Much the same as its sister beer, Two Rivers Noir in many respects. After cracking the cap there is an intriguing foam that protrudes out of the top of the bottle, as if it is fermenting - it is bottle-conditioned. Poured head is that of a soda. Fizzy but disappeared entirely almost entirely. Slightly cloudy, rose or purple colored body. Label tells us this is 75% Malbec grape Saison and 25% Brettanomyces Table Saison. Nose offers generic fruit. Mouthfeel is lively and quite fizzy. Lots of...
Notes on beers served in the format
bottle
Logsdon Two Rivers
Tsjeeses Reserva
(Porto Barrel Aged)
I don't understand this beer. Vintage 2020, bottled on 15/11/22 and good for 5 years out. Now branded as Blond Winter Ale matured on Port barrels. Not a great head - to be expected at 10% - but also a weird colored pour that is reddish brown, not exactly the advertised "Blond Winter Ale". I suppose that's because of the aging on Port barrels that would appear to have taken a couple of years IF I am reading the label correctly There's a thin film retained, and a little lace but not much. Nose...
La Moneuse
Triple X 30 Ans
750 mL corked and caged from Etre Gourmet. Red cap on the cage has dot-matrixed "U2 02:22 TRIPLE X". Presumably brewed for the 30th anniversary which seems to have been in 2019, so this is a four to five year old beer. Pop on opening is impressive, good gun smoke too. Pour is a hazed, honey-orange color body with a high white, tightly formed head. Fine sized bubbles, retention and lace good considering the ABV. Nose is quite estery, yeasty and fruity and doesn't give up the alcohol that I was...
St. Feuillien
NINE
11.2 oz bottle, 8/10/21. Bigger brother of Five. I suppose we can argue at what point something described as a Belgian Strong Blonde becomes a Belgian Strong Pale, or if it does at all, or if it matters at all, but at the end of the day it all boils down to much the same thing in the glass. Fairly standard alcohol solvent on the nose. As one would expect. Described as a Strong Blonde the beer pours as one would expect. Golden body, bone-white head with lace and retention both pretty good for a...
Oud Beersel
Bersalis Tripel
Apparently I've had this before today but I have no notes, and I was somewhat surprised to find out that Brouwerij Oud Beersel made a Tripel given their sour-laden portfolio. The pour is an astonishing color - deep, deep golden, great hues Head is great too (for the ABV), bone-white and has decent retention and some lovely lace. Absolutely perfectly presented beer. Nose has lovely, sharp, clean alcohol with a white pepper blast. Tastes are truly Tripel with the mild spice, the solvent alcohol,...
Guinness
Antwerpen Stout
Another offering from that 2017 mixed 12 pack. Again, I suppose this must be old, but to be honest there aren't any/many signs of age. Perhaps the head retention was poor, but outside of that, no oxidation and it drinks just fine. Jet black body with the head one would expect. Ruby red notes in strong light. Lace minimal, thin film on the surface. Carbonation is good, even a touch prickly. A lot of sweetness on the nose. This carries through to the up front tastes. Plenty of chocolatey,...
Fantôme
Garden Ghost
33 cL bottle. 2d batch. Etre Gourmet. Thickish looking, hazed orange body with a magnificent, ice-cream-like head. Body color is not particularly attractive (has a NEIPA look about it which I absolutely HATE). Head is resplendent. Retention and lace are great, not surprising given the colossal initial head. The first aromas that drift across on opening (and even before the beer is poured) are a tangerine, orange whiff. On closer inspection this turns out to have a lot of mango qualities. Quite...
200th Anniversary
Export Stout
11.2 oz bottle from a mixed 12 pack. I purchased this a few months ago (late 2022) and I know the beer was original brewed in 2017 for the 200th anniversary of exporting to the US, but TBH it didn't give an impression of being that old, either from the external packaging or the bottle contents. Lot number on the label is L9183GF002 (that may help in the future). The beer does not give any impression of age in term of oxidation or any other element. Pour is as one would expect. Lace minimal but...
Ridgeway
Imperial Red Ale 2017
Bottle number 4815. Kahn's, Indianapolis, sometime in the latter half of 2022. 330 mL bottle. I have zero expectations here, or at least I'm assuming that it's going to be a dud, and anything and everything above that will be a bonus. Deliberately aggressive pour to generate a head. Not too bad considering age and ABV (see picture). Thin film on the surface results, zero lace. The body is a murky, frankly unattractive brownish-red body. Nose offers a sweet, English Barleywine note, and this...
Straffe Hendrik
Triple WILD 2015
11.2 oz bottle, Best before end of 2019. Greens, Buford location, Atlanta, GA in late 2022. Pour is well-carbonated (considering the age) initially, that fades quickly to give no lace but a semi-decent film across the beer. A surprisingly rich copper color with good clarity. To be honest, in terms of appearance the beer exceeds expectations. After a few minutes of warming it goes relatively still. There’s a gentle syrupy note to this beer at this age. Obviously (or at least I guess) a ‘Wild...
The Abyss
Coconut
12 oz bottle. Packaged on 4/21/22. Confession up front. I love The Abyss, but I generally I dislike stouts that have been infused with unnecessary things such as coconut. Where that leaves us here I have no idea ... yet. Pour is exactly as I would expect. I deliberately go aggressive to yield the big mocha head on top of a jet black body. All light excluded. I get absolutely zero cocunut in the nose, this seems like a regular Abyss in terms of the smell. The first tastes are a bit like an...
Corsendonk
Dubbel Kriek
Well this might be interesting ... 33cl bottle. Pour gives a cherry-red, brownish body with a pink tinge to the effervescent head. Bubbles fade fairly fast to yield some lace and thin film on the surface of the beer. Nose has mainly an artificial cherry smell that obviously opens up and grows on warming. Tastes are a chocolate covered cherry note with dashes of cough syrup in the there too. I mean there's just no getting away from that. The initial shocking sweetness actually goes away...
Green Man
ESB
Odd that I've never reviewed this given that when I used to go to Asheville on a regular basis from Atlanta, Green Man was basically my favorite place to go, and ESB was a beer that I drank multiple pints of on each occasion. Oh well. 12 oz bottle from Blue Ridge Beer Hub, $2.20. Pour creates a mid-copper colored body with a white head. Great lace (which is always a good sign for the style), and a thin, but well-retained film. It's a little cloudy, could do better on that front. Nose is solid...
Delirium Barrel Aged
Black 2022
I'm not one for barrel-aged Belgians of any type, but I'll try anything once, so here goes with Black. $36.99 for the 750 mL corked and caged, Will it be three times as good as Nocturnum and/or Noel? I think I know the answer. Impressive pop once the thick black foil and cork and cage have been removed. Pour is great. Huge ice-cream head a top a body that looks basically like Nocturnum/Noel with a brown body and a touch of chill-haze. Color is a bit drab, dubbel-like brown. Not that...
St. Bernardus
EXTRA 4
Had this many times prior to today. Pale lemon body with some chill haze. Nice head, well retained and fluffy. Good lace. Nose offers a surprising citrus hoppy note. Tastes follow suit with a pleasing, rounded creaminess that I just wasn't expecting. It's lightly spicy and a little grassy which manifests itself as a persistent, light, hop note. Again not quite what I was expecting. It's really quite 'green' and has me reminiscing about a fresh hop beer - AGAIN, odd and not as anticipated....
Logsdon
Pruim ‘n Brett
Bottled 11.29.21. The usual Logsdon presentation. My second time having this beer. Light pop on opening, carbonated as expected. There's a light, pinkish hue to the mostly orange, hazed body. Head is appropriately wispy, leaves a better than expected thin film. No lace. Nose has some light cheesiness and a touch of funk. Tastes are not tart per se, but also lack sweetness. Nice and dry, a little champagne like on the tongue and the palate. Highly drinkable, helped by the creamy (not prickly)...
Bourbon County Brand
Classic Cola Stout
2021. Drink by 09 AUG 26. I've always been almost 100% indifferent to every Bourbon County variant since the beginning. Having said that, if I see a bottle that I haven't tried, AND its a reasonable (often meaning markdown) price, then I'll give it a whirl. This was 'discounted' to $14.99. Pour is as expected with a jet black body and a forced head, meaning that it has a lovely mocha depth but only results after I give it a ridiculously aggressive pour. It also fades badly and leaves no lace....
Unibroue
30 Anniversaire
My second bottle of this. I was a little disappointed when I saw that this special edition was a stout, since Belgian stouts aren't really a big draw for me, and Unibroue is just so great with BDSAs and BSPAs. Having said that, I soon got over it. On removing the cage and cork there is a good pop with a decent amount of gun smoke. Fairly standard, but what was absolutely astonishing about this beer is the aroma that greets he nose even before pouring. There's a huge, burned licorice whiff...
Biere de Noel
(for Amanita Muscaria)
What an interesting beer. Pour is good looking, with a black body and a head, retention and lace that one would expect for a 12.2% beer, that is to say it's relatively short lived and not spectacular but appropriate. No problems or issues here. Nose has some of the acid notes that signal what's to come (see below) and plenty of fruit. A little surprisingly, not much alcohol. The initial tastes - just for a moment - suggest a deep, alcohol laden fig and raisin experience. Of course, that would...
Fantôme
Santé-25!
750 mL, corked and capped, the usual presentation. Brewed 19-20 August 2022. Modest pop on removing the cork. Pour gives a lovely tangerine, marmalade color with some light haze and a nice, rocky, white head. Head is only moderately retained, and leaves little lace. Nose has some tangerine, orange based bitterness that is not particularly perceptible, but just about is. Tastes are mostly citrus bitterness initially, and they largely stay that way even as the beer warms. It's not really a hoppy...
Logsdon
Peche ‘n Brett
Batch no: 2021, Bottled on 2/23/22. Pale, clouded yellow body with a modest head. Head is light and bubbly. Light film is left, a very, very light touch of lace, hardly anything left on the glass. Great mouthfeel. Feels both lively and light. Light, fruity acidity on the nose, not necessarily discernible as peach for me. Nice, but somewhat generic. There's a lovely, gentle balance about this beer. Sour and sweet complement rather than compete. Gently vying with one another for the spotlight....
Rothaus Pils
Tannen Zäpfle
12.2 oz bottle, gold foil topped. If there was ever a beer that I would associate on pure looks and taste with the Reinheitsgebot, it would most probably be this one! The no nonsense appearance, clarity and tastes scream German efficiency, cleanliness and purity. This is about as far removed from a hazed, adjunct laden beer as one can get. The pale golden clarity on the pour looks almost fake. It couldn't be clearer or cleaner. The same is true of the nose and the tastes. The beer doesn't...
Fantôme
De Tous Les D’iâpes
Best Before End 2020. Healthy pop on opening, with an initially high, white, wispy head that dissipates quite quickly. Not a lot of lace, but a thin film left on the surface of the beer. Deep orange colored body. Nose is all marmalade with some grapefruit that then gives way to a lot of floral character. Tastes follow the nose with signature, Cinzano Bianco herbal notes. Quite bubbly and lively in the mouth that build to give a slightly carbonated taste amongst the herbal elements. Marmalade,...
House Saison
(for Fred Eckhardt)
When people make grandiose statements about beer I usually take it all with a pinch of salt. In most of those cases I know a lot more about beer than they do, and I have significantly more experience. There are of course plenty of people whose opinions I do value, and they are the ones who do have the experience and the know-how. So when Bob Sylvester (Saint Somewhere) said to me that Zebulon is perhaps his favorite American brewery, then my radar goes up. Why? Because I'm smart. To quote Bob,...
