Monthly Archives: April 2024

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

3 Fonteinen Pruim Dubbele Altesse

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Brewery: Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6%
Style: Lambic – Fruit
Other Notes: Blend°18, Season 22/23

Brewer Description: (from bottle) For this Pruim, we macerated Dubbele Altesse plums from Fruitdas, a fruit farm and cidery. We macerated these plums for more than three months on three-year old lambik, before blending with some more three-year-old lambik. This makes the weighted average age of this plum lambik clock at more than 28 months. The final fruit intensity is 355 grams of hand-picked plums per litre of Pruim. Of the cereals used, more than 1/3 was sourced within our Cereal Collective. 100% 3 Fonteinen.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.23
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 750ml corked and caged bottle, blend°18, season 22/23, bottled on 15th December 2022. Poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A nice cloudy dark orangey pink colour, with a one finger white head that had pretty good retention, eventually settled to a ring around the glass, while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Lightly tart, plums, lemon peel, citrus zest, 7-Up, with light wood and light funky notes.
Taste: Sour, tart, plum, grapefruit, wood, light funk, and a fruity sour candied finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate to soft carbonation.
Overall: My first thought was that it was too sharp and tart, but it definitely grew on me, and I enjoyed it. The fruity sour candy like finish, mellowed it out for me, and made for great drinking.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Denmark, Insight Cellars, Wild Ale

Insight Cellars Maturation: Bocoy

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Brewery: Insight Cellars
Country: Denmark
ABV: 7.2%
Style: Wild Ale
Other Notes: Danish Wild Ale aged in a very old oloroso barrel. 2021 vintage. 1471 btls

Brewer Description: (from bottle) For our Maturation series, we select beers aged in a single type of barrel to showcase how different casks affect the final character of a beer. We aged our Danish Wild Ale in a large, very old Oloroso Sherry Bocoy cask made of chestnut wood for two years, and blended this with a smaller amount of two-year-old Danish Wild Ale aged in a traditional oak Oloroso barrel. The Oloroso casks enhanced the beer with flavors of toasted walnuts, caramelized fruit and spices.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.24
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 750ml corked and caged bottle, 2021 vintage, bottled on 15th June 2023. Poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A nice lightly hazy golden orange colour, with a one finger white head that had good retention and left some nice lacing.
Aroma: Light funk, dusty, wood shavings, lemon, and sherry notes.
Taste: Grapefruit, lime zest, sherry, wood, with a lasting citrus peel bitter finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate to soft carbonation.
Overall: Enjoyable, nice balanced aroma and flavours.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Denmark, Insight Cellars, Wild Ale

Insight Cellars Alma Del Arrumbador

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Brewery: Insight Cellars
Country: Denmark
ABV: 7.3%
Style: Wild Ale
Other Notes: Danish Wild Ale aged in sherry barrels. 2021 vintage. 2550 btls

Brewer Description: (from bottle) This is our tribute to the hardworking “arrumbadores” whose labor and skill kept Spain’s historical Sherry bodegas running for centuries. We aged our Danish Wild Ale in Oloroso, Pedro Ximenez and Palo Cortado casks for two years before crafting the final blend. The combination of these Sherry barrels makes for the perfect balance of sweet and dry, and imparts a rich and complex melange of toasted nut, dried fruit and spice flavors to our Danish Wild Ale.

My rating: 4-
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.07
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.9

Intro: A 750ml caged and corked bottle, 2021 vintage, bottled on 17th May 2023. Poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A lightly hazy golden orange colour, with a one finger white head that had good retention, and left some nice lacing.
Aroma: Funky, sherry, citrus zest, grapefruit notes, and a touch of oak.
Taste: Sherry, funky, grapefruit, notes of dried dark fruit, caramel, a touch nutty, and light spicy bits.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied, with soft carbonation.
Overall: Nice funky and sherry notes but would have preferred a touch more carbonation.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Brasserie Ammonite, France, Wild Ale

Ammonite Vinifera XI – Gewurztraminer

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Brewery: Brasserie Ammonite
Country: France
ABV: 6.2%
Style: Wild Ale
Other Notes: 2021 vintage

Brewer Description: (from Untappd) Spontaneous fermented beer aged 1 year in pinot noir cask transferred in “Vinification intégrale” cask. Maceration of 7 months with “Gewurztraminer” grapes from Henri Klee Domaine. Concentration 300g/L.

My rating: 3+
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.93
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.8

Intro: A 750ml corked and capped bottle, 2021 vintage, poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A nice lightly hazy golden straw orange colour with a half finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly while leaving only sparse lacing.
Aroma: Tart, vinous, white wine grapes, yellow stone fruit, apricot seed, funk, oak, lime, and citrus zest.
Taste: Lightly sour, herbal, green vines, vinous, white wine grapes, grapefruit, lime, with a touch of funk and wood.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with moderate to soft carbonation.
Overall: It took some time for me to enjoy this, but it grew on me with each sip. I think it was the herbal element that caught me out a bit.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Czech Republic, Farmhouse Saison, Hibernata

Hibernata Festuca

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Brewery: Hibernata
Country: Czech Republic
ABV: 5.5%
Style: Farmhouse Saison

Brewer Description: (from bottle in Czech) Festuca je pivo, které do prostého pláštíku schovává bohatství jemných odstínů chutí a barev tvořících dohromady malý svátek. Farmhouse ale dozrávaný bezmála rok v dubovém sudu s divokými kvasnicemi perlí na suchém obilném těle svěží hořkostí květin a citrusů, aby mohl utišovat žízeň už navždy. Podobně jako když v teplém dni na voňavé suché louce pootevře bránu do bezčasi pohled na travinu tak prostou, jako je kostřava. So much for pathos, na zdraví!

(translated to English) Festuca is a beer that hides a wealth of subtle shades of flavors and colors in a simple shell that together form a small holiday. Farmhouse, however, matured for almost a year in an oak barrel with wild yeast, pearls on a dry grain body with the fresh bitterness of flowers and citrus, so that it can quench your thirst forever. Similar to when on a warm day in a fragrant dry meadow the gate to timelessness is partially opened by the sight of grass as simple as fescue. So much for pathos, cheers!

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.35
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.2

Intro: A 750ml bottle with a best before date of December 2024. Poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy golden straw yellow colour with a big three finger white head that had decent retention and left lots of nice lacing.
Aroma: Juicy, funky, lemon, honey, floral, lemon zest, citrus rind, with light tropical mango notes.
Taste: Lightly sour, funky, and a touch bitter. Lemon, citrus zest, grapefruit rind, honey, a touch peppery, and a dash of wood.
Mouthfeel: Light bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Light easy drinking thirst quenching farmhouse ale with good aromas and flavours.