Monthly Archives: May 2023

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brouwerij Boon, Lambic - Gueuze

Boon HORAL’s Oude Geuze Mega Blend 2015

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Brewery: Brouwerij Boon
Country: Belgium
ABV: 7%
Style: Lambic – Gueuze
Other Notes: HORAL members – 3 Fonteinen, Boon, De Cam, De Troch, Hanssens, Lindemans, Oud Beersel, Tilquin, Timmermans.

Brewer Description: (from bottle in Dutch) Voor deze botteling van de Oude Geuze Megablend hebben 9 verschillende brouwerijen en stekerijen samen lambiek gemengd. Deze Megablend werd speciaal voor de tiende editie van ‘Toer de Geuze’ gemaakt en zal op de dag van de Toer de Geuze 2015 meer dan 6 maanden op fles gerijpt hebben. Het mengsel bevat Lambiek die bij het vullen van de flessen 1, 2 en 3 jaar oud was.

(translated to English) For this bottling of the Oude Geuze Megablend, 9 different breweries and blenders mixed lambic together. This Megablend was specially made for the tenth edition of ‘Toer de Geuze’ and will have matured in the bottle for more than 6 months on the day of the Toer de Geuze 2015. The mixture contains Lambic that was 1, 2 and 3 years old when the bottles were filled.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.34
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.2

Intro: A 750ml corked and caged bottle, 2015 vintage, with a best before date of 31st October 2034. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen gueuze glass.
Appearance: A clear golden orange colour with a two finger white head that had decent retention, eventually settling to a thin cap, while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Crisp green apple, apple peel, lemon zest, oak, with light funky notes.
Taste: Lightly sour, green apple, apple peel, lemon zest, oak, funk.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with moderate to high carbonation.
Overall: Up there with 2017 as one of my favourites HORAL Mega Blend vintages with good balance and refreshing aroma and flavours.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, BFM (Brasserie des Franches-Montagnes), Bière de Garde, Switzerland

BFM Abbaye de Saint Bon-Chien Special Blend Bordo Casks 2018

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Brewery: BFM (Brasserie des Franches-Montagnes)
Country: Switzerland
ABV: 11%
Style: Bière de Garde
Other Notes: Special blend Bordo casks 2018

Brewer Description: (from bottle in French) Bière atypique aux notes épicées et balsamiques avec une belle acidité, la est élevée en barriques de vins rouges plus d’un an, puis assemblée.

(translated to English) An atypical beer with spicy and balsamic notes and a nice acidity, is aged in red wine barrels for more than a year, then blended.

My rating: 3+
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.96
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.8

Intro: A 750ml bottle, 2018 vintage, special blend Bordo casks. Poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A clear dark reddish copper colour with pretty much no head and no lacing.
Aroma: Lightly tart, dark fruit, plum, prunes, dark berries, vinous, wood, oaky vanilla notes, with a splash of balsamic.
Taste: Sour, tart, dark fruit, plum, prunes, dark berries, red wine grapes, vinous, wood, and an oaky vanilla note.
Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with no carbonation.
Overall: It’s got good aroma and flavours, but the lack of carbonation made it not nearly as good as the original. The lack of carbonation just seemed like it was missing something.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brasserie Atrium, Stout - Imperial

Atrium Cocada

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Brewery: Brasserie Atrium
Country: Belgium
ABV: 12.3%
Style: Stout – Imperial
Other Notes: 2022 BXL BeerFest beer pack

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Quad stout with grilled coconut, rapadura and vanilla.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.25
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 750ml bottle, with a best before date of July 2029. Brewed for BXL BeerFest 2022. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Black in colour with a very thin tanned head that dissipated immediately, while leaving pretty much no lacing.
Aroma: Light roast, coconut, grilled coconut, coffee, brown sugar.
Taste: Sweet and bitter, roasted malts, dark chocolate, roasted coconut, coffee, brown sugar, near burnt caramel, cinnamon, vanilla, with an interesting lightly spicy finish.
Mouthfeel: Full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: An enjoyable sipper. From the aroma, I was worried that it might be too sweet, but there was some nice dark chocolate bitterness and an interesting spicy note on the finish that balanced a lot of the sweetness.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Gruit, La Source Beer Co.

La Source Œuvre Au Noir

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Brewery: La Source Beer Co.
Country: Belgium
ABV: 9.1%
Style: Gruit
Other Notes: Sour Gruit. Carbonation in progress, please wait until January 2022 to open. 2021 BXL BeerFest beer pack

Brewer Description: (from bottle) This sour Gruit has been brewed with mugwort and woodruff and then spent almost a year on the lees of freshly emptied natural red wine barrels.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.86
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.6

Intro: A 750ml bottle with an open after January 2022 date, and a best before date of 13th July 2023. Brewed for BXL BeerFest 2021. Poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: It was a hazy golden orange colour with a very thin large bubbly head that disappeared almost immediately, while leaving only sparse to no lacing.
Aroma: Tart, lemon juice, pickled ginger, orange zest, candied cherry, rosemary, oak.
Taste: Sour, tart, orange zest, grapefruit, lemon peel, pickled ginger, candied fruit, herbal finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: I’m not at all familiar with mugwort and woodruff, but I liked the aroma and there was an interesting mix of sour, sweet, fruit and herbs in the flavour.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Lervig Aktiebryggeri, Norway, Stout - Imperial

Lervig Rackhouse Triple Chocolate Coconut

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Brewery: Lervig Aktiebryggeri
Country: Norway
ABV: 14.3%
Style: Stout – Imperial
Other Notes: Rackhouse. Barrel aged Imperial Stout

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Another big stout out of Rackhouse, this beer is a Bounty bar dipped in bourbon and drizzled in chocolate and coconut all over again. Many many many coconuts and cocoa beans were harmed in its making.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.17
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A blue glittered waxed 375ml bottle, with a best before date of 4th November 2027. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Black in colour with a very thin beige head that disappeared almost immediately while leaving only sparse to no lacing.
Aroma: Light roasted malts, caramel, chocolate, vanilla, coconut, and light boozy notes.
Taste: Sweet, caramel, chocolate, vanilla, coconut, molasses, brown sugar, and a touch of bourbon.
Mouthfeel: Creamy, smooth, full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Definitely a sipper because of it’s richness and sweetness. The aroma and flavours were enjoyable but only in small amounts as it was on the verge of being overly sweet.