Chouffe
40
The Blonde 40th anniversary beer. The usual Chouffe presentation. Lemon colored, lightly clouded body with an initial high, white, bubbly head. Retention and lace are not great, but there is a thin film left on the surface of the beer. Light, hoppy nose but more sweet than anything else. Tastes reflect the nose with a lightly hoppy note surrounded by some sweeter cereal notes. It finishes dry and with a kind of light, orange juice. The zesty, orange peel/pith tastes come on stronger as the...
Wijnberg
2020
2020 Vintage, will keep for 5 years according to De Ranke. Tea colored pour with a bubbly head that fades quickly - as expected. No retention, no lace. Fair enough given the style. Nose is surprisingly non-descript. Perhaps a little funk (that I was NOT really expecting), and a little cheese. I was expecting some more acidity. Tastes are very light, dry tartness. In no way heavily ethanoic acid, and the oak is a real feature. No sweetness that can sometimes blend with any acid present. Almost...
Straight West
Coast Ghostin’
Light, golden hazed pour with a white head that when forced out of the bottle, is good. Decent retention, some lace. There's a lot of raw cereal malt in the nose. Tastes are really clean with a strong lime undercurrent. Really light with some underlying funk but it's not strong. It's slightly light for a Fantôme beer in all respects. Mouthfeel is thinnish, and the beer exudes a serious cereal note with that persistent lime background. Definitely citrusy, zesty and sharp, but this is not a...
Saison van
de Bruwer
Lovely lemon colored, clouded pour with a dense head. Excellent retention and some lace. Looks classically well-made. Nose offers a dry funky note, as expected, simple and requisite with the style. That has the potential to sound trivial, but as we know, ids far from guaranteed. The initial tastes are surpringsly bitter. There's a nice does of floral hops too. I was expecting the bitterness to back off a bit as the funky notes cut in, but if I'm honest they didn't. The funk element lingers,...
Bruxellensis
Local Brett Beer
33cl bottle, imported from Belgium. Orange, hazed pour with a modest head. Nice retention but not a great deal of lace. Nose is immediately apparent with a serious dose of funk right off the bat. A touch of white pepper up front, but it's mainly a a funky cheese note. Big cheesy funk in the tastes too, but the beer is surprisingly light to drink. Very light on its feet in fact. The funk brings some lovely residual bitterness that turns into hoppy burps, and a dry, satisfying bitter aftertaste....
Bush Prestige
Cuvée Spéciale 2013
2013 Vintage, purchased late 2022 and opened in 2023. Bush Ambrée aged in oak for 6 months, and then re-fermented with sugar and yeast in the the bottle. This gets the ABV up to 13%. These used to be in gold foil adorned, Deus type bottles, but this is simply a regular 750 mL. Modest pop on opening but there is some carbonation present - always a relief. At ten years old, the beer is certainly past its best IMO with perhaps a tiny touch of oxidation present, BUT it's also still quite drinkable...
Ameriken
Pis
33cl bottle. Recently shipped in from Belgium. A complex collaboration between La Senne and Perennial, Yazoo, Little Animals, Keeping Together, Off Color and Somewhere Else Beer Project. Beautiful, deep orange golden color. Medium head, that has a bone-white color with tremendous lace. Light stickiness to it. Plenty of sweet hops on the nose. It immediately reminds me of an old style, DIPA from the West Coast (please note I'm not using the horrible, dumb term 'WCIPA'). Perfect balance in the...
Verhaeghe
Echte Kriekenbier
Reports suggest that this beer is now re-branded as Duchesse Cherry, coincidently recent reviewed. As such, these notes are essentially on an aged version of that beer. I've learned a LOT about old/cellared beer over the years. As a result, I've become exceptionally wary of old beer, so when I saw these 750 mL Best Before 09/2019 bottles I baulked a little, even at $12.99. So, I asked if the store would discount it, and they offered a 30% reduction to get me out the door at $9.73. Basically,...
Fantôme
Sante 24!
Label has (what I assume is) the original brewing date of Friday and Saturday 14-15 August 2020 changed to 13-14 August 21, and the 24 asterisked. My guess would be because of COVID changes to the production occurred. Having had a bad experience with Sante 23! I'm a little wary. Of course, these beers are so individual, that perhaps there's no point in even thinking about that, but I guess it's just natural to wonder. Opens with an encouraging pop, and the pour really is something special. A...
Jester
Zinne
Brewed May 18th 2016. Barrel-aged Saison, bottle-conditioned. Bottled on 7th, August 2017, Best Before 7th August 2019. Well, it is what it is. Brewed in 2016, this is likely a minimum of three, maybe more, years past its best. That didn't stop me buying it late in 2022 when I saw the last bottle, hanging out, lonely on a shelf. Happy to take a punt on a beer brewed by these two guys, full in the knowledge that this likely won't be good/great/drinkable. Pour is quite acceptable in terms of...
CAPTAIN of the
COAST
16.9 oz bottle, Tavour purchase. Decent clarity on the dark copper body with decent head, some lacing and retention. About expected at 9.5%. Nose gives up plenty of the whisky barrel and some decent alcohol. Mouthfeel is light, which I like since it adds to the drinkability. Nothing cloying or heavy in terms of the body. As it warms, things change. A bit deeper, a little heavier. Plenty of barrel in the tastes, but it's 'tangy' - quite sharp, a little citrusy and acidic. Not bad, but not quite...
Weihenstephaner
1516 Kellerbier
When a certain type of beer is called for (or craved), you just can't substitute it with anything else. This is one such beer. 11.2 oz bottle. Golden body with a light haze and a modest head that has some lingering retention and a little lace. I'd love to try this draft, at the source. Big German malts are present right from the moment that the bottle is opened, and they continue to pour out of the stein. A beer in two parts. The malt cascade that meets the first sips, then gives way to a hop...
Fantôme DMD
Cascadian Dark Ale
750 mL corked and capped, lot D-1-4-15 best before end 2019. I approach with a fair degree of trepidation. Labeled as a Cascadian Dark Ale (Black IPA) that I don't much care for, coupled with the Best Before date of "end of 2019", and the relatively low ABV, I am wondering what's likely to await me. Add Dany on the top of all of that, and well, you get the idea! Corked jammed in hard, and comes up with a good pop. First problem alleviated, this IS carbonated. Pour is great. Beautiful jet black...
Westbrook
12th Anniversary (2022)
I have a pretty complicated relationship with Westbrook. Having met Ed Westbrook via a mutual acquaintance in a garage in Charleston, SC just prior to him opening Westbrook Brewing Co. back in 2010 (ish), As such, I have a soft spot. I also love a couple of their beers (White Thai and Mexican Cake), but I also feel they have lost their way somewhat (pandering to bullshit recent trends, and for example, a really underwhelming experience with the 11th anniversary). Long story with more to add,...
Shegöat
Weizenbock Ale
Dark chestnut pour. A few red highlights, but overall the beer is darker than most I’ve had in the style. Modest head, small ring of foam and no lace. Rich, light alcohol nose, very malty. Reflected in the initial tastes as one might expect. Plenty of malts flow over the tongue and offer a very rich experience, despite the mouthfeel being a little thin (possible contradiction here). This is largely as expected and stylistically correct. At times it tends toward a brown ale, but stays rich...
Gnoel de Abbey
Holiday Brown Ale
Dark brown pour. Decent thin film, some lace. Nice and malty with a real good dose of spice. The spice is difficult to decipher specifically, but it’s reminiscent of some mace and some cinnamon. With the spice comes some good sweetness, but there’s also a nice hop note in the backend that reminds you that this is not simply a fancy brown ale. The warmer it gets the sweeter it comes and the beer starts to open up a bit. The spice backs off a bit, and the beer seems less bitter. More sweetness...
Cuvée Prestige Tripel De
Garre Barrel Aged
Lot: n°1 - 2022. Dot-matrixed on top of cage 24/11/24 GBO, 24KU13:36 I got really lucky in acquiring this beer, so rather than dwelling upon that too much I'm determined to enjoy it and savor it. One thing that a lifetime of buying, sampling, drinking and being immersed in great beer has taught me, is that no matter how great any one beer might be, you owe it to the brewer and to yourself to open it, drink it and enjoy it. Head is smaller, and much less pillow-like than regular De Garre....
Westmalle Trappist
Extra
Into the Westmalle chalice she goes, bottled April 7th 2022, Best Before 2 years from that date. Had this beer several times since May of 2021 when I used it to christen the re-launch of this blog. Honey colored, clouded pour with a great head out of the bottle. Thin, persistent folio on the surface, and some thinnish, clinging lace. Nose gives up some simple malts, maybe a little honey or banana, but it's pretty muted. Opens a little on warming of course. Mouthfeel is extraordinary...
De La Senne
Taras Boulba
Hazed, honey colored pour. Fantastic head, white, high and sticky with lace and persistent. Looks great. The light balance of this beer is second to none. Bitterness is there, but it is so very tempered with a fantastic, creamy body and the light Belgian malts that hold the whole beer together. Tempered alcohol, and then the dry, quite astringent bitterness, that could feel American In its aggression, BUT because the beer is so balanced you just don't view it in the same way. Mouthfeel and...
De Ranke
2022 Hop Harvest
750 mL capped bottle. Delightful pour into the 25 cl De Ranke stem. Clouded orange body with a small, perfectly formed dense white head that lingers and offers ice-cream level lace. The bitterness that greets the palate on the initial sip is something whose depth is hard to achieve without bruising hop presence. The same is true of the accompanying sweetness, but of course here each are executed perfectly. Smooth in the mouth, the beer dances so gently along the soapy grapefruit line, whilst...
Duchesse
Cherry
Reports suggest that this beer is just a re-branded version of Echt Krienenbier coincidently recently reviewed. As such, these notes are on essentially a fresh version of that beer. 11.2 oz single from Gays, Angola, IN. Odd find in a weird place. Pour as expected with some fizzy carbonation that dissipates immediately. Classic, dirty burgundy, clouded pour. I know what this is, but no matter how you look at it the beer isn't exactly a looker. Nose gives not much more than some generic, fruity...
Arcobräu Coronator
Doppelbock
Lovely, clear deep chestnut brown pour as hoped for. Off-white head is good, but retention not great with only a little lace. Nose and tastes offer requisite, sweet malts with again plenty of depth. Brown sugar and toasted malt. There's nothing unexpected here, and just about everything that you would want. Pretty light in the mouth with easy drinking, but in turn I like a bit more oomph in the mouth in the style. Finish and aftertaste are sweet, but there's an unusual thread running through...
Mont de Cats
Bière trappiste
330 mL bottle, BB 08/2024. Dark, copper colored body with a light, high, white and fluffy head. Good lace; nice retention. Body color doesn't really match the style. Nose offers little TBH. Only very, very simple bread malts are detectable. No problem per se, but in terms of the style I'm not in love with it. A surprising, malty bitterness for the style, and also rather dry to start. Lacks significant depth of flavor (again in terms of the style), and maybe the *slightly* lower ABV than...
Tripel
De Garre
Tripel De Garre is an astonishing beer in many respects. That amazement goes way beyond the contents of the bottle and extends to reasons that aren't necessarily obvious. As anyone who has been drinking for any length of time knows, there are several external factors that can influence how one views any given beer. One of the the strongest influencers is nostalgia. Remembering a great visit to a bar or brewery, or a wonderful vacation, or even a particularly fabulous time in one's life, each...
Straffe Hendrik
Xmas Blend ’21
Had no idea the this beer was available in the US until I stumbled across it in Atlanta recently. I bought this 2021 750 mL, and a 33 cL 2022. Great pop on opening, with a little gun-smoke. Superb pour with a high mocha head that turns into a creamy film, and some lovely, dense, creamy lace. The nose offers a boozy, caramel and cheery note. Dark copper body. Tastes start with more of the boozy cherries. Light, fruity acidity and more cherries. I'm not generally a fan of any Belgian styles...
