormous malts and light brown sugar. This is a classic, complex maltish nose that is more like a BSDA than a Quad.

Taste  The flavors here are big and Belgian. The malts are gigantic and laden with Belgian yeast, heavily-toasted notes, and some strong brownish sugars.

Mouthfeel  This ale is in between medium and full-bodied with a luscious, creamy carbonation that really nails the BSDA style. This is just terrific in the mouth and is really fun to hold in the cheeks.

Drinkability  As this beer warmed it was incredible. It went down like velvety silk without a hint of alcohol.

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Photo of Byeast
4.35/5  rDev +12.4%

Appearance: poured a ruddy and mostly opaque brown , some slight red tones and appears a bit lighter at the top , thin layer of lasting tan foam.

Smell: Dark fruits, grape, hint of perfumey character, rich cocoa, a smell that reminds me of those chocolate oranges that you whack, and some yeast.

Taste: Lots of rich dark fruity flavor, grape, then a big dose of sweet chocolate moves in, some phenolic character throughout, bit of nutty quality, light apple flavor as it warms a bit, raisin,molasses, and some powdery yeast in the finish.

Mouthfeel: creamy and full bodied.

Drinkability: A very tasty and complex belgian strong dark ale, and not to expensive to boot! I really enjoyed this brew, lots of good flavor and very drinkable.

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Photo of Kraken
3.77/5  rDev -2.6%

Reviewed from notes-
Poured from a corked and caged 750ml bottle into an oversized wine glass. Firm pour yields 1 finger of choppy light tan head that diminishes quickly leaving a copius lace trail. Color is a dark almost burnt brown, almost back with ruby edging.
Nose- The nose on this one may be its most redeeming characteristic. Coco, heavy vineous grape, figs and alcohol.
Taste- Coco is dominante flavor followed by miniscule hints of grape and dark fruit, burnt caramel. Buttery finish. Not as heavy or complex as anticipated. True depth of flavor is missing.
Mouthfeel- Nice, however a bit thin as is drinkability. Booze is fairly well hidden. To me this more of a Belgian stout then a quad. Decent of the price.

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Photo of mudbug
4.32/5  rDev +11.6%

Shared with family,
poured into large wine glasses, nice dark brown with a small head that leaves quickly
Malt is the heavy hitter here, both smell and taste, a little spice too, very nice!
Medium bodied, a nice thirst quencher, Suggest pair with mild cheese.
I'd drink a lot of this anytime.

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Photo of Metalmonk
4.23/5  rDev +9.3%

Poured at cellar temp and no cooler. "Brunet Belgian Ale" on the label--and wow, this is as dark brown as brown gets (with ruby highlights). Head is a light tan color and comprised of tight, small bubbles, giving a creamy look to the top, almost like icing.

Rich aroma of chocolate cake and toffee. Some dark fruit too. Very malty, and the yeast isn't as assertive as many other similar beers. Light alcohol and a pinch of anise come in from behind.

Flavor-wise, and even texturally, this comes close to being a Belgian-style stout. A pervading roast character carries Mystique. Coffee, chocolate birthday cake, molasses, and burnt dark chocolate dominate. This is one malty sonofabitch, although it's not all that sweet. Plum, grape and fig come into the picture a little bit, especially with warming. Chocolate-flavored dark roast coffee coats the mouth in the long finish. 8.5% alcohol is modest and very well-incorporated.

Texturally it's bubbly and smooth/creamy, even has a certain chewiness to it. It really can't decide if it's a well-carbonated big dark ale or a thick stout. Most interesting.

Wonderful stuff, and pretty unique. The malt is not subtle and is in fact pretty gooey tasting...yet it's not totally sweet and the yeast isn't as pervasive as it is in so many other Belgians, dark or otherwise. Hearty, although maybe not as dessert-y as other big dark Belgians. Incidentally, a perfect beer for sipping on when snowed in...

