All posts by kitch

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brasserie Dupont x The Lost Abbey, Farmhouse Saison

Dupont x Lost Abbey Deux Amis

Monday, 7 November 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Brasserie Dupont x The Lost Abbey
Country: Belgium
ABV: 7%
Style: Belgian Saison
Other Notes: Hops – Amarillo and Simcoe

Brewer Description: (from bottle) French for “two friends,” Deux Amis commemorates the ground-breaking collaboration between Belgium’s Brasserie Dupont and America’s Lost Abbey Brewery. It brings together two brewers who have long shared a mutual reverence – Olivier Dedeycker, the fourth-generation Master Brewer at Dupont and Tomme Arthur, the acclaimed Brew Master of Lost Abbey. Deux Amis has been brewed at Brasserie Dupont in Belgium and crafted using traditional methods the brewery has perfected over the past century. It receives its decidedly stateside flavor from the addition of American Amarillo and Simcoe hops. The result of this kinship is a dry, refreshing Old World Saison full of New World flavors.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.04
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A corked and caged 750ml bottle, 2016 cork with a best before date of May 2018. Poured into a d’Achouffe tulip glass.
Appearance: It poured a cloudy golden orange colour with a huge three finger white head that had decent retention and left foamy sticky lacing.
Aroma: Strong Belgian yeast, clove, banana plus melon with a touch of lemon zest, orange and white pepper spice.
Taste: Lightly doughy, approaching overripe banana sweetness, clove, lemon zest, orange rind, honey, grass and pepper spice.
Mouthfeel: Crisp, medium to light bodied with lively moderate to high carbonation and a dry finish.
Overall: A good refreshing Saison that is easy to drink. Good stuff from two brewery/brewers that I like.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Bière de Garde, The Lost Abbey, USA

Lost Abbey Avant Garde Ale

Saturday, 5 November 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: The Lost Abbey
Country: USA
ABV: 7%
Style: Bière de Garde

Brewer Description: (from bottle) From the French word “Garde” meaning something worth keeping. This Farmhouse Style Ale is a most delicious companion to a loaf of freshly baked bread from the oven. Grab a seat on the porch, some soft cheese and a tree ripened apple from your grandmother’s old orchard. Relax and watch the evening arrive as the afternoon sun is consumed by the illuminating moon over the gardens. We brewed the Avant Garde for you, our friends and families. Here’s to things worth guarding over.

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

Intro: A 1 pint 9.4 fl oz bottle, bottled sometime in 2015 (as far as I can tell), and poured into a d’Achouffe tulip glass.
Appearance: It poured a clear copper colour with a big two finger off white head that dissipated fairly quickly but left decent lacing.
Aroma: Generally quite light, sweet malt, toasty bread, orange zest, apple, pear, earthy and spice.
Taste: Biscuity, light berries and caramel with a touch of honey, peppery spice and light alcohol.
Mouthfeel: Dry, medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: This was nice, enjoyable and easy to drink.

2 - Maybe (likely wouldn't buy, might drink), Austria, Beer Reviews, Belgian Quadrupel, Stift Engelszell

Stift Engelszell Gregorius Trappistenbier

Friday, 4 November 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Stift Engelszell
Country: Austria
ABV: 9.7% (1st batch)
Style: Belgian Quadrupel
Other Notes: Honey added

Brewer Description: (from website) Gregorius present itself in a deep dark chestnut color. Notes of chestnut, cashew and honey with sour plum and herbal qualities around the nose. Flavors of chestnut, honeycomb, licorice, mocha, cocoa, raisin, sour cherry, and eucalyptus all contribute to the deep and rich palate. The vinous character of the French-Alsacian wine yeast creates stunning sweet – sour notes on the palate. A touch of vanilla appears late with perhaps a bit of oregano, begging for more exploration. Finish is long, slightly tart and dry.

My rating: 2
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.44
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.2

Intro: A 330ml bottle with a best before date of 4th December 2016, poured into a Chimay goblet glass.
Appearance: It poured a cloudy dark brown colour with a one finger tanned head that dissipated quickly but settled to a thin creamy layer with sparse lacing.
Aroma: Roasty chocolate, caramel followed by strong dark fruit, plum, prunes, raisin, figs and fruit cake.
Taste: Sweet dark fruit plum, prunes, raisin and fig. Syrupy toffee, caramel and molasses. Also a hint of banana, mocha and alcohol. Lightly sour here and there.
Mouthfeel: Creamy, full bodied with moderate carbonation and a dry finish.
Overall: It’s ok, but mainly too sweet and boozy for my liking.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Estonia, Gose - Fruit, Põhjala x To Øl

Põhjala x To Øl Ginie (In a Bottle)

Friday, 28 October 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Põhjala x To Øl
Country: Estonia
ABV: 4.2%
Style: Gose – Fruit
Other Notes: 5 IBUs. Malts – Pale Malt, Wheat Malt, Oats, Cara Pale and Melanoid. Hops – El Dorado and Motueka.

Brewer Description: (from bottle) A gin-inspired Gose brewed by Põhjala and To Øl. This mildly sour beauty of a beer is spiced with pink Himalayan rock salt, coriander, juniper berries, spruce tips, rosemary, ginger and rose petals.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.4
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.3

Intro: A 330ml bottle with a best before date of 12th July 2017, poured into a d’Achouffe tulip glass.
Appearance: It poured a hazy orange colour with a less than one finger white head that dissipated quickly and left only sparse lacing.
Aroma: Mango, lemon, lime, touch of ginger and floral notes.
Taste: Lightly salty, lemon zest, lime juice, berries and lightly spicy.
Mouthfeel: Light bodied with low to moderate carbonation.
Overall: This was a bit disappointing considering the last Põhjala x To Øl collaboration I tried (Taanilinn Cognac BA) was a stunner. Perhaps it was the high hopes… The fruitiness was nice but carbonation was too low for a Gose.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Belgian Pale Ale, Spencer Brewery, USA

Spencer Trappist Ale

Thursday, 27 October 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Spencer Brewery
Country: USA
ABV: 6.5%
Style: Belgian Pale Ale
Other Notes: Hops – including Willamette and Nugget. Malts – including 2-row, 6-row and Munich.

Brewer Description: (from website) Our recipe was inspired by the traditional refectory ales known as patersbier (“fathers’ beer” in Flemish) in Belgium. These sessionable beers are brewed by the monks for their dinner table and are typically only available at the monastery. Spencer is a full-bodied, golden-hued ale with fruity accents, a dry finish and light hop bitterness. The beer is unfiltered and unpasteurized, preserving live yeast that naturally carbonates the beer in the bottle and keg and contributes to the beer flavor and aroma.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.61
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.5

Intro: A 750ml corked and caged bottle with a best before end date of AG 217 meaning 5th August 2017. Poured into a d’Achouffe tulip glass.
Appearance: It poured a slightly hazy amber orange colour with a two finger off white head that had good retention and left nice lacing.
Aroma: Banana bread, overripe banana, clove with a touch of caramel and mandarin.
Taste: Quite similar to the aroma with banana, clove and bready malt along with hints of mandarin, citrus peel, spice and nuttiness.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate to high carbonation and a dry finish.
Overall: This was quite good but perhaps also a bit normal. Not quite as complex as other Trappist Belgian Pale Ales.

words of another dreamy traveller