Father Christmas
Holiday Ale 2022
750 mL, capped bottle from Tavour. Categorize this beer as you will, hence my three designations. Pour is a pretty, dark-red brown affair with some good tan head. Some decent lace. Nose is not the greatest, and gives a slightly artificial smell. Difficult to describe Tastes are some alcoholic chocolate up front, and then even more alcohol. It seems hot, and a bit muddled and messy. There's no definition here, and while there are some Belgian notes (yeast, dark fruit, sugary solvent), it comes...
Arcobräu Mooser
Liesl Helles
Not a classic Helles perhaps, although that's a matter for debate of course, but given it's a Bavarian beer, then maybe it can't be anything but a classic in the style. Pour offers a lovely color, but a touch of chill-haze on the body. The taste are good, but not as clean as some Helles can be. I know a Helles is not necessarily, a dry, astringent pils with big Saaz bite, but this one is really quite malty. Noticeably so. I'd even give a nod to the fact that it feels a little Märzen like....
The Bruery
Saison D’Hiver
2022 Vintage. 750 mL, Tavour purchase, the usual Bruery presentation. The Bruery's marketing re: labels and 750 mLs still pulls me in - at least I recognize that fact! Hazy, appropriately enough, orange body with a short-lived, initially decent but soon fading head. Nose has a TON of orange juice. I mean it actually smells like artificial orange juice. Because of that, it's a mild surprise when the beer isn't quite as sweet as the nose might suggest. It still replicates the orange nose, and...
Dame Jeanne
Brut Sur Lie
750 mL, corked & caged, part of a recent Belgian Happiness shipment. Unfamiliar with this beer and this brewery. Looks like the beer has been around since at least 2016. Moderately aggressive pop on opening (I was expecting more). Poured into some tall, thin pilsner glasses in the absence of champagne flutes. Pour is obviously highly carbonated and takes time to settle down. Subsequent pours are easier, as the carbonation seems to dissipate and leave the beer quite quickly. This is an...
Gauloise
Christmas
Dark brown pour with some sumptuous, cherry red, garnet highlights. Head is decent, and fades to give nice, sticky lace and some thin, creamy foam on the surface of the beer. Looks good. Nose has some sweet raisins in the typical, BSDA tradition. It is sweet, and it offers very little in the way of spice. I really don't find this beer especially 'spiced', and certainly not compared to similar Christmas beers. In fact, there really isn't a huge amount of flavor beyond the sweetness here. It's a...
Gulden Draak
9000 Quadruple
Beautiful, deep orange-golden color. Rocky head, lace is fantastic. Obviously a ridiculous color for a "Quad" but that doesn't make it unattractive. Nose offers sweetness, and some bready malt, but it doesn't give away what's to follow. At 10.7%, to me, this drinks less aggressively than the original Gulden Draak at 10.5%. Go figure. This seems smoother to me than the original. Carbonation may play a part in this which seems light. Some caramel, but the alcohol remains relatively in check....
Fantôme Refreshing
Summer Spiritus Project
Well, here we are, back to utter insanity with this Fantôme offering. A darkish, lime green pour with a decent head, some thin film lingering, and an acceptable, if not incredibly well-retained head. The green color doesn't bother me (it's Dany), and the beer looks pretty solid out of the bottle. Nose has some lemon, and then a healthy dose of green herbs, that may or may not be recognizable as single entities. In the tastes there are some menthol notes, a bit of mint and eucalyptus, some...
Tre Fontane
Tripel
I'm a bit curious about the age of this bottle. Difficult to know, and other than "L17 40" printed on the label there's nothing else to go by. I'm hoping this is not a reference to 2017, but TBH with no other information to hand, who knows? Various shades of gold out of the bottle, dependent upon the addition of the bottle conditions yeast or not. Smell and tastes give up quite a lot of the herbal fruit that ultimately turns out to be the eucalyptus. Not sure that I could identify it...
Fantôme
Fantôsma Patagonia
At the very best of times Fantôme beers can be tricky to pin down, to categorize, and to understand. That's their beauty and indeed their point in many ways. Then from time to time you get one that defies even that 'logic'. This is one of those. Golden body with a nice, relatively finely bubbled white head. Some lace, and a thin film across the surface of the beer. Looks strong. The nose offers some light, lemonade shandy notes, with a very slight hint of something else in the back end. That...
Ommegang
Bigger and Bretter
Old bottle (obviously) Oh how the mighty have fallen. Ommegand in 2022 is a shadow of its former self (another conversation altogether), and this beer takes us back to a different time when the brewery was truly a great force in the USA. Tremendous pop on opening which delays my fears of the beer losing its carbonation after this amount of time which is a great thing, BUT if I am totally honest. even though the pour, head, retention and lace are all excellent, it doesn't drink very highly...
Zundert
10 Trappist
The context here is that this beer was consumed as part of a quadruple, Quad tasting with Westvletern 12, St. Bernardus Abt 12 and Rochefort 10, and also in the wake of a separate tasting of Zundert 8 which was rather unimpressive. Surprisingly dark pour, close to black if the highlights are ignored - some dark garnet if they are not. Head is great, retention is excellent. Looks fantastic. Nose and tastes have a decent amount of licorice and slight bitterness. Smooth. Finishes dry. The alcohol...
Silly
Saison
330 mL bottle. Chestnut brown color with lovely, red highlights on the pour. Nose is malty as one might expect from a Brasserie de Silly beer, but not at all consistent with a (contemporary) beer that has "saison" on the label. Tastes are very malty as one would expect for the brewery, but for a saison? I don't know what the history of saisons is (at least not in all of its glory), but this beer is clearly not in-line with anything contemporary within the style. Plenty of toffee and caramel,...
Gold Rider
2022
Mmmm ... I thought I might like this, but to be honest that I was against my better judgment, and I think this is probably the Firestone Walker that breaks the camel's back for me. All of the these blends and barrels rarely pull up anything of note, and this is honestly a sweet mess. It's an ugly, dishwater brown Dubbel-like pour, very unattractive. Head is small and has terrible retention. No lace. Fair enough in one regard (ABV), but the utter lack of it seems unnecessary. Nose has sweet...
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Bluebird Bitter
It's hard to describe the literal euphoria of an Englishman who is a legacy drinker, and who hasn't been home for too long, when a beer like this comes into view. I picked it up via a west coast bottle shop, unexpectedly, when I was buying some other beers, and what a thrill (and a treat) that is. Lightly chill-hazed, golden straw color, with a modest head, but decent retention and lace above average. Nice, and as expected. Nose is where things start to change. The label says "English Pale Ale...
Fantôme
d’OR
lot 08 07 22 best before à consommer avant fin 2026 14° Plato. Mid-range orange pour after an encouraging pop on removing the cork. Beautiful, beautiful pitted head, Stunning retention and lace on the second and the third pour. Oh my gosh. Initial impressions are that of a great mellow bitterness, smooth and easy drinking, some light spice and oddly reminiscent of a Rochefort 6. Eventually the spicy notes and bitter bite do build, but it takes a while and prior to that the beer feels very...
Asam Bock
Dunkler Doppelbock
Purchased on a whim from Kahn's in Indianapolis. Wasn't seeking bocks or even Germans at the time, but didn't recognize this so gave it a whirl. Standard 16.9 oz presentation. Pour is as expected. Dark chocolate body, mocha head. Pitted head, lace is average. Nose gives up some sweetness, as do the initial tastes. The beer seems above average in terms of the sweetness, even considering the style. The sweet nature overpowers some of the underlying malts a little There's a LOT of brown sugar...
Angel’s Paw
(French Oak Edition)
Well, the French oak spirals certainly changed the original beer! First out, the original beer has taken on a much darker hue here. In the mouth this is much rounder, and the oak is surprisingly rich. It really changes the beer from the clean edges of the original BSPA, into a much flabbier offering. For me, even though this is quite drinkable and has all of the characteristics that one might expect, the treatment doesn't make the original beer any better. Different? Sure. Better? Not really....
Labrassbanda
Love Beer
500 mL bottle. Incredibly attractive color on the pour, a real, deep golden. Not necessarily all that typical of many a Hefewieizen, which often come with a somewhat lighter, yellow hue rather than the deep golden color we get here. Head is solid with some lace and retention, and perhaps more in line with something that is typical for the style. Light banana in the nose and tastes. A little hop bite in the back end to complement the usual banana, clove, bubblegum and light phenols. This is...
Monk’s Cafe Grand Cru
(Flemish Sour Ale)
11.2 oz "stubby" bottle as part of the Van Steenberge mixed, six pack. Beautiful, dark garnet pour, especially as the light catches it. Head is great, nice retention and lace. The nose and initial tastes are that of intense ethanoic acid, BUT after those first bursts the beers falls into that classic, beautiful, sweet and sour mode. Great balsamic, rich dark cherry, especially as it warms. The sweet and sour complement one another. Some oak, not a great deal of fruit for me, just that gently...
Hofbräu
Hefe Weizen
11.2 oz (330 mL) single. Straw colored pour with a head that fades quickly. A little chill-haze, a few floaties. Limited lace, not a great deal of retention. Grainy nose, a little bubblegum -not much. Medium body with a light yeasty, bubblegum and banana tastes. It's quite sweet and soft. The sweetness builds a little, and becomes a feature of the beer. Although a classic (I suppose), the sweetness is surprising to me. Light banana in the finish, and the sweetness finishes the beer too. I have...
St. Feuillien
Five
Here we go with a new beer, and one that has obviously been specifically marketed as a lower ABV, "refreshing" thirst-quencher. They are NOT shying away from the marketing on this one! Pretty, bright, light lemon yellow color and a good head on pouring. Decent retention, some lace and a nice thin film. Nose offers a little grassy bread. Upfront tastes ARE indeed "refreshing" - LOL. Very gentle hops are balanced well with simple grains. There's a decent whack of Belgian yeast which is great in...
Scotch Silly
(Pinot Noir Barrel ’19)
It's impossible not to make a comparison between this beer and the 2018 Chardonnay version of this beer, especially when the other one was consumed and reviewed just a few days ago. The same base beer, and also in wine-barrels, I'd expect similar things, and indeed that's what we get. Notable changes here are the fact that the beer is a year younger (2019 versus 2018), and Pinot Noir is the grape. Given that I think that the Pinot Noir is going to mesh more with the underlying Scotch Ale...
Scotch Silly
(Chardonnay Barrel ’18)
Corked and caged. Moderate pop on opening. Pour has the requisite chestnut brown and is pretty. Head is moderate, not especially well retained, doesn't give much lace, but at least gives a nice film on the surface of the beer. At 10.0 % and at this age, I'm OK with that. There is some oxidation in the nose at this point. Shame, I'd liked to have gotten to this earlier, but that wasn't to be. Tastes have the base Scotch Ale well rounded, and a barrel note that is less discernible specifically...
Zundert
Trappist 8
For something that is categorized as a BDSA, this beer is a very strange color. There is a light brown, chestnut appearance, not a typical, blackish, darker body. It looks like a, "slightly-better-than-usual" Dubbel. Head is initially good, but lace doesn't form and the retention isn't great, however the thin film across the surface of the beer that lingers, is pleasing. Light fruits greet the nose and tastes. There's a touch of bitterness up front, but I get very little spice that others have...
Uerige Altbier
The Doppelsticke I’ve had several times before, but never this in the US until now. The usual, Grolsch style, “pop-top” presentation, with good gun-smoke on opening. Head is beautifully formed, excellent lace, nice retention. Brown body. Nose gives up intense, bready malts. Really very strong. Tastes are more reserved, but follow-on with simple malts and very light bitterness in the back end. Not sweet, but with some light spice among the hops. Excellent mouthfeel, and this beer feels like a...
