Monthly Archives: April 2021

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, de Garde Brewing, USA, Wild Ale

de Garde Ivy

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Brewery: de Garde Brewing
Country: USA
ABV: 6%
Style: American Wild Ale

Brewer Description: (from bottle) A spontaneous Wild Ale aged in oak barrels for two years.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.31
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.2

Intro: A 1 pint 9.4 fl. oz. corked and capped bottle, with no clear bottled on or best before date. Poured into an Alvinne teku glass.
Appearance: A very slightly hazy golden orange colour with a big two finger white head that had good retention and left nice lacing.
Aroma: Lightly tart, funky, musty, damp wood, citrus, lemon zest, lime, wet straw.
Taste: Sour, lightly tart, funky, hay, oak, grapefruit, honey, stone fruit, peach, lime, citrus peel, light bitter finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium to light bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Balanced and enjoyable with good aroma and flavours.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Farmhouse Saison - Fruit, Trillium Brewing Company, USA

Trillium Lineage Wheat – Raspberry

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Brewery: Trillium Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 7.4%
Style: Farmhouse Saison – Fruit
Other Notes: American Wild Saison with raspberry aged in oak barrels. Lineage series. Hops – US Goldings. Malts – Pilsner, Valley Wheat and Flaked Wheat. Adjunct – Raspberry

Brewer Description: (from website) The latest edition of our New England Wild Saison series is aged on raspberries and features a generous amount of local wheat from Valley Malt in Hadley, Massachusetts. Pouring a slightly hazy pinkish hue, Raspberry Lineage Wheat presents bright aromas of fresh, sweetened raspberry jam with an underpinning of rich, woody-oak and a touch of funk from our Native New England mixed culture. On the palate, tart raspberry, ripe blackberry and muddled cranberry are delicately balanced by subtle, tangy lemon peel and a slight floral accent. A light, drinkable body and dry finish give Raspberry Lineage Wheat added nuance and approachability.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.4
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.3

Intro: A 330ml bottle, bottled on 18th July 2018. Poured into a Cantillon ballon glass.
Appearance: It was a hazy orange pink colour with a one finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly to a ring around the glass, while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Sweet and tart, raspberry jam, raspberry, lemon zest, oak.
Taste: Sour, tart, raspberry, jammy, lemon juice.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Really easy and enjoyable to drink with great jammy raspberry aroma and flavours.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Trillium Brewing Company, USA, Wild Ale

Trillium Fated Farmer – Red Currant

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Brewery: Trillium Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 6.7%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: Barrel fermented wild ale. Hops – Aged Hops. Malts – Valley Pilsner and Valley Wheat. Adjunct – Red Currants

Brewer Description: (from website) Our Fated Farmer Series is a landmark step toward realizing our foundational vision for Trillium: Build a place that intuitively celebrates the intersection of New England farming, agriculture, brewing and an integrated community experience. The grist of each of the dynamic Fated Farmer wild ales is set on the structure of Valley Malt and is barrel fermented in 500L puncheons with our Native New England Wild Culture and aged for 5-7 months, before refermenting on freshly harvested fruit.

Fated Farmer: Red Currant (sourced from Wards Berry Farm in Sharon, MA) presents a warm, orange-pink hue, with a leaping nose of rose of pinot noir, and hints of strawberry and fermentation derived overripe stonefruit. The palate leads with tart wild berry flavor and mellows into a subtle sweetness, slight tannic structure and snappy, pleasing finish.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.28
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 750ml bottle, bottled on 21st December 2017. Poured into a Cantillon ballon glass.
Appearance: A slightly hazy golden orange colour with a thin white head that dissipated quickly, while leaving only sparse lacing.
Aroma: Soft funky, oak, vanilla, red berry tartness, with yellow stone fruit.
Taste: Sour, tart, mixed berries, red currant, stone fruit, peach, with soft vinegar notes.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Good balance of funk, fruit and barrel in both aroma and taste, but it is especially so in the aroma. I didn’t get to try it fresh, but I think some age might have had a good effect on it.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Trillium Brewing Company, USA, Wild Ale

Trillium Fated Farmer – Cranberry

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Brewery: Trillium Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 6.8%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: Barrel fermented wild ale. Hops – Aged Hops. Malts – Valley Pilsner and Valley Wheat. Adjunct – Cranberry

Brewer Description: (from website) Our Fated Farmer Series is a landmark step toward realizing our foundational vision for Trillium: Build a place that intuitively celebrates the intersection of New England farming, agriculture, brewing, and integrated community experience. The grist of each of the dynamic Fated Farmer wild ales is set on the structure of Valley Malt and is barrel fermented in 500L puncheons with our Native New England Wild Culture and aged for 5-7 months, before re-fermenting on freshly harvested fruit.

Fresh, locally-sourced Cape Cod cranberries provide a brilliant ruby hue to the latest interpretation of Fated Farmer. Bright red fruit aromas from cranberry to raspberry spring from the glass, while a bouquet of floral tones offers a depth of flavor to each sip. Subtly sweet, with an energizing acidity and underlying native yeast character, Cranberry Fated Farmer finishes nimble and refreshing.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.97
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.7

Intro: A 750ml bottle, bottled on 19th October 2018. Poured into a Cantillon ballon glass.
Appearance: A hazy amber orange colour with a one finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly to a ring around the glass, while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Tart, cranberry, oak, with light floral notes, and bits of nail polish here and there.
Taste: Sour, tart, cranberry, herbal, funk, lemon zest and oak.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, prickly acidic, with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Enjoyable aroma and flavours, although the acidity felt a little bit on the harsh side at times.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brasserie du Brabant, Lambic - Fruit

Du Brabant Lambic Magerat – Krieken & Pinot Noir

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Brewery: Brasserie du Brabant
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6.5%
Style: Lambic – Fruit
Other Notes: 4 years old Lambic

Brewer Description: (from bottle) This beer has been brewed using the traditional turbid mash method, aged hops, cooled during an entire night in open vessels and was fermented and kept during 4 years in oak barrels prior to bottling. Our brewery being located at the boundaries of the Senne Valley, this beer qualify for the Lambic appellation. We released this beer as ‘Lambic Magerat’ our family name as it is traditional in Belgium.

Cherries and Pinot Noir grapes grown at our farm.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.71
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.5

Intro: A 750ml corked and capped bottle, bottled in December 2018, and with a best before year of 2038. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A slightly hazy orange amber colour with a thin white head that dissipated quickly while leaving pretty much no lacing.
Aroma: Tart, cherry, red wine grapes, grape skin, oak, funk, with light citrusy lemon zest notes.
Taste: Lightly sour, tart, cherry, grape skin, oak, with light notes of apple cider vinegar.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate to light carbonation.
Overall: To be honest, when I saw Pinot Noir, I was thinking maybe barrel aged in a Pinot Noir barrel instead of using Pinot Noir grapes. I think a more vinous character would have made this more interesting, as when compared to other kriek lambics for example, the fruitiness is not as obvious and there is a distinct lack of funk. It’s not a bad beer by any means, but not one of the top in its style.