Category Archives: Brewer

4 - Good (buy), Almanac Beer Co., Beer Reviews, Flanders Red Ale, USA

Almanac Grand Cru Red Ed. 2

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Brewery: Almanac Beer Co.
Country: USA
ABV: 10.5%
Style: Belgian Flanders Red Ale
Other Notes: 2016 vintage

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Imperial Sour Red Ale, aged in red wine barrels, brewed with grapes, raspberries and vanilla beans.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.49
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.4

Intro: A 1 pint 9.4 fl. oz. bottle, bottled in Autumn 2016. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy but bright orange red colour with a thin beige head that dissipated quickly while leaving only sparse lacing.
Aroma: Sour, tart, sweet, candy like, raspberry, cherry, grape jelly, vanilla, oak, and a touch vinous.
Taste: Sour, sour candy, raspberry, grape jelly, lemon juice, vinous, vanilla, oak and some light acidity.
Mouthfeel: Dry, medium to full bodied, with moderate carbonation.
Overall: A very nice and balanced Sour Red Ale with enjoyable candy like fruity flavours, and alcohol non-existent and well hidden despite being 10.5% abv.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Garage Project, New Zealand, Wild Ale

Garage Project Random Acts Of Kindness

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Brewery: Garage Project
Country: New Zealand
ABV: 7.6%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: Wild Workshop

Brewer Description: (from bottle) The first in a very special series of beers that capture the essence of Wild Workshop. Two parts New Zealand grown pilsner malt to one part raw wheat go through an extended brewing process to yield a wort that is rested in a traditional open coolship, then fermented entirely using the wild yeast and microbes present in the air. This first release is a special blend of one year old barrels producing a unique and beautifully balanced beer, a true expression of our inner city terrior.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.06
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 750ml corked and caged bottle, bottled on 15th August 2019. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A slightly hazy golden colour with a two finger white head that eventually settled to a rapidly replenishing fluffy cap that left lots of nice lacing.
Aroma: Funky, straw, oak, Champagne grape, honey, with notes of stone fruit and citrus zest.
Taste: Sour, funky, stone fruit, apricot, peach, oak, and a hint of honey and lemon zest.
Mouthfeel: Dry-ish, medium bodied with moderate to high carbonation.
Overall: Very nice and enjoyable Wild Ale with good funk and fruity notes.

4 - Good (buy), Ayinger Privatbrauerei, Beer Reviews, German Doppelbock, Germany

Ayinger Celebrator

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Brewery: Ayinger Privatbrauerei
Country: Germany
ABV: 6.7%
Style: German Doppelbock

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Finest Bavarian Double Bock. Dark, malty, and rich.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.16
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 330ml bottle with no clear bottled on or best before date. Poured into a Holy Mountain tulip glass.
Appearance: A dark amber brown colour with a just over one finger beige head that had decent retention but eventually settled to a very nice thin cap, while leaving some nice lacing.
Aroma: Sweet malty, doughy, coffee, caramel, grape jam, prune, fig, with a hint of clove.
Taste: Sweet, malty, doughy, roasty coffee, molasses, caramel, dark fruit, plum, prunes, fig, with a hint of clove and smoke.
Mouthfeel: Creamy, smooth, medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: A fantastic balanced Doppelbock which looked great and had good flavours.

2 - Maybe (likely wouldn't buy, might drink), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brasserie Fantôme, Farmhouse Saison

Fantôme Dark Forest Ghost

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Brewery: Brasserie Fantôme
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6%
Style: Belgian Saison

Brewer Description: Not much information I could find, but I guess it’s the dark Saison version of Forest Ghost.

My rating: 2
My beeradvocate.com rating: 2.76
My ratebeer.com rating: 2.7

Intro: A 750ml corked and capped bottle with no clear bottled on or best before date. Poured into a Holy Mountain tulip glass.
Appearance: A lightly hazy amber copper colour with a two finger beige head that had decent retention while leaving some nice lacing.
Aroma: Fruity berries, a strong herbal kick, apple, damp wood, and black pepper.
Taste: Apple peel, herbal bitterness, straw, hay, earthy, orange pith, black pepper.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: In one word, ‘strange’. Aroma was strange but it definitely grew on me. Taste was weird, but while it improved slightly with more sips, it didn’t improve enough for me to enjoy.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brouwerij Alvinne, Wild Ale

Alvinne Cuvée Sofie Duindoornbes-Zilverbes

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Brewery: Brouwerij Alvinne
Country: Belgium
ABV: 8%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: BXL Beerfest 2017 limited