Rye on Rye Maple (2020)
Courtesy of Brian, cheers mate! 12 oz bottle, best before 16 March 2021, 2020 vintage. 16 IBUs, limited release with maple syrup and aged in Templeton rye barrels. Mid-brown pour with a decent head considering the ABV. Of course this fades, but it leaves a thin film on the surface of the beer, and a few tiny pieces of lace on the glass. Nose has the whiskey notes that one would expect, but no real trace of maple. Initial tastes are reversed. Nose also gives up much more alcohol than the tastes...
Fantôme Desert Ghost Sonoran Saison
Capped and corked, the usual Fantôme 750 mL presentation. Clouded, deep orange body with a fizzy initial head that disapates immediately to leave no film and no lace. Light carbonation remains in the mouth. Not great looking, but no panic, it’s Dany! Nose offers not much more than a sweet, light citrus tone; little else. No bad, just not complex. Tastes start with a herbal note up front that fades pretty quickly. This is then replaced by the citrus elements. There’s a floral note about the...
Chimay Grande Réserve (Blue) Whisky Barrel Aged
As is the case every time I make notes about a beer and then publish them on the site, they are no more than my thoughts, for my own records, and for my own reference. They really aren't for any other purpose, but if others enjoy reading them or even find them useful, then great! If not, so be it. I say that here because I think that these notes are likely to run counter to many others thoughts about this beer, and that's just fine! Right off the top I'll admit that I'm just not a huge fan of...
Weissbier Hell
Orange, honey-colored, hazed body and a wispy head. The head is gone quickly, little to no lace. Nose offers little, likely too cold. Sweetish taste profile that at the beginning and lacks the classic banana and bubble gum notes out of the blocks. Likely to do with temperature once more. However, even with warming, this doesn't change a great deal, and we don't really get much past the (controlled) sweetness. Smooth, easy drinking with no edges, and that includes sweetness, bitterness, any hop...
Weissbier Dunkel
Put simply, the best Dunkleweizen available in the USA. Now, if I'm honest one can apply that to the full range of Andechs beers that we get here in the US in their respective styles, so am I saying anything out of the ordinary? No, not really, but it bears saying. Darkish amber body with a beautiful tan head. Head is not very well retained and offers scant lace, but still looks good initially. Color is perfect. The nose is extraordinarily rich, and to me resembles even the bigger, bolder...
Ginger Gueuze
$28.95 for the 750 mL bottle. I might like this in the end, but I don't think that it will be very good value. Anyway, I'm invested to this point, so here we go. Capped and corked, the beer opens with a really healthy pop. Good gun-smoke. Carbonation is HIGH - not exactly a gusher, but this beer is extremely carbonated. Orange body. Lace is very good as well. Pretty. The carbonation makes for a lively mouthfeel. I'd heard rumor that this was really tart, but it isn't, at least not on my palate...
Grand Cru 2022
OK, OK, I'm biased! Certain styles speak to me, and a great Tripel/Belgian Strong Pale is one of those things. 750 mL capped and foiled, dimple-bottomed brown bottle from Tavour. Label has a strong Bruery vibe about it, which I have absolutely no issue with. High, very light, fizzy head that recedes to nothing pretty quickly and leaves almost no lace. In that regard not great, but carbonation levels are obviously good. The head is a the only weak point for this beer. Light golden body. Nose...
The Abyss (Old World)
As far as I can ascertain this is just The Abyss in sherry barrels - or at least that's what's advertised. Should be right up my alley. Let's see. Capped and black waxed as usual, but the bottled on date is not decipherable. "2019 Reserve" adorns the label. Pour is as expected, resplendent. Jet black, impenetrable body, magnificent mocha head. Nothing better in the genre. Not much evidence of any sherry in the nose, it may be a little cold. Let's allow this to open up. As that happens the...
Strong Dark and Belgian
22 oz bottle, courtesy of Mark, and directly from the brewery. The color of this beer is very attractive. A deep, garnet red hue in certain light, and clear as a bell. I saw bunch of pictures on Untappd which had me worried in relation to the carbonation, because almost every one of them appeared flat. The carbonation here is better than those pictures would suggest, but not great, and if there's one criticism in terms of the pour and appearance is that personally, I would like a more...
Elder Brett
22oz bomber (a relative rarity these days shamefully), $11.00 from Brew Ridge Beer Hub Waynesville, NC. Label somewhat confusingly adds the moniker Season-Brett Golden Ale. Release #2 (or maybe 3), the text is smudged, and that seems confusing in terms of dates as well. Anyway, maybe DEN#3275 has some meaning. Pour is a straw golden body with a fizzy head that dissipates to nothing immediately. Nose and tastes follow a single, sour, tart formula, with clean green apple edges and not much else....
Chimay Dorée (Gold)
In general, Dorée is a deeply misunderstood beer, but this is especially so in the USA. Firstly there is the issue with it being an infinitely more subtle beer that anything else that they make. Subtlety is not a trait that is appreciated a great deal in the USA, and that's true of all beers, but Dorée has another problem that compounds things. Relatively, very little of it gets to the States, and people don't know what it is, as a result it often sits on shelves or in warehouse for long...
Hofbräu Dunkel
330 mL single. Blue Ridge Brew Hub, Waynesville, NC. Beautiful, red bronze pour with clarity and cleanliness that is striking. White head. some lace. Nose offers a ton of predictable caramel notes. Caramel up front immediately in the tastes too. A very, very light roast note, but this is muted appropriately. Malts of course, are all over the beer, and they meld perfectly. Sweet, medium bodied example, with even a touch of chocolate in there too. Refreshing, but it is a sweet example of the...
Hofbräu Original
Pure, golden, clear pour with a resplendent white head. Quintessential Helles in the glass. Deep bread in the nose with a touch of hop character being barely perceptible. Easy drinking, mouthfeel is lightly prickly, simple and perfect. Sweet breads mingle amongst the noble hop bitterness. Beautifully balanced, as the elements meld perfectly together. Lots of sweet grains, a medium body and that leads to an incredibly easy to consume beer - in many ways, that's its purpose. Crisp, light and...
Thiriez EXTRA (dry-hopped French farmhouse ale)
750 mL bottle purchased at Knightly Spirits in Orlando, FL, USA. Capped. This beer was distributed in Atlanta for years and years during the mid 00s, and I am pretty sure that I've had it before, but apparently never took any notes so here we are. This is likely an older bottle, but there is no way to tell. As such I was concerned because this is a low ABV beer as well, so the expectations were low. Opens with an encouraging pop. Good. Pour is dull, light brown/straw/gold, not particularly...
Saison de Pipaix
Wow, an old, old friend. Very surprised I had not reviewed this, but also I haven’t seen it for years and years. Probably haven't drunk it since the mid-00s back in Atlanta when and where it was pretty widely available. 750 mL, capped from Belgian-Style Ales online. Lively pour, slight gusher. Mid-orange color with a very generous head. Lacing excellent. Nose has a high level of farmhouse funk. Some of this is reflected in those first tastes, but at the outset there is a fairly distinguishable...
Tripel Golden Ale
Purchased in Columbus, OH at Perfect Pour. 750 mL, corked and caged affair. Reserved pop on opening, no drama. Pour is a yellowish-golden rather than a distinctly golden-golden. A little chill-haze. Head is bone-white and above average. Decent lace, quite "coating" on the glass, and somewhat in the mouth. I'll start by saying that I like this - I like it a lot - but, this is a VERY dry Tripel, if a (typical) Tripel at all. The requisite sweetness is largely absent. The website describes the...
Bière De Coupage
1 pint bottle directly from the Brewery last month. Orange golden pour. Almost a pinkish hue at the edges. Head is average, drops off quickly and little lace. Nose has plenty of farmyard horse manure, not funk as such, but some oak barrel notes. Quite dry with the barrel-aged part of the blend definitely coming through most strongly. The younger beer doesn't bring a lot in terms of life, and the beer takes on plenty of apple, and other cider-like notes. Carbnation is low, but the beer is...
Saison Du Bois
1 pint bottle from the brewery last month. Pale golden color with a simple, white head. Nice lace. Lovely, wine-based nose.The nose also has a surprising level of sweet, bready malts. This is carried through to the tastes which initially feel very sweet indeed. This backs off pretty quickly to reveal a vinous, oaky note (as expected). Light and quick in the mouth, with some fruit elements. Quite floral. There's almost an artificial ester note too, which sounds like it might not be good, but at...
Fantôme Cocoa Ambreé
Fantôme & Fermentery Form adorns the label. Capped and corked, the usual Fantome presentation. Lively pour with a light, high, fine-bubbled head that is good effervescence but that fades pretty quickly. Body is a lightish brown, dark butterscotch heading toward orange affair. Cloudy. The body of the beer is not particularly attractive TBH. Nose is mainly a relatively non-descript, yeasty bread note with a touch of something fruity. Light tartness (very light), with similar almost...
Saison tremist
750 mL, corked and caged, a recent purchase from Belgian-Style Ales. A new beer to me. Looks like it has had some distribution in the US for about 3 or 4 years at least. Excellent pop on opening, good head, decent film retention, and some nice lace. Lemon colored, clouded body, all is in order. Yeasty acidity in the nose, and off the top in the tastes. Smooths out evenly with a little citrus funkiness. Mild funk, but all in order. Pretty dry from start to finish. A touch of candied fruits...
Tynt Meadow
So, here we go with this English Trappist. I must say that I am certainly intrigued, if not a bit wary. Pour is one of my pet peeves, dirty brown, ugly washing-up water Dubbel. I hate this look in a beer. Turbid and unattractive. Head is a little better, but is modest, has poor retention, and leaves no lace. In terms of appearance, this gets off to a bad start. Nose offers some bready, alcoholic oxidation. Mmmm … at this point I’m referencing the bottle to see if I’ve got an old one (I don’t),...
25th Anniversary
I think that I've simply lost what little love that I ever had for beers such as the Firestone Walker Anniversary Series. I mean I am glad that they are making them - it shows a solid commitment to a craft - but when ones looks at the blend that has gone into 25, the only thing that comes to mind is, "would it really matter what was blended at this point?" There's such a colossal number of incredibly potent flavors and barrels in the mix, isn't this just a hodge-podge that would most likely...
Bière Du Boucanier Dark
Poured from the iconic, ceramic stubby bottle, on first look this appears like an ugly Dubbel brown - my favorite color complaint - but in better light there are a ton of red hues and the beer is significantly less dull than it first appears. Head is decent, and consummate with a 9% beer. Retention and lace follow a similar pattern. Fruity yeast on the nose, that is carried into the tastes a bit, but in those tastes we find a drier beer than the aroma might first suggest. Still plenty of...
Cherry Chouffe
Well … it is what it is. Various shades of red in the body that range between dark burgandy to alarmingly red, depending on the way that the light hits the beer. The moderate head is slightly pink - again dependent upon the light source - and it leaves some decent lace. Nose has plenty of cherry notes, not too strong. It’s sweet, but honestly not too sweet. It threatens, but then backs off. As long as you want that strong cherry taste, and you don’t mind the sweetness, then this is a ‘beer’...
Fantôme Dark Spiritus Winter Project
I’m pretty experienced with Fantôme, so I know what to expect (i.e., the unexpected), but lately I’ve had a couple of less than stellar experiences. This beer gets me back to more familiar territory of the brilliant madness. Pour is a slightly reddish, brown pour, with a creamy, light tan colored head. Nose offers a lovely, deep bready, yeasty note, with a little herbal element. Mouthfeel is lively. Nice. The tastes are a mid-sweet, very lightly herbal bitterness with a paradoxically dry...