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Photo of Magpie14
3.93/5  rDev +1.6%

Love hearing the pop! of the top

A: the most pleasant top on a beer I have seen as of late. Great retention as the foamy, swiss cheesed, whipped topping slowly melted away. Light brown sugar in color and many soft pillows of sticky lace. Deep caramel brown with shades of orange in the body, has a very dark appeal in my low light room

S: some great stuff going on in the nose. Mild dark fruits with banana and spiced rum notes. A whiff or two of sugary sweets and yeast

T: has a mild and pleasing profile. Darker roasted malts, dark fruits of plums and raisins with banana and caramelized figs all sprinkled with dark brown sugar. I swear that I am getting hints of light, and I mean very light, roasted coffee after the swallow. I should not forget the few clusters of cloves and the soft spiced earthy smokiness they bring
This seems like it would make a good standard for a Belgian Strong Dark Ale. Things are balanced and compliment the "please drink me" vibe I am getting

M: right in the middle not to heavy and not to light. Medium body compliments everything else well. Finishes a bit stiff, and yet I would classify it as smooth, almost creamy, and easy going

D: this one is a tight beer. Very tasty and aims to please and does so with considerable ease...I might add!

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Photo of AKBelgianBeast
3.9/5  rDev +0.8%

I like to call this beer the poor mans chimay blue. If you only have 8 bucks in your pocket and are craving that grande reserve familiarity, grab a cuvee mystique. Very close second to the blue. Dark fruit aromas with malt and spice. Smooth creamy mouthfeel ( could be a little thicker and less carbonated) goes down nice. aftertaste lingers with raisin and date. Drinkability is high. Good brew. Good price.

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Photo of NeroFiddled
4.13/5  rDev +6.7%

Pours a mainly clear mahogany body with caramel accents beneath a yellow-tan head that holds exceptionally well and leaves beautiful lace throughout most of the goblet.

The nose is limited but offers some earth, wood and spice amidst mild notes of dark fruit.

In the mouth it's smooth with a medium body and very-fine bubbled moderate carbonation.

The flavor offers alot of chocolate upfront, followed by the skin of dark fruits, some juicy plum, earth, chalk, spice and a touch of alcohol.

Quite enjoyable!

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Photo of ElGordo
3.75/5  rDev -3.1%

Poured from the 750ml bottle into my Duvel tulip glass. Body is a deep dark brown with ruby red highlights, topped by an inch of tan head that slowly diminishes into a creamy ring on the top. Lacing is minimal, but pretty. Aroma of dark roasted malt, dark fruit, a touch of vanilla, and more than a little alcohol. Palate is a little rough around the edges for an abt ale, but hey, I haven't met one I don't like. Rich malty backbone has notes of stone fruit, nutmeg, and other light spices, with a bit of warming alcohol on the finish. Body is nice, rich and creamy. Easy to drink for a strong ale, but still, not as enjoyable as some of my other favorite Belgian dark ales.

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Photo of DavidSeanNJ
4.18/5  rDev +8%

750 ml. bottle- corked and caged.

A- Dark brown liquid. Muddy tan head. Carbonation bubbles floating all over.

S- Smell was sweet like a wine. Chocolate covered cherries and alcohol.

T- Taste was wonderful. Typical flavors of a belgian dark ale. Figs, molasses, dark chocolate, nuts, dried fruits, wine, and raisons.

M- Carbonation but a little thin for a complex belgian ale. Not too sticky and a little watery.

D- Easy to drink. This bottle was done very quickly. I was not totally blown away but this is surely a fine beer.

