Monthly Archives: February 2020

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brouwerij Alvinne, Wild Ale

Alvinne Batch #1000 Abrikoos-Apricot

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Brewery: Brouwerij Alvinne
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6.7%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: Fruit Sour Ale. Sweet 2/5, Sour 3/5 & Bitter 1/5

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Batch 1000, a milestone on our craft beer journey. We made a long boil blond sour and barrel aged it on American oak St-Emilion (red wine) barrels. This beer was macerated on apricots for 2 months.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.76
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.6

Intro: A 330ml bottle, with a best before date of November 2023. Poured into an Alvinne teku glass.
Appearance: A slightly hazy rusty copper orange colour with some light sediment and a thin, large bubbly one fingered off white head that dissipated fairly quickly, while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Light aromas, but tart, funky, oak, lightly vinous and touches of apricot.
Taste: Light sour, tart, vinous, grape, oak, light funk and apricot.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: I preferred the original base version more. I felt that the additions of apricot seemed to have taken away from the nice strong barrel character that just wasn’t as prominent in this version.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brouwerij Alvinne, Wild Ale

Alvinne Batch #1000

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Brewery: Brouwerij Alvinne
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6.7%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: Blond Sour Ale. Sweet 2/5, Sour 3/5 & Bitter 1/5

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Batch 1000, a milestone on our craft beer journey. We made a long boil blond sour and barrel aged it on American oak St-Emilion (red wine) barrels. This is an exclusive project for Beer Seeker, a collaboration between the magazine Belgian Beer & Food and online beershop Etre Gourmet.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.1
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 330ml bottle, with a best before date of November 2023. Poured into an Alvinne teku glass.
Appearance: A slightly hazy copper orange colour with a one finger off white head that had decent retention while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Tart, vinous, grape, cherry and oak, with hints of funk, vanilla and balsamic.
Taste: Sour, tart, vinous, grape, cherry, oak, vanilla, light funk, and notes of vinegar.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Enjoyable complex sour with nice vinous and barrel character.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brouwerij Alvinne, Sour Ale

Alvinne Hard Brett-xit

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Brewery: Brouwerij Alvinne
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6.5%
Style: Sour Ale
Other Notes: Sweet 3/5, Sour 3/5 & Bitter 3/5

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Superblend of various barrels and fruits. Oak aged. Bitter, sweet & sour with a touch of regret.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.83
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.7

Intro: A 330ml bottle, with a best before date of October 2023. Poured into an Alvinne teku glass. I knew this was a crazy gusher from past experience, so I quickly opened it but yet still felt the need to have a look first. The uneventful slow lag of a passing second, suddenly became a fast reacting chemical reaction, and I quickly poured it into the glass before I could lose more than a third of the bottle like last time!
Appearance: A slightly hazy rusty orange brown colour with an one finger beige head that had decent retention while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: A Flanders Red character, fruity, mixed berries, cherry, oak, plum, and a splash of vinegar.
Taste: Moderate sour and sweet, fruity, caramel, lightly tart, cherry, mixed berries, plum, oak, with notes of vinegar.
Mouthfeel: Dry, medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Nice, balanced and enjoyable to drink.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Hoppin’ Frog Brewing Company, Stout - Russian Imperial, USA

Hoppin’ Frog Barrel Aged D.O.R.I.S. The Destroyer

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Brewery: Hoppin’ Frog Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 10.5%
Style: Russian Imperial Stout
Other Notes: 70 IBUs. Double Imperial Stout, stout aged in whiskey barrels

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Aged in Bourbon whiskey barrels to add a wonderful complexity to our massive American Double Imperial Stout. This barrel aging imparts memorable buttery, vanilla-like, and savory whiskey character, making this one of our most complex beers we’ve ever brewed. Another testament to our hard work and dedication in bringing our customers the very best.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.1
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 22 fl. oz. bomber with no clear bottled on or best before date. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Dark brown to black in colour with a very thin brown head that disappeared almost immediately and left only sparse lacing.
Aroma: Whiskey, roasty, chocolate, with hints of oak, molasses and vanilla.
Taste: Sweet bourbon whiskey, roasty, chocolate, molasses, and oak, with notes of vanilla and caramel and maybe even some char.
Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Although perhaps a little sweet for me, the roast and chocolate did mostly balance it out for me, and it was still an enjoyable sipper.