Trappistes Rochefort Triple Extra
I first got this shipped to me in June 2021 directly from Belgium and before it was available in the US, but have had probably about 6-10 bottles of it since. Let’s get this out of the way immediately. This doesn’t drink like a typical Triple; at least not for me. A mid-golden, slightly hazed pour with an above average creaminess on the head. There’s a lot of depth to the mouthfeel, and it drinks more like a wheat beer in terms of its body. It drinks like a cloud. Yes it is orangey (likely as...
9 Ladies Dancing
Turbid brown pour with a level of carbonation that was better than I thought it might be after this length of time. Somewhat surprisingly, it does meet the taste parameters that one might expect. Not only that, it doesn't deliver any cardboard either. That seems unlikely at this age, but it manages to do that. What it doesn't do (unsurprisingly) is bring a lively, fresh feel! It looks, and drinks its age. There's a little coffee, some vanilla, the cocoa nibs are there, and a mingling of dark...
Saison du Rosier
375 mL bottle, corked & caged. Tavour purchase. Lemon colored, lightly hazed body with a decent white head. The fades quickly, and is fizzy rather than anything else. Nose offers plenty of acidity, and not much else. Yeah, this isn’t really a saison. It’s way too sour to fit snuggly into that category, and it isn’t even that tart. However, it IS the acidic and the tart that overrides any type of funk. When I say ‘override the funk’, I mean there is none. Anyway, some light citrus fruit, a...
Parabola Autumn Edition 2021
Dark chestnut approaching black pour, with a great looking mocha head. Surprisingly rich looking head (and good lace and retention) for such a massive ABV. Also surprisingly, the beer gives up mostly chocolate on the nose. As it opens up with temperature, the bourbon notes come through a little more, but still … Tastes are heavily laden with tobacco bitterness, tannins, and leather as the initial impressions. As it warms, the complexity increases with all of those still hanging on, and then...
Fantôme Rock The Farmhouse
750 mL, corked and capped, the usual Fantôme presentation. Big gusher, with a ton of very light, wispy foam cascading from the bottle. Needs a very quick inversion toward a glass to save the good stuff. Mmm … pour is frankly, ugly. It has a butterscotch haze and resembles the thing I most hate in my (beer) life right now, a NEIPA. Ugly, ugly, ugly appearance, that looks like a glass of orange juice. I can’t tell you how much I hate the appearance of this. Looks like the wort, or perhaps more...
Firestone Eleven
Another cellar-dweller. Murky dark brown pour, no head to speak of at this age, but all the nose you can handle. Barrel aged alcohol still hanging on, even now. Some black flecks of sediment. Same can be said of the taste profile. Is it distinguishable in any meaningful way? No really. is it pretty thin? Yes, of course. Does it still give a mild burn and do you know what you are drinking? Yes, you bet you do. Obviously I should have drunk this x+ years ago, I understand, but it’s not horrible...
Fantôme Sante 23!
750 mL, capped and corked bottle. Pour offers a frankly unattractive, murky, reddish-brown body with little to no head. Some acidic fruit on the nose, and a bit of malty bread. The first couple of gulps are full of ethanoic acid and it burns a little. As the beer warms and the palate adjusts, there is a slight backing off of that initial assault, but to be honest it does linger down the whole glass. The finish is dry, but the acidity hangs around, and in the end this basically drinks like a...
Fantôme Red Spiritus Automn’ Project
750 mL, corked and caged. There’s very little information about this beer, I’ll have to ask Dany. Lot 03 b 21 best before a consommé avant fin 2025 A pinkish head that is huge sits a top a reddish-brown body after a tremendous pop on opening. This looks special. There’s some mild fruit in the nose, but not much. As it warms, that increases. This is lovely. It drinks like a fruit beer, with lots of strawberry notes, and almost no sweetness up front. It’s balanced, has a light herbal note, and...
Abbaye des Rocs’s Saison
33cl bottle, yellow cap. Lovely mid-golden pour with a half-inch head. Average retention, some nice lace. Nose offers simple grains, a touch of hops. Plenty of fruit in those initial tastes with a lot of citrus. However, it’s not sharp or tart, but has a lemon sweetness about it. Dry start, and the beer is highly drinkable at 5.4%. The dry element continues and builds, and it’s then that the hops truly kick in. Ultimately, a decent hop note, and one that I wasn’t expecting. Some yeasty tastes,...
Saison du Meyboom
33 cl bottle, imported from Belgium. 2021 Vintage. Dare I say it? It looks a little like a NEIPA. Hazed, light orange body with a fluffy, large head that creates decent lace and retention. Nose offers some light hops, and a grassy freshness that feels lightly rustic. Very slight soapy bitterness, and a little light citrus, but not much. Finish is pleasingly, lightly bitter. It’s very soft, light, and airy. The beer opens up on warming with further orange experiences, including a touch of zest...
Fantôme Silos and Summits
750 mL capped and corked green bottle. Pour is a clouded orange, with a medium head that fades quickly. No lace. Nose offers a kind of diluted orange notes, and little more. This is odd, and not great. Some orange notes up front, with a bitter, drying, finish. The spices seem bitter, and obviously the hops are old. I believe that this was brewed in 2019, and it’s showing every inch of its age. Touches of oxidation, plenty of cardboard, and not much else. I hate the fact that I’ve come to this...
Blaugies Saison D’Epeautre
750 mL, corked and caged green bottle. Pops with pleasing vigor. Hazed, light butterscotch body. Huge head, but lacing and retention only slightly above average when considering the initial foam; likely because the foam was so wispy and light. Nose offers light bread, not a great deal else. Any funk and spice comes in upfront, and to be honest there is not a lot of it. The beer backs away pretty quickly, and becomes an easy drinking, smooth, sweetish, light fruit experience. Oddly, in contrast...
De Ranke Franc Belge
Expiry 23/12/2022. 330 mL bottle. Pour offers a mid-orange, amber, slightly hazed pour. White head, some nice retention and lace, with a significant film that settles across the beer in the chalice. Nose offers some malt, but until it warms and opens it’s hard to distinguish much. When it does I get a little orange, but mostly solid, bready, relatively neutral notes. The beer drinks a little like a very dry, English bitter, with some very mild hop character juxtapositioned against balanced...
Blaugies la Vermontoise
375 mL, corked and caged green bottle. Imported form Belgium. Light golden, hazed lemon colored body with a very nice, aggressive fizz on the pour. Not surprising, as it opened with a delightful, fierce pop. Nose has light acidity and some wheat notes. Perhaps a touch of lemon, but that may be just a trick that the color and the appearance are playing on the sense. Tastes start by carrying through those initial citrus notes, and there is plenty of bitterness here as well. The bitter elements...
Practise What You Preach
I have no interest in getting into a pissing match about James Watt's antics - I mean that I literally don't care about Brewdog or their attitudes at all - BUT what I will say is simply this. About 15 years ago when Brewdog started, I had some brief dealings with him, and he was a dick. That's it, no more, no less, but that's the truth. Now back to this beer. This review is based upon a 33 cl bottle that was imported from Belgium. A couple of weeks later I saw 750s of it here in Fort Wayne,...
Straffe Hendrik Tripel 9°
Arguments abound over which beers constitute the quintessential examples of many styles, but perhaps Tripels attract the largest amount of such attention. Westmalle is of course the first beer out of people’s mouths when Tripels are the subject of that particular conversation, but Straffe Hendrik Tripel seems to be a beer that I’ve heard in these exchanges more and more. Those comparisons seem fair as soon as the beer is opened. Highly carbonated, with a huge, light head that fades to give...
Vicaris Winter (2018)
33cl bottle. Best before 19/09/23, so plenty of life left in this yet. Belgian Strong Dark? Maybe not. It has some Winter Warmer character too, and no, I’m not being fooled by the name, but in the end this seems almost largely brown ale-like. ‘Imperial’ of course. Pour is a dark brown, chocolate colored body. Looks like a better version of a dirty dubbel. Head and lace do a good job. A ton of bread in the nose, with a touch of oxidation. The beer feels older than it might be right off the bat....
Straffe Hendrik Quadrupel 11°
33 cl bottle, best before 18-05-2024. The color of this beer is truly beautiful. An incredibly deep garnet red, with great clarity. Head is light coffee-colored with tremendous depth and pitting. Lace is perfect. Even at a relatively cool temperatures the nose is apparent. As it warms, the yeasty aroma becomes stronger, and the sugary alcohol comes through beautifully. Tastes start with a gentle introduction of red cherries with plenty of drying bakers chocolate or cocoa. The beer is nowhere...
Shoreline Brewery Sum Nug
I suppose that this is what the kids would, these days, call “a West Coast IPA”*. Of course, that’s UTTER bullshit, because what it really is is no more than just a simple, American IPA that isn’t a hazed New England mess of a juice. *East Coast doesn’t mean ‘hazy’, and West Coast doesn’t mean ‘not hazy’ - WTF is wrong with beer these days? Anyway, $5.99 from Service Liquors East, Warsaw, IN. A 22 oz bomber, an unusual sight these days amongst the cans. BTW, I (generally) hate cans too....
Hoegaarden De Verboden Vrucht
Just like Hoegaarden Grand Cru, I like this beer. Shoot me. Pour is a dark burgundy body, with a resplendent head, that takes on a light tan hue, and a lovely, “noisy”, pitted, dense look. This looks great. Right out the bottle there is plenty of banana sweetness in the nose. The tastes continue to bring the same, and we get some really nice dry alcohol soaked dried fruits. More banana based yeast, and then some more vinous notes. There’s a fruity, jammy, red wine based element in there, and a...
MOTHER of all STORMS
2021 vintage. This is a complicated beer, that is actually very different than first impressions on opening might otherwise suggest. At the outset the appearance seems to be basically black, and the nose very strongly bourbon based. Neither are anything like the final experiences of appearance or smell that I am left with at the conclusion of the bottle. The initial bourbon smell drops off pretty quickly. The (apparently) black body very quickly takes on a dramatic reddish-brown hue that was...
La Moneuse
375 mL, corked and caged affair. The classic heavy, green, dimpled bottom glass. Pour gives an excellent head that becomes more modest quite quickly on standing. Not much lace. Mid to darkish orange, lightly hazed pour. It looks like a beer with real depth. Nose takes a while to open up with temperature. When it does it give a generic bread note, but also toasted malt that’s although similar to the bread, is quite distinct. Almost a wheat, cereal note. Weetabix anyone? Mouthfeel is lively....
11th Anniversary
If the truth be known, I’ve been influenced by Westbrook’s Mexican Cake - a lot. I really love that beer, and as a result, a special release of something (probably) not dissimilar is likely to get my attention. 11th Anniversary did. Whenever I see a Westbrook Anniversary beer I am reminded of meeting Ed Westbrook in a suburban garage, with a few other Charleston, SC beer geeks just a little bit before he opened the brewery. I suppose that must be about 12 years ago now. On that day he brought...
Grand Cru
33 cl bottle. The pour is a slightly hazed, golden body with a high, wispy head. This is not a simple beer, and I don't mean that in the normal way of recognizing this as a complex one. Rather, I mean that it's complicated! Confused? Me too! The tastes are surprisingly bitter and hoppy* (at least if you’re going to put this beer in the BSPA category which is where it belongs). In fact, the hoppy nature of the beer builds rather a lot, and it finishes in some much more serious hoppy territory...
Brewers’ Bridge
If the truth be known, I didn’t even know that this beer had been brewed back in 2019. That was a period in my life when my finger was OFF the pulse of the beer scene - so it’s not that surprising - BUT the consequence is that when I came across it in a random, Fort Wayne, IN store, I was pretty shocked and pretty delighted! $5.49 for the 11.2 oz bottle. As someone commented in the Belgian Beer Board Facebook group, “Allagash & Brasserie DuPont, what could possibly go wrong?”. Well, sure,...
