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Ciney

Beer has been brewed in Ciney since 1450. The modern 'Ciney beer' is either "blonde" or "brown", and the brown version is one of Belgium's most famous beer. This is a strong, dark, abbey-style beer. The nose is particularly complex and contains lots of sweet malt tempered with hop flowers, but with underlying spice (cloves?) and some fruity, almost jammy notes (plum jam). On the tongue it is extremely lively, and quite strong and sweet on the palate in the manner of a barley wine (although its 9 percent ABV is well disguised). Hops are also abundant in the taste, imparting a subtle bitterness to balance the malty sweetness. The finish is long, building into a cloying, malty, chocolatey aftertaste that seems to cover the tongue and linger for a long time. This is an ideal port substitute after a meal.

Belgium, 1979, St.Nicolas's Church and cattle market