Cuvée des Trolls

Cuvée des Trolls, a Belgian Strong Pale Ale, 7%, from Dubuisson.

This one of my favorite beers.
I'll just start by saying that.

It was also one of the last beers I had in Belgium before our honeymoon ended. Sitting in the Delirium Cafe, flipping through the giant menu book, I couldn't resist the cute little hop-hat wearing troll logo. It was one of the featured beers on the menu, and overwhelmed by choices, I decided to give it a shot, and I was glad I did.

Unfortunately, it's nearly impossible to find this in the States (or completely impossible so far). But for my birthday Cari was nice enough to order a little 6-pack gift pack that includes the frosted Trolls glass from Belgian Shop, a great online store for some of the most obscure Belgian beers...yes, you can even order Westvleteren. Just be prepared to pay about 10x the amount of shipping costs you'd expect.

So..what's it like?
Unfortunately, the bottles are tiny... 25 cl, or about 8 1/2 oz. But maybe a big bottle is too much goodness at once.
It's pale orangey-yellow, virtually no head, with light carbonation.
The smell is extremely fruity - some apple, pear, orange...maybe some honey.
The taste is just as sweet, fruity, with some light hops in the aftertaste. But in spite of all the sweetness, it's still fairly crisp. It's just a nice, sweet, clean, refreshing beverage (with a deceptive amount of alcohol).

Most reviews I've read have been pretty mediocre, but for me, it's a real treat.