Bourbon County Double Barrel Toasted Barrel
2021 Vintage. Approx. $55 for the bottle. Ouch. Jet black pour - of course - head can be created with an aggressive pour. It’s tan. Nose is pretty solvent like. The legs on the beer are great, and obviously a function of the ABV but they are wine like. To its credit this is extraordinarily smooth, it hides the alcohol very well, and does not burn. The bourbon is definitely smoothed out very well, and there is no aggression at all. In a year or so, I’d imagine it will even out a lot more, and...
Fantôme Blanche
In the absence of any other information I am going to assume that this is the same (or at least a similar) beer to the De Hotton Witbier that was last seen about 5 years. I’ll try to get the word from Dany on this. Pour is a hazy orange body with a HUGE head with pleasing lace, and decent retention. The color I’m not mad about, but the beer as an entity in the glass looks magnificent. Nose offers a lot of dry lemon notes. There’s some promise of some white pepper too. The initial tastes offer...
Saison
Second time I’ve had this, from a brewery that’s just a few miles away from where I used to live. 500 mL capped bottle, purchased from Total Wine, Atlanta (Akers Mill). Pour is a well carbonated affair, but it’s a little fizzy (as opposed to something with any depth) for my liking. White head, poorly retained, some lace. Everything sits on top of a honey-orange body. Mouthfeel is prickly, and a touch thin. Nose has some acidity, and some mildly funky cheese. Light soapiness starts the beer...
Pattinson Porter
Batch #2, brewed Jan 2021. Purchased at Little Five Bottle Shop, Athens, GA in November 2021. Pour is aggressively carbonated, but after the initial pour, the carbonation is less annoying and settles into a lovely, highly carbonated beer that behaves a little better than at first. Depending on the light, the beer is either jet black or has some reddish, brown lighter highlights at the edges. Tan head is a “fizzy” affair, but has decent retention and creates a nice, thin, mocha, creamy layer...
Bourbon County 2019
So I looked to see how many notes that I had for BCS over the years and I see only these from 2006. Has it really been that long? Was this close to the first year of BCS? I suspect the answers are, "Well, yes", and "Almost". Full disclosure. I'm not a pant-wetting fan boy for hyped beer - never have been - and I'm not much of a fan of booze-aged/infused/barrel beers (with the exception of a good wine barrel) if I'm honest, so that odds are stacked against BCS from the outset with me. That...
11 Pipers Piping
2020 re-release. This is an odd one for me. The idea of coriander being added to cut the sweetness of a typical Scotch Ale I suppose makes sense (if indeed that’s its purpose), but at the same time it seems to work against what the beer might be trying to achieve. I don’t know, it seems a little bit of fractured combination of flavors to me. Black-brown body on the pour, with a somewhat disappointingly poorly retained tan head. Even when cold, the nose starts to give away a lot of the Scotch...
Fantôme Macaquincoing
Occasionally one will come across a beer where there is a single, overriding experience that dominates just about all other aspects of it. It doesn’t necessarily make the beer one-dimensional, because at the time the subtleties may be possible to discern, but the further removed you become from the beer, the more singular the experience becomes. This was one of those beers. Bitterness. That’s it. Now that bitterness was not an American, IBU, hoppy assault, but rather the far more predictable...
Fantôme Strange Ghost
A special beer. Label declares, ‘1 brew Dark Triple Version’, lot 02 f a 21, best before end of 2024. Pour offers a chestnut brown body with a deeply impressive, mocha/tan colored head. It’s rich looking in every aspect of its appearance. Nose almost seems like a lightly spiced Christmas beer. The aromas are not especially strong, but they are easy to pick up. A bit of cinnamon, some mace, maybe a touch of nutmeg? Then the taste … WOW! Essentially it’s a herbal explosion of many elements...
Collaboration 2016
One of those absolutely random bottle store finds that keeps me going into just about every beer store that I ever see. I think that I’ve had this before, but I find no notes. A dirty, dubbel-like pour, but the pop on opening is encouraging. The first concern of a beer of any age is always carbonation. We can move on to all of the other problems, but that’s the first port of call and a test that this beer passes. After a little time in the glass it clears to give a much more attractive, dark...
Hoegaarden Grand Cru
Hate me if you want, I love this beer. Is this nostalgia? Partly. But it’s also a yeasty treat that hits the spot and never disappoints. There’s plenty of alcohol, plenty of yeast, and a ton of fruit esters that hit the palate. It lingers and it builds. It’s sweet, reminds me of slightly drunken days in Belgium, and great friends. The nose is tremendous, and it brings on the taste experience. They interlock perfectly. Again the yeast and the fruit are the characters that come together and...
Queue de Charrue Ambree
29/21/22 Best Before. If I’m honest, I really don’t understand this beer. Out of the bottle, it looks good. There’s an incredible, rocky head, and some great lace. The body is a less remarkable, light amber/orange (some would say ‘copper’, but for me the clarity is not here) body. The nose offers a decent, malty, lightly acidic touch. The tastes reflect the same. The reason the beer confuses me a bit is that I don’t really get any Belgian Pale notes here, and it feels a bit like a beer that...
Spits Tripel
Orange clouded pour. Nice head with some sticky lace. Color is a little too orange for the style IMO. This is odd, and well outside any Tripel parameters even with generous interpretations of style (something I seldom have much truck with). Surprisingly, quite a lot of hop character on the nose - see what I mean? Not so much happiness in the initial taste, but still. Lacks the big alcohol kick of a Tripel, and has next to nothing in the candy, sugary, Belgian yeast/ester department either....
La Mère Noël
Pour is as expected for the designated style, if not necessarily for that of a beer that is a Christmas offering. Clear golden body, and a large bubbly white head to accompany it. Minimal lace (but some), and the head is lighter and more wispy than one might expect. Mouthfeel is a nice combination of smooth and creamy, and has a little prickly liveliness about it. Tripel, Belgian candy nose with requisite alcohol. Tastes are similar, with a drier bite at the back end than the initial burst...
Leffe
Ruby
I suppose if all the hate directed at Leffe is really deserved, this is the beer that ought to take it on the chin to the greatest extent. As a fan of several Leffe beers (that gets me lots of stick), even in my sympathetic eyes, this is a weak offering. The reddish, rose, pinkish tainted pour offers a decent head and lace (considering what this is), and as long as you a ready for what it is, there’s little to complain about here. Nose gives some light sweetness. Tastes are those of a fruity...
Black Rocs 1979
L1933 00909, 17/01/22 Well, I don’t know. What has become of the once great l’Abbaye des Rocs? Some things as good as ever, most things not, and then there’s this. Is it a stout? Sort of. Is it a coffee stout? Absolutely not. Is it a 'flavored stout' (whatever than means, and what it says onthe label)? No. Is it a Belgian Dark? Some elements of it might feel a bit that way. It is a little insipid? Yes. Too thin? A bit. Frankly it’s all over the place and not really in a good way. The pour us a...
Gordon Xmas
33 cl bottle, Finest Belgian Beers. 28.08.22 It’s a beautiful, deep chestnut red pour with a ton of great lace left by the rich, billowing white head. The initial nose offers wave after wave of deep, alcoholic malts, and the tastes reflects that somewhat, bu the alcohol is more in check than the nose suggests. The maltiness breaks across the palate continuously, with a lovely, nutty profile pushing into the palate. Classically Scotch Ale, with a ton of depth, the alcohol that you need, and the...
Bon Secours Noel Bière Blonde
33 cl, flip-top bottle from Finest Belgian Beers. A healthy pop on opening, a good sign. The body is an orange, hazy affair with an above average rocky white head with good lace. Retention slightly above average too. Nose offers a very attractive light spice, and some alcoholic sweetness. The initial tastes do much the same, but the sweetness is greater in the mouth than the nose might suggest. Champagne feel on the larger gulps, but with a lower carbonation than that might suggest. More...
Abbaye des Rocs Spéciale Noel
33 cl bottle. Finest Belgian Beers. Lot L2006 02369 26/10/2022 Turbid brown, murky Duddel like pour, with a decent but poorly maintained head. Nose offers a few, light fruit, and bitter notes. Something similar breaks across the plate early. This smooths out over the course of the bottle, and really becomes quite sweet. If one concentrates it is possible to pick out a touch of nutmeg, and little prickly carbonation, and some deeper plum like fruit, but this is one of the those odd times when...
Black Butte
Raspberry Porter
Tasted directly alongside the base beer for comparison. 12oz bottle, from Tavour, bottled 03/29/21. Pour is largely indistinguishable from the original. Perhaps oddly, the ABV comes in at 6.8 as opposed to the 5.5 of the base beer. The added Raspberry Purée gives that much more fermentable sugar? I guess. Equally oddly, no significant raspberry on the nose. Tastes are also relatively muted after the initial assault. It’s obviously raspberry up front, but as the base beer builds a lot of that...
Slaapmutske Christmas
330 mL bottle. Rich, blackish-brown pour with a lovely dense head that lingers and produces some sweet lace. Nose offers mainly simple malts. Tastes start with those same malts but with added sweetness. However this never rises too far on the sugary scale. Kept in check by some hop bitterness, and some nice balance. No spices to speak of here, this feels like a relatively high alcohol, English brown ale in some ways, and not a Christmas Belgian Strong Dark. In stylistic terms I guess one can...
Leffe Rituel 9°
Leffe gets plenty of abuse from plenty of beer snobs, but if those folks are being honest, it’s really hard to knock the appearance of almost any of their offerings. Rituel 9° is no exception, and it looks resplendent in the Leffe glass. A beautifully clear, deep golden colored body sits underneath a white head that’s better than average, and that leaves good lace. It's also decently persistent. Pretty. There's a lot of deep-seated, estery fruit in the nose, coupled with a touch of alcohol....
Black Tuesday
Aged In Red Wine Barrels
12.7 fl oz bottle from Tavour. I believe it was $21.99. It’s not a very attractive pour. Now, you can say, “Well, what were you expecting?”, and there would be some validity to your criticize of my comment , but that doesn’t make my statement any less correct. No head (of course at this ABV), and there’s a turbid, reddish brown hue to the beer. Light doesn’t penetrate much, but the brownish-red nature is more obvious in better light. Nose is not a great deal more than a massive amount of sweet...
Logsdon Two Rivers Noir
I love several Logsdon beers, I generally enjoy a wine influenced beer, and farmhouse funk is certainly part of my ‘favorite style’ profile. All good, things seem set fair here, then … or is it? Head is that of a soda. Fizzy but disappeared entirely almost instantly. Slightly cloudy, raspberry colored body. Large cheese funk on the nose, but that’s not carried forward much to the tastes. This is way too fruit forward for me. When look at the blend it is essentially 75% fruit beer, and it...
Leffe Biere d’Hiver (Winter)
This is one of the prettiest beers that I've seen in a while. A truly deep red-brown pour, with a great head and some fantastic lace. Bone white layers are left behind in the glass. Unfortunately, the look is the high-water mark for it. The beer drinks very light, considering the style and the look. That's both a good and a bad thing. It makes the beer drinkable and easy, but TBH it really lacks the depth that it should have, and that either style (see below) demands. Plenty of caramel, plenty...
Gouden Carolus ULTRA (UL. TRA)
It's hard to get my head around a Gouden Carolus beer like this one. This is true even for a person like me who LOVES lower ABV beers. So far removed from their (normal) lane. A light yellow pour with good head, lace, and some haze greets the eye. Simple nose with plenty of grain notes - bready - but a really solid bitterness about the taste profile. Plenty of sweet malts too, and a dry bitterness returns to finish out the beer. In fact in finishes extraordinarily dry in fact. Yeasty wheat,...
Leffe Tripel
Another beer that I enjoy, but also one that many purists frown upon. Is it a classic Tripel? Some would say no, and perhaps prefer to categorize this a Belgian Strong Pale Ale, but for me it has enough Tripel character to carry the beer through, and to keep it relatively stylistically true. Hazed, golden color pour. Nice, lively head. Sweet, candy esters meet the nose, and intensify in the early sips. Paradoxically light, but still with a gentle element of cloying. I know that sounds...