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Photo of doktordebris
4.2/5  rDev +8.5%

Very nice one, and very out of character, if this is brewed by Dirk Naudts(maybe it's just someone using the brewery?). I don't really know what the deal is with "Andelot".
A- Poured nice and thick, dark opaque brown, with a healthy taupe colored head.
S-Spiced banana bread, chutney, figs. Changed overtime to a more pronounced fruity aroma of more figs, strawberries..
T-Not as sweet as I expected, a nice surprise. Reminds me of Grotten Brown, a pretty dry brown, if there is such a thing. The fruit is still there, but more subtle, with a hint of cigar throughout, finished with a slightly puckering tannic bitterness. Later on, this finish seemed to morph into a mildly acidic coffee-like aftertaste. Whoa.
M-Fine. Could have been more balance between the bubbles and syrupy character that follows, but that's nothing to complain about. Actually, I think that's because I drink too many Stouts that weigh in over 10%.
D-A nice dark belgian to impress any one of your chums. Not too heavy for beginners(though it does say 8.5), but definitely complex enough for the snobs. Also, if Dirk did brew "Mystique", he definitely showed some restraint, cus this aint another one of his wild salami beers. Nicely done!

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Photo of bum732
4.12/5  rDev +6.5%

Pours a dark brown, not much head, some creamy retention. Smells of spicy malt, caramel, vanilla, some chocolate, fairly strong dark fruits. Tastes of chocolate and dark fruit like malt. Some black rasberries pop the flavor. An interesting anise flavor starts everything off. Fairly moderate spicy bitterness ending with some roastiness. Pretty dry finish, creamy texture, alcohol fairly well hidden.

A solid beer, more like a belgian stout than strong dark ale. The "belgian" clove-like yeastiness is missing in this beer replaced instead with solid chocolate and roasty flavors. Not bad.

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Photo of akorsak
2.69/5  rDev -30.5%

I am drinking a 750 mL C&C bottle poured into a Chimay goblet. The ale is slightly chilled.

Appearance: The ale pours with a healthy two finger head. It has a nice dark black color with hints of red throughout. I can't tell if there is any sediment in here.

Smell: Here is where I find the beer deviating from the BSDA category. The malty aroma calls to mind a barleywine or a quad when I would not expect the ale to have such an aroma.

Taste: Again, the ale deviates from BSDA. I can't find the dark fruity notes and yeast presence that I'd expect from a BSDA. Instead I get more malt and barleywine character. Overall, the taste does not come anywhere near my expectations.

Mouthfeel: There is a slight oxidized flavor in the ale, not so much though that I think the ale is tainted For the malt taste, stick to a barleywine so you won't be disappointed.

Drinkability: The ale is moderately drinkable, so long as you think of it as a barleywine.

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Photo of Jredner
4/5  rDev +3.4%

Bread pudding, raisin and dark bread/fruit aromas. Very dark brown with a reddish tint and a HUGE creamy, nearly three finger thick tan head. Fore is dark breads, malt, spice, dark fruits, tobacco ash, roasty notes, chocolate malt and some tangier fruit notes that hint at apple and pear. Much more range than I expected and a pretty decent though soft, low key, brew.

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Photo of Phyl21ca
3.5/5  rDev -9.6%

Bottle: Poured a slightly cloudy deep brown color ale with a large foamy head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma of cookie dough malt with some light spicy yeast and some refreshing fruity ester. Taste is not as complex as expected but still very enjoyable with great notes of cookie dough malt with some refreshing fruity ester and a light spicy yeast. Body is a bit thin with good carbonation and no alcohol was apparent. I though it was a very enjoyable beer but still somewhat far from the behemoth that dominated the style.

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Photo of waldowin
3.72/5  rDev -3.9%

Pours a near-opaque brown, only allowing light in at the sides. A white head forms quickly, and sticks around, but is normal in size. Little lacing.

Smells of rum, raisins, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and a hint of clove. Appetizing!

Tastes of cinnamon, raisins, plums, and a bit of brown sugar. Not terribly complex, just enough to keep it from being plain. The alcohol hides extremely well. The body is thick, with carbonation making it feel almost silky smooth.

While tasty, 750mL of this is quite a bit, especially as far as the alcohol goes. Definitely split this with a friend to keep it from getting boring, and you're set!

