Number two from @Detlev s Christmas package is on the table – and the name alone makes it clear: Victoria Strong Blond Belgian Beer is not for small talk, but for making a statement. Belgium, after all. A country that brews beer as if there were no speed limit – and if there is, it is elegantly ignored.
What I don't ignore is my good old tradition of putting #icecubes in my glass 😉
Appearance & first impression
In the glass, the beer is light golden, almost sunny, with a head that is more bubbly than creamy. No dense cap, no long-lasting persistence: the head disappears quite quickly – as if it knows that completely different forces are about to take over.
The foam sip test (or say hello to 9%)
Even when you take a careful sip of the foam, the alcohol makes itself felt – at just under 9%, it is not subtly hidden, but very present. This is that typical Belgian moment when you think, “Oh, this is quite drinkable...” – and two seconds later correct yourself: “Ah. No. This is serious.”
Taste: strong, spicy, uncompromising
On the palate, Victoria is powerful and spicy, with plenty of punch. It's not a beer that offers delicate flavor profiles or vies for attention with exotic notes. Instead: power. Warmth. Alcohol.
However, you'll search in vain for a distinctive, clearly recognizable character. The beer remains more in the category of “typical strong Belgian blonde” – well made, solid, but without that one characteristic that makes you say later: “That's exactly it!”
Belgian beer – a little declaration of love with eyes