Leffe Radieuse
18/03/22 43 08.03 Leffe is much maligned. I've always liked/enjoyed/loved their beer. Partly nostalgia? Sure. But I simply don't drink beer that I don't enjoy, so shoot me! Radieuse is a pretty beer. A beautifully clear, red-chestnut body with an acceptable, if not great head. Nose offers a ton of malt, and this comes through in the initial tastes. The alcohol blends beautifully with the malt and creates a rich, but highly, highly drinkable beer. A touch of solvent (which is OK), the beer...
Chimay Blonde 150 (Green)
Here we go with the much anticipated, already a little vaunted, Chimay Green. Shipped into the USA from Belgian Shop. With transit cost, the six bottles were approx. $10 a piece. An absolute steal at that price. The usual Chimay presentation, but with the forest green coloring and the '150' wreath moniker. Light golden, slightly hazed pour with a superb, generous, pillowed, dense white, pitted head. Great retention. Chimay glass does its job with a constant flow of carbonation rising from the...
Andechser Vollbier Hell
Jungle Jim's, Cincinnati, June 2021. A classic. Light golden, sparkling body with utter clarity. Great, wispy, massive head, but because of the wispy nature it collapses quite quickly. I wonder if the head is different on draft? Nose and tastes give the requisite bread and maltiness. There's a sweetness about the beer (and indeed the style), that I have to be in the mood for, and occasionally touches on an adjunct, euro lager cloying nature. It never really gets there, but there's a fine line....
BIRD-DAY Volume II
Second in the 25th anniversary series. Collaboration with Gigantic. I do like a Mezcal barrel. I've come to learn that. Tangerine colored pour (appropriately enough) with a modest white head. Retention a little below average. Nose and tastes do exactly what is says on the tin. Medium tangerine notes build from the beginning and break across the tongue. The citrus element has a nice sweetness to it. Orange continues to ramp up down the glass. Salty notes accompany the very, very, very light...
The Dissident (2019 Reserve)
2019 Reserve. Bottled 7/17/2019. Don't know if I remembering correctly but I thought this used to come in 750 mL bottles. Anyway ... 500 mL, deep, antique red colored wax. Capped. Bright looking orange brown pour which creates a decent, if light head with an aggressive pour. Some film remains, with a little lacing. As good, if not better than expected given the style. Plenty of oaky, musty acidity in the nose. Puckering, tight acid hits early, but paradoxically backs off but then lingers and...
Simplex
BO7T15 FEB18 EXP: 22/02/2020 Older, 33cl bottle that came from Jungle Jim's, Cincinnati, OH, USA, in June 2021. Hazed, golden pour with a modest, 1/4 inch white head. Lacing not bad. Label states, "This is not a Pils", presumably because the brewers think you might associate it with that style. I could see from the bitterness maybe, but this is way too full in the mouth, soft and round to ever be mistaken for a Noble-hopped Pilsner. Nose has some simple yeasts. The initial taste are quite...
20th Anniversary Encore Series: 02.02.02 Vertical Epic Ale
2016 Encore 20th Anniversary re-release, sadly not the original. $13.90 from Beer Lime & Sunshine, Pittsburgh, PA. Solid orange/tan pour with large head that recedes. Some lace, decent surface head retention. A little malty oxidation in the nose, along with some muted orange. Tastes reflect the nose with a surprising drying finish and more alcohol than the aroma suggests. A little cardboard oxidation, at 5 years old this feels past its best. Drinks fine, dryness continues and alcohol helps...
Partridge in a
Pear Tree (2020)
Beautiful, clear chestnut red body underneath a medium sized tan head that fades appropriately quickly. Nose is mostly light alcohol even on warming. EtOH warmth is apparent immediately, and a cinnamon, Christmas spice note hits up front. The cinnamon is not my favorite by any stretch of the imagination but it works here. The finish is quite punishingly dry. There is plenty of alcohol warmth here, but the beer is immensely drinkable, and by that I mean not at all heavy. It doesn't feel like a...
Fantôme Vertignasse
Additional notes: 10/02/2022 In late 2021 I found a few of the older (presumably 2017) vintage bottles languishing at Little Five Bottle Shop in Athens, GA, and although I knew I was taking a huge gamble I went for it anyway. A mistake (usurpingly), as they had all gone completely after 4 years of sitting around, and resembled a murky algae ponds and were completely undrinkable. Fast forward to a new shipment that recently came to the USA, these notes are associated with lot ac 6 21 best...
Chubby Bunny
Side Project #29. The pour offers a nice, two-finger head followed by a thin ring of foam on the outer extremities, a little lace, and a proverbial jet black body in the ATL Spring sun. Aroma is a dark chocolate one rather than a milk chocolate one, and when it comes to the tastes, the bitterness of that cocoa breaks over the tongue nicely. Less sweet than some milk stouts, it constantly feels like a bitter dark chocolate has been used. Advertised as a S'mores imperial milk stout, I get a more...
Improved Old Fashioned
Plain and simply? It's ugly. The classic, muddy brown dirty dishwater Dubbel. I mean, it does generate some head, and for a beer of this ABV that's no mean feat, so a little credit where credit is due, but that color ... Botanicals and whisk(e)y aromas dominate the nose, with a similar mix coming through in the initial tastes. Alcohol is warming, but for me it was very short on the back end. Lots of licorice and aniseed. Some bitter warming whiskey. A lemony finish, a little orange and final...
Beer To Drink Music To
Bright copper body with a wispy, white head. Looks great. Nose has good levels of clean orange that reflects the color. Light viscosity and alcohol are certainly present and forceful. The beer seems a little clean and bitter for a real Tripel. Yeast is not a big presence and it feels a little imperial pils like. A little noble bitterness. Increasing spice pushes through the bitterness. Some white pepper notes that are more authentic for actripel keep on keeping on. I like it, even if the yeast...
Ommegang Soothsayer
Re-branded Art of Darkness? Not much excites me in the beer world these days, but a new Ommegang beer is always something that has the potential to do so. Strong Belgian Dark makes it even better, and I’m anticipating much joy. The pour into the Ommegang chalice is as expected, and after a mild pop on opening, the body is a dark, dark almost black brown, and a huge, pitted, mocha colored head. It looks fantastic. Some lacing too. Nose and tastes deliver exactly what one would expect. Dark...
Sonnet
Southern Tier is a real Jekyll and Hyde brewery for me, with a range of beers that I have simultaneously enjoyed (Creme Brulee and Krampus), hated (Imperial Cherry Saison) and felt largely indifferent about (Phin & Matt's and 2XIPA). As such, I tend to be ambivalent toward them, and with so much beer available to me these days they are a brewer that has gone from a regular in the rotation to an almost forgotten player for me. It would appear that they have a slightly new look for this...
Westbrook Brewing Co.
Märzenbier
Westbrook? Märzen? Yes, you have my attention. Handwritten bottling date onthe label 9/17/13 The first thing that strikes me is that odd, slightly grassy, stinky malt aroma that comes with a genuine Märzen style. Nice and light in the mouth with plenty of simplistic drinkability. A chill-hazed, mid orange/light copper color sits underneath the light, wispy head that hangs out above the beer. This is not as sweet as some of the American märzens, and I suspect this is a little closer to...
Seeing Double IPA
I've known this beer for many, many years and usually I've enjoyed it immensely, but this is the first time I've had it in the bottle and seems like a very different experience than all of my previous draught encounters. The color looks fine, but there are a HUGE amount of yeasties in the pour. Bottle-conditioned in the extreme, apparently! Really nice, mid-golden color once the beer clears and I can actually see what's going on. A nice sized head and some very good lace and retention when...
Weisse Weisse Baby
$9.99 for the 750 mL from Growlers, HHI, SC, USA. Bottled 03/29/13. Well this beer has been a long time coming. A few years ago, a few months before Westbrook had even opened, I had the pleasure of meeting Ed Westbrook at a party held in Charleston (thanks Brian Z.). Ed brought two beers with him that he was piloting for the new brewery. One I forget (perhaps a Strong Belgian Dark), but the the Berliner Weisse I did not. It was astonishingly good. I was thinking that WWB might be an...
RU-55
Chestnut brown pour with a better than anticipated head on the aggressive pour. JesterKing classes this a 'Barrel Aged Sour Red'. Unfiltered, unpasteurized and aged on oak barrels. Some mid-level ethanoic acid on the nose amongst some organic wafts of hay. The initial tastes offer some barrel notes that I am not keen on and don't need. Luckily the light vinegar sourness is enough to counteract this fairly quickly, and even about a quarter of the way down the bottle, the barrel elements becomes...
Brewery Ommegang
XV Reserve Anniversary
$15.99 for the tin and the corked bottle. Love me some Ommegang, but even before I open the tin or the bottle I feel that the price here is unlikely to be kind in terms of value. We'll see. The corked and caged bottle opens with a modest pop and only a touch of gun-smoke. Pour is a dark chestnut brown that borders on black. There is a lovely mocha head that is deep and pitted, but it doesn't last long at all. A shame, since this was set up to be a real treat on the eye. The nose offers plenty...
Black Tuesday
The Bruery
Updated notes Original notes 03/06/2013 The back story to me acquiring this beer is interesting. When it first came out, I was still very active on beeradvocate. At the time, I remember doing my usual, 'this is bullshit' type rant about limited release beer and the ridiculous hype associated with it. I then received a 'beermail' from another BA, offering to send me a bottle for nothing. I gladly accepted, and a week or so later, there it was. I of course reciprocated with a big box in return....
Dogfish Head
Birra Etrusca Bronze
Pour is a, 'per the label' dark bronze color with some initially high head that fades pretty quickly. Retention is not great, and lace is essentially zero. Of course, the name is actually nothing to do with the color, rather a reference to using 'bronze' in the fermentation. I'm not at all sure what that means, but I suppose it refers to using bronze equipment rather than adding pieces of alloy to the fermentation vessels!!?? The label is ambiguous. Nose has some amber, toffee malts with a...
JesterKing Commercial Suicide
(Oaked) Farmhouse Ale
OK, an 'Oaked, Farmhouse Mild Ale'? Hmmm, I dunno. Unfiltered, unpasteurized and bottle-conditioned, 750 mL in the usual Jester King presentation. The label also refers to something that they call 'English pub ale'. Needless to say, that worries me a bit, and coupled with some other equally silly guff on the label, it's not a good start for me. In addition, any source that is quoting this as being in the, 'ENGLISH Dark Mild Ale' style, is offensive to me. Pour is a chocolate brown color with a...
Yule Shoot Your Eye Out
(Seasonal Ale)
Huge shout-out to @lnashsig for the chance to crack this one. Looking forward to it immensely. Pour is a dark brown/black affair with two fingers of mocha, wispy and bubbled head. Brewed with cocoa nibs and spices. Nose offers some light acidity but not much of the spiciness that follows in the tastes. This beer is light on its feet, and offers plenty of the cocoa nibs that are advertised and some simpler, light spice notes too. Nothing dramatic or too heavy here, the beer offers some easy...
5 Golden Rings
The Bruery
Additional notes 08/08/2021 Aged bottle. Carbonation almost completely gone, and for this beer, that’s not good. Look, I’m not about to ding a beer for being this way after all of these years, but it’s a pretty important reminder to drink beer pretty much as soon as one can. Outside of the carbonation issue, this beer remains pretty true to the original notes. That’s all. Additional notes 12/22/2013 One year on and frankly, not much change. I was hoping for a slight tempering of the fruit and...
