The branding of these beers is inspired by the castle of Ingelmunster, which is owned by the brewery.
This beer pours a glorious dark brown colour, with a fluffy khaki head. The aroma is full of sweet over-ripe dark fruits, Belgian candy, a little gentle spicing and typical Belgian yeast characters.
All of the rich aromas follow through to create a gloriously smooth and indulgent mix of raisins, plum, fig and cherry, brown sugar, molasses and a little chocolate hint. There is lots of sweetness, but this is balanced out by some gentle spicing and a little nuttiness.
There is a boozy warmth in the lingering aftertaste, but this beer is dangerously drinkable for the 11% alcohol.
A blast from the past: after our first trip to Belgium in 2001, this beer was our firm favourite. Many years – and many beers – on, there is no such thing as a favourite. But we’ve enjoyed revisiting this beer.