For the uninitiated, Bosteels Brewery's Pauwel Kwak beer can be quite a confusing beer. Even for connoisseurs, Kwak is decidedly, well, different.

One glance at its signature drinking glass with its wooden stand and handle is enough to tell most that they are in store for a unique beer. I tried Kwak about a year back for the first time in the 330ml bottles, and now the 750ml corked bottle, brought back from Brussels in 2004. The two tastings differed quite strikingly, the corked bottle giving much more carbonation and alcohol in the taste, and less of the distinctive maltiness from the large bottle as well. 4-packs of Kwak are available in Alberta, some coming with the glass, designed so that Belgian coachmen could quench their thirst while remaining in the coach. Looking through beer reviews seems to show quite a wide range of opinions on this beer with no middle ground - people either praise it highly or harshly criticise it.

This much is certain: Kwak must be tried. And tried again. I admit I was not overly satisfied with my first glass of the stuff; when I tried it a year later I wondered at myself for not buying it more regularly. Antitypical, unique even by Belgian standards, and highly complex, this rates highly.