Oatmeal Stout 2012
Beer Camp #45
Before purchasing the Beer Camp 12 pack, I was pretty sure that the beer that I would like least would be this one. It turned out that it was the one that I enjoyed the most, and by quite some distance. It should be noted that is not a commentary on the weakness of the other beer in the pack, rather it's a credit to the strength of this beer. Pitch black pour with a small, half-inch mocha head that is perfectly formed. No lace to speak of and the retention is hardly good, but given the ABV...
Brewery Ommegang
Duvel Rustica
OK, what are the differences between this and Duvel? The question really seems as though it should be at the forefront of any discussion of Rustica, since it is being declared as Ommegang's, "American Farmhouse interpretation of Duvel'. Let's just say that Ommegang had better be confident (and careful) about deliberately drawing comparisons in this manner, because they are opening up a whole can of worms if the beer fails to reach those dizzy heights! For me, it's a high risk endeavor. For a...
Unibroue 17
Grand Réserve
Bottled in 2011, No. 2011-100254, best before 12-12-2016. Parchment like label, information on the back describing the 2007 beer and the process it went through to become the 'Grand Reserve'. I've been (generally) a huge fan of the Unibroue anniversary series, and indeed enjoyed 17 very much, so even at $12.99 for the corked and caged 750 mL it was a no-brainer for me. A healthy pop on opening (good) is followed by a light chestnut, brownish pour. The carbonation is pretty good and gives a...
Brasserie La Botteresse
de Sur-Les-Bois Brune
This beer did something for me that happens pretty infrequently these days - it really WOWED me! One of the best beers I have tasted in quite some time, and a beer that for me, really took me back to some other classics. Spectacular pour that looks brooding with its big, dark chestnut body and creamy, mocha colored head. It's big and dangerous and looks like it! Lots of medicinal notes amongst the more typical Belgian Dark notes - in that respect, a little surprising. There's a touch of...
Gavroche
French Red Ale
$2.99 for the 11.2 oz bottle. Unfiltered, unpasteurized and bottle-conditioned, from Arbor Place Beverage, Douglasville, GA. I'm fairly sure that this is a bottle with a significant amount of age on it, but at the same time I'm pretty confident that this type of beer will mature well, and perhaps equally importantly it will mature in a manner that will suit my palate. $2.99 for the bottle is hardly a huge risk either, so I'm in! "Order 1008" dot-matrixed on the rear of the label near the...
Rosey Nosey
Lighter than expected amber color with a head and lace combo which is sufficient to keep me happily engaged. Medium (appropriate) carbonation. The nose is where the special nature of this beer start to manifest themselves. Rich caramel, biscuit malts combine to reveal a classic, English malt and mid-hop character brew. Slight dry finish that one would expect completes the package with a touch of soapy bitterness in the aftertaste. Don't think of this as a Winter Warmer and you'll be happier....
Rauch Geek Breakfast / Beer Geek Bacon
Jet black pour with a really dark, coffee colored head. Nose and tastes deliver a large amount of smoke, but the beer lacks the meaty, solid quality of many smoked beers and in that respect feels a little light. Tobacco features with some leathery components, but the beer lacks a sweet edge that really needs to accompany the smoked malts. Slightly too bitter for me and this beer frankly lacks the charm and subtlety of many other smoked beers. Frankly i was disappointed. Not up to speed for...
Special Reserve Wisconsin Scottish Ale
As others have mentioned, there is no mention of "Special Reserve" on the label here, so I am assuming this is the correct beer. 12 oz bottle, thanks go out to Kevin for the chance to try this beer. Mid-amber pour with a nice clarity. Head is reserved, but appropriate. The nose is really rather strong with plenty of sherry liquor notes which get me rather excited.The aroma promises a richness. The taste don't really match the virility of the aroma. There is certainly a huge malty, sweet,...
Ommegang
Gnommegang
Updated notes (03/22/23) (pictured) This is such a hard, hard beer to review in 2023 given what has happen to it in the 12 years since my initial notes. It's not really because that much has changed, if indeed anything at all, but this is now brewed by a brewery that has long since lots its way in terms of the beer that it puts out generally, and now, God forbid, it's in a can. Like most of the canned beer produced these days, the art is aimed at children, or beer drinkers under 40 as they are...
30th Anniversary – Jack & Ken’s Ale
OK, a 'Black Barleywine' brewed by an American brewery is frankly unlikely to be a beer that I fall in love with, so for that reason I decided to sit on this one for a while. I've had it since it first came to Georgia, so a decent amount of time on it now. Opening corked & caged affair gives a pretty alarming pop with some good gun smoke. A really dark chestnut colored pour that reminds me of the most mature conkers that I had as a kid. A thin, creamy film/cap forms on the beer as things...
Bashah
12 oz bottle. Batch 352 which I think says 12/19/10 as the bottled on date, but I bought this way before that so that cannot be correct. My suspicion is that is a best before date. Anyway... Black pour with some brownish highlights. Not much head, very little lace, but it settles to give a spotty, creamy film on the surface. Nose offers plenty of hop character, and it is typically aggressive for the style and the two breweries involved. That carries forward to the taste where the hops could be...
Steelhead Extra Pale Ale
12 oz stubbie bottle. Blue label that is different to the picture in the BA db. As a single form Hop City, Atlanta, GA, USA. Pour is a tad disappointing as the beer sits somewhat lifeless with a classic macro look - no head, no retention, no lace and a golden body. Color is fine, carbonation is not. Head is particularly disappointing to me. Nose and tastes give a distinct vegetal sweetness and a malty experience that feels musty and old. No date on the bottle that I can see, so who knows?...
Mission St. Hefeweizen
22 oz bottle from the Trader Joe's cheap and cheerful line. I have had some really good success with some of these budget brews, but there have also been one or two stinkers so it's always an adventure - let's see what we have here. The beer goes into the 500 mL Tucher Weizen glass. It's color is definitely out of the ordinary for the style. It's deep, orangey copper which is a long way away from a typical, lemony yellow body. The head is good initially, and to be fair doesn't fade as badly as...
Ovila
Corked & caged bottle with an unusual shape around the neck. Opens with a fearful pop with a button mushroom like cork - I suggest great care opening this one, but to be honest I would rather have it that way than without sufficient carbonation. Nice gun smoke. Attractive reddish brown hue which seems less muddy than the usual Dubbel appearance which is a bonus. Having said that beer is a dreadfully disappointing head and it fades horribly. No lace, no retention - shame. Light, alcoholic...
Hop Ruiter
So I've been eying this 750 mL bottle in the store for some time and assumed (from afar) that it would be a Belgian IPA (considering the name), but was a little surprised to see it in the BA db as simply a BSPA. Additionally it was reviewed in this months BA magazine and was given the moniker 'Belgian Strong Golden Ale'! Seems like the beer has a identity crisis. Either way I'm pretty confident that I know what this beer will taste LIKE, it really depends to what degree that the white pepper,...
Capricho Oscuro – Batch 2
12 oz bottle, many thanks go out to Steve for the chance to try this one. On the neck label the Batch # (2), and the bottle count (205/450) are noted. Pour is a dark, chestnut brown with quite a lot of sediment, a lovely rich, coffee colored head, some which brings with it some decent retention and lace. Big 'ole which malty notes with some sherry and alcohol. Tastes reflect that, but come in with a bit more subtlety. The sherry and alcohol notes are reflected early, but then we get more...
Querkus Smoked Oaked Porter
The presentation of this beer certainly makes one think that this could be a Scandinavian beer - something about the name and the label. Had no idea this was a Ridgeway beer until I looked at the label very carefully. A really pretty color on the pour with plenty of ruby red highlights throughout the beer. Conservative head but still gives decent retention and some nice lace. However, the color is the star in the appearance; quite exquisite. Nose and tastes give a mild smokiness that permeates...
Shark Attack Double Red Ale
22oz bottle, Arbor Place Beverage, Douglasville, GA, USA. Very typical for the style, a cloudy and turbid brown soup like affair with some big, rocky, pitted, off-white head and lace. Retention is not great. It's a bit of an ugly looking beer for me. Nose and tastes deliver typical big, hoppy alcohol notes, and there is the requisite dry finish. Strangely, the alcohol is fairly well hidden during the drink, but in the aftertaste and at the end the beer packs its' full punch. The combination of...
Sanctification
375 mL bottle courtesy of Ross - many thanks. Batch 005. Chilled this off perfectly and the medium pop on opening the corked & caged bottle produces some nice gun smoke. The head 'fizzes' up initially but of course it does not last and there is not much lace or retention. A very thin film of bubbles sit atop the beer. The color is REALLY memorable. A very, very distinct lemon colored, yellow body. Super bright in terms of the hue and a stand out feature of the brew. The nose is fresh and...
North Peak Siren Amber
12 oz stubbie bottle as depicted in the BA db, thanks go out to Kevin for the chance to try this one. Pour produces some nice sticky, white lace on top of a slightly murky, brown body. Not really very interesting to look at but at the same time the head is decent, produces some nice lace and is somewhat well retained. Nose offers little other than some sweet malts. The tastes are fairly ordinary with a few hoppy hints amongst the fairly dry, average malt base. Drinks easily and has good...
Jai Alai IPA – Papaya
750 mL bottle as part of a care package from Joey at the brewery. Many thanks. Nothing on the label to suggest that this beer has Jai Alai as the base, but reading the reviews it apparently does. The label is attractive and it suggests a fruity, rich experience is in store - that doesn't really happen for me. Pour is a VERY attractive deep copper color with a high, fluffy head. The color is very rich and reminds me of one of those high def photographs that has that orange hue. The beer looks...
Midnight Special India-Style Black Ale
So, I had heard about the new limited, special series that Glenn at Jailhouse was going to release and this one popped up at Green's on Buford yesterday. $8.99 for the large (bomber like) bottle. Part of the new, Solitary Confinement Series; Cool! Not sure that I understand the label with the train bearing down on the convict in his bed, but, hey...whatever! The pour is a very rich looking, dense, totally black affair that pours with a real, 'gloop, gloop' noise as it comes out of the bottle....
Organic Honeydew
500 mL bottle as depicted in the BA database. $3.99 from Green's on Buford, Atlanta, GA, USA. Pour is an impressive, bright golden color with some lovely clarity, good carbonation, a nice, tight white head with some good retention and lace. Attractive no doubt with some great depth of orange color in the golden hue. Nice. The nose offers a little breadiness amongst the sweet malts and a a hint of toasty grains. Tastes give more of the toasty grain character and a honey elements that is more on...
King Goblin
Single 500 mL bottle from Green's on Ponce, Atlanta, GA , USA. Superb color on the pour, giving a beautiful, garnet clarity that I seldom see these days. Color is deep and present. Head is to be frank, a little disappointing. Small, not well retained although the lace defies he lack of retention. Nose and tastes give up a classic biscuit malt and a light touch which defines the style (at least in the bottle). Some hoppy notes are added to the alcohol which produce a nice balance of drying...
New Holland Night Tripper
22 oz bottle from Brawley's, Charlotte, NC, USA. Light foil on the neck of the bottle. New Holland is one of the few brewers that get to NC but not to GA, so I generally pick up something from them every time I'm up in NC. Inky black pour with a modest head. Some nice, then mocha film sit atop the black body. Carbonation is reserved but entirely appropriate. Nose and tastes give a fairly significant sweet effect. Some alcohol and lots of dry chocolate in the finish. A little warmth but...
Irish Style Stout
12 oz stubbie bottle as per the usual Sprecher presentation. Thanks go out to Kevin for the chance to try this beer. The bottom line with Sprecher is that they produce some great examples of simple styles, that are generally under-appreciated outside of their immediate locale, and by America geeks in general. Simple black body with a modest head. The thing I like about both the nose and taste associated with this beer is that they both represent a VERY light, balanced profile that sits in a...