Monthly Archives: August 2023

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen, Lambic - Fruit

3 Fonteinen Speling van het Lot XVI.iv: Rabarber + Kriek

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Brewery: Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6%
Style: Lambic – Fruit
Other Notes: Blend°8, Season 20/21. Number of bottles – 875

Brewer Description: (from bottle) For this Speling van het Lot, we blended a rhubarb lambik with a sour cherry lambik in a 43-57 cut. Maceration periods amounted up to five and ten months respectively. The combined final fruit intensity is 523 grams of fruit per litre of finished Rabarber + Kriek. The rhubarb was sourced with a local Hallenaar (inhabitant of Halle) and with De Groentelaar, an organic farm and member of our cereal circle of Pajot and Brabant farmers. We bottled this blend without adding any additional lambik. 100% 3 Fonteinen.

My rating: 4+
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.46
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.4

Intro: A 750ml corked and caged bottle, blend°8, season 20/21, bottled on 5th January 2021. Bottle number 730 of 875. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A lightly hazy ruby red colour, with a half finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly, while leaving only sparse lacing.
Aroma: Cherry, berry yoghurt, whipped cream, oak, with notes of apple peel, and light earthy rhubarb.
Taste: Lightly sour, tart, cherry, cream, vanilla, oak, with a splash of rhubarb and citrusy lemon zest.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft to moderate carbonation.
Overall: Very nice aroma and flavours. While the rhubarb was there, cherry clearly dominated, and did no wrong as it was very enjoyable.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen, Lambic - Fruit

3 Fonteinen Druif Riesling

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Brewery: Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen
Country: Belgium
ABV: 8.1%
Style: Lambic – Fruit
Other Notes: Blend°50, Season 21/22

Brewer Description: (from bottle) For this Druif, we macerated Riesling grapes from Harth & Harth, Rheinhessen, Germany. Maceration took five months and we used two- and three-year old lambikken only. Afterwards, we blended with three-year old lambikken and very young lambikken for balance and bottle fermentation. In total, we used lambikken originating from four different barrels and ten different brews. The weighted average age of the blend is almost 22 months. The final fruit intensity is 500 grams of Riesling grapes per litre of finished Druif. 100% 3 Fonteinen brewed lambik.

My rating: 4+
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.43
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.3

Intro: A 750ml corked and caged bottle, blend°50, season 21/22, bottled on 17th March 2022. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A clear golden colour (although some cloudiness appears with multiple pours), with a one finger white head that had pretty good retention, and eventually settled to a ring around the glass, while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Lightly tart, grape skin, white wine grapes, oak, light funk, with a splash of sweet fresh cut green apple.
Taste: Lightly sweet, white wine grapes, pear, oak, with light funk, and a touch earthy.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Easy drinking with good enjoyable aroma and flavours.

4 - Good (buy), Asahi Breweries Ltd., Beer Reviews, Japan, Lager - Munich Dunkel

Asahi Black (Kuronama)

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Brewery: Asahi Breweries Ltd.
Country: Japan
ABV: 5%
Style: Lager – Munich Dunkel

Brewer Description: (from Untappd) Since its release in 1995, Asahi Kuronama has become Japan’s favorite dark beer with its rich aroma and subtle sweetness. It is made from three types of dark roasted malt that each gives a different characteristic flavor according to how it is roasted and toasted. “Dark malt” produces the distinct fragrance of dark beer. “Crystal malt”imparts a delicate sweetness, and “Munich malt” adds a fullness of taste. The exquisite blend of these three types of malt maximizes the goodness of each and creates Asahi Kuronama’s distinct richness and smoothness.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.98
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.9

Intro: A 350ml can, canned in May 2023. Poured into a winebar glass.
Appearance: Dark brown in colour with a two finger tanned head that had decent retention, while leaving some nice lacing.
Aroma: Roasty, lightly burnt toast, chocolate, with hints of dark fruit.
Taste: Roasty, coffee grounds, sweet dark malt, chocolate, raisin, nutty notes, with a nice dry, and lightly bitter finish.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Easy to drink with good roasty notes.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen, Lambic - Fruit

3 Fonteinen Pruim Brusselse Datjes

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Brewery: Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen
Country: Belgium
ABV: 7%
Style: Lambic – Fruit
Other Notes: Blend°6, Season 21/22

Brewer Description: (from bottle) This Pruim features the Brusselse Datjes, an old plum varietal, hand-picked by our team in the summer of 2021 in the small plum orchards of Willy, a retired schoolteacher. With a yield of only 240 kilos, this is a small batch blend. The plums macerated on a single oak barrel for a good four months. We used two- and three-year old lambics for macerating and blending, originating from two barrels and two brews. The weighted average age of the blends upon bottling is almost 24 months, and the final fruit proportion is 400 grams of plums used per litre of finished Pruim. Bottle count: 783.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.22
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 750ml corked and caged bottle, blend°6, season 21/22, bottled on 7th December 2021. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A lightly hazy amber orange colour, with a one finger white head that had decent retention, eventually settling to a ring around the glass, while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Light tartness, plum skins, juicy plums, with a touch of funk.
Taste: Sour, tart, plum, oak, and light funky notes.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Good aroma and flavours with plum nicely front and centre.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, IPA - Session, Japan, Kirin Brewery Company

Kirin Spring Valley Summer Craft Ale

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Brewery: Kirin Brewery Company
Country: Japan
ABV: 4.5%
Style: IPA – Session

Brewer Description: Galaxy hops.

My rating: 3-
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.16
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.1

Intro: A 500ml can, canned in May 2023. Poured into a winebar glass.
Appearance: A nice clear golden colour, with a two finger white head that had good retention, and left lots of nice lacing.
Aroma: Citrusy lemon lime with some grainy malt notes.
Taste: Lemon and lime zesty, a touch watery, with light bitterness on the finish.
Mouthfeel: Crisp, light bodied, with moderate carbonation.
Overall: The aroma and flavours were fine, if nothing to shout about. But it was definitely refreshing on a hot summer day.