TN: 1996 Brasserie a Vapeur - Saison "Cochonne" - (Belgium, Wallonie)

• 1996 Brasserie a Vapeur Saison “Cochonne” - Belgium, Wallonie (2/13/2010)
  – popped and poured (cork topped with crown cap)–
  – tasted non-blind from 750mL over 1 hour –
  – direct from brewery’s cellar –

NOSE: honestly, this smelled rather gross to me – kind of like a Belgian trippel mixed with bad morning breath.

APPEARANCE: intense golden orange color; some sediment is present in the bottle.

TASTE: thank goodness this tastes better than it smells: baked apples and pears; considerable amount of sourness (maybe 7 out of 10, with 10 being most sour). Very smooth, alcohol not noticeable. It definitely has some Saison character, but it came across more like a old gueuze, really. Despite the gross nose on this brew, I’m actually going to buy another one. I’m pretty sure this is the oldest beer I’ve ever tasted, and I was blown away at how put-together it still is. Amazing.

Posted from CellarTracker

Oddly enough, when young this is probably the most quenching 9% abv beer you can get your hand on.
I spent about 3-4 hours at Brasserie Vapeur in 1999 when I lucked into meeting a great beer store owner in Brussles that was willing to run me around to some of his favorite breweries and give me and a friend personal tours (Cantillon, Quintine, Scaldis, and Dupont as well). Jean-Louis was extremely generous and pulled some bottles from the very early years of the brewery, I think they were 1985 or 1986, so they were right about the same age as yours. Also pulled an aged keg, perhaps 5-6 years old, that we drank on for quite a while talking, eating some wonderful chicken with Cochonne mustard, and playing some of the vintage games in the tasting area. Have also had some aged Saison Pipaix and La Folie that were similarly funky; definitely one of the most unique breweries in Belgium.

Matt,

I also have a La Folie in my cellar, although a quick inspection of the bottle didn’t reveal its age. I am intensely curious to check it out. The Pipiex didn’t sound like a beer that I would like with its orange peels, coriander, and all.

I think Cochonne has orange peel and coriander as well, but the weight of the malt absorbs it a bit better. Age will soften their effect as well.
Folie is very linear, probably the most straightforward of his lineup. Have some 12oz cork finished bottles from 1998/1999 that are in a very interesting place right now, starting to pick up hints of mushrooms and almost red wine aromas. Or it could be the 1/8" of unfiltered spooge on the bottom of the bottle.

How do you know when they were bottled? Is there some indication on the label/bottle?

Date was on the box when they came in the store. The brewery did some cellar releases once and put a tag with the date on them.

cool. that’s how I knew the date with the Cochonne.

i did look at my bottle of the Folie last night: i noticed the date “05/2013” (presumably a “best by” or “drink by” date) printed on the top of the crown cap. Does your bottle have such a date printed on the cap? if so, what’s that date?

My bottles of Folie are 12oz cork finished with no dates on the top. I used to get batches that had the brewed on date written on top, but the last few I received haven’t had them. I have found most of the breweries that have been puting ‘best by’ dates (mostly Trappists) have been using a date 5 years from the brew date, so I would think yours are from May 2008. Also be sure to remember that in Europe they do day/month/year instead of month/day/year. They would have today be 18/2/2010 instead of 2/18/2010. I’ve caught myself making that mistake once or twice when the day # is under 12.

hmmm … ok. i find it odd your 12 oz is only cork finished. my 750mL is corked, topped with a crown. i guess they do different closures for different sized bottles. is your 12 oz only corked, or is it corked and caged?

Corked and capped, like the 750mls or the small bottles of Cantillon. The bottle shape looks like a regular 12oz but the mouth and neck are fatter to receive the cork. Haven’t seen many like this, and never again from Vapeur, will have to post a pic.

ok. so you got one of these buggers on the top of your bottle (on top of the cork), right?

The “best by” date on my bottle is printed on top of that cap.

This beer will be at Berserkerfest. I strongly recommend that anyone who is even mildly curious give it a try. Only 2.5 more days!!!

You’re killing me dude.

Take a pic; I’ll pop one of my old Folies and toast you guys.

gentle peer pressure … we’ll pour some out for ya’, Matt.

So, here’s my salue to Berserkerfest last night…

Awesome! Nice pics, too – ya’ can’t help but love the logo on that glass!! I had you in mind while I was pushing this beer (and others) on some poor kind souls. Wish you could have been there, Matt – hopefully next time!