by Brouwerij Palm (Swinkels Family Brewers)
With a history dating back to 1898, the Steenbrugge label was one that you could find almost anywhere in Belgium from supermarkets to beer cafes. In 2003 the label was sold into the Palm Breweries stable (owned by Swinkels), and they’ve continued to have widespread distribution around Belgian and neighbouring countries.
So here we have Steenbrugge Bruin. The style ‘bruin’ is a bit of a catch-all in that it can include dubbels and strong dark ales, though both those styles are a little more clearly defined. This beer is much more like a dubbel.
Brown in colour with a thick white foam, aromas of raisins, dates, caramel malt and brown sugar fill the glass. It is interesting to note that these beers often gain their colour from the caramelised beet sugars used, rather than using darker malts.
The taste is initially sweet and fruity. Again the dark dried stone fruits are dominant, raisins and dates, with some dark bready malt and some mild spicing and a little woodiness. The sweetness carries through the beer, though there is some hop bitterness toward the back end for a short bittersweet finish.