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Photo of peabody
3.23/5  rDev -16.5%

Pours out like root beer with two fingers of off-white suds.
Smell is caramel malt and fig. Mabey a dark cherry/oakness way in the back.
Kind of a dirty flavor and the caramel goes away then the maltyness remains. At the end of this is the fruity taste.
Mouthfeel is fairly clean.
Drinkability is low here because of taste.

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Photo of JAA
4.02/5  rDev +3.9%

Corked and caged 750 ml bottle. Rather drab blue label with tacky yellow trim.

Nice dense creamy off-white head, dark ruby body.

Smells and tastes great. Dark/candied fruits, sweet chocolate and substantially more roasted malt character than a lot of the other Belgian strong dark ales that i have tried. Very sweet.

Great price and drinkability. Now maybe they will work on that generic looking label.

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Photo of LiquidAmber
3.95/5  rDev +2.1%

Poured into a Gulden Draak tulip. Pours a deep reddish mahogany with a one finger light tan head and lacing. Great retention. Aroma of caramel malt, dark fruit, malty and bit sour. Flavor is sweet and roasted malt, dark fruits. Finishes with a pleasant strong roasted malt, chocolate and coffee. Close to a Belgian stout. Not very complex and the flavor is subdued, but very pleasant. A surprisingly good dark ale.

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Photo of josiahschlender
3.96/5  rDev +2.3%

Poured from a 750ml corked bottle into a wine glass...looks beautiful! Murky brown with a little bit of red where light struggles to make it through. The long-lasting, finger thick head was brownish tan, slowly dissipating but never quite disappearing.

Sweet smelling, dark fruit and alcohol, but not extremely fragrant. I was surprised with the first sip, the taste did not match up as much as I thought it would! There was still the sweet fruit and molasses, but the dark roasted malts that had had a slight coffee, smoky taste to them came through much stronger midway in my mouth. Aftertaste had a bit of spice that didn't linger very long or unfold much more complexity.

I loved the way the Mystique felt in my mouth. Very creamy and smooth, with a moderate to heavy body that almost made it chewy. Alcohol content listed at 8.5% but noticed very little, it's been well hidden.

A very drinkable beer...the smell and taste were not quite as complex as I was hoping, but it still pleased and left me wishing I had a whole bottle to myself.

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Photo of Brent
3.78/5  rDev -2.3%

I've had the good fortune of experiencing some outstanding Belgian strong dark ales, and, while this doesn't place with the frontrunners, it does make a worthwhile showing. Appropriately tight-foamed head and a dark chestnut pour. Aroma was muted, with a touch of dark fruit. Flavor profile was a bit straightforward, dark fruit and moderate yeast influence without significant phenolic notes. A times it threatened to go a bit tinny, but never did. ETOH was noted as a slight pepper at the finish.

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Photo of barefootbrewer
4.39/5  rDev +13.4%

This beer poured a rich dark chocolate brown color with a fairly large head  pretty lacing. The smell is malty and a bit sweet  like a rich molasses. The taste is bold and malty. It is also sweet, but doesnt have the heavy sourness I expect from most Belgian beers. The mouthfeel is heavy but stops just short of chewy. This is a beer Id heard nothing about prior to drinking, but after having it..Id consider it a highly delicious beer that I would love on many occasions.

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Photo of yeti123
4.5/5  rDev +16.3%

Photo of dstc
4/5  rDev +3.4%

Pours a deep brown color yes a tan head. Head falls to about nothing. Thin lace.

Aroma is of sweet malts and candied sugar. Bit of a roasted smell there too.

Taste is like the aroma. Sweet sugar malts up front with a roasted taste. Coffee flavor in there too, that's different.

Rather thick mouthfeel and lowish carbonation.

Not bad, mostly average but drinkable.

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Andelot Cuvee Mystique from De Proefbrouwerij (bvba Andelot)
Beer rating: 3.87 out of 5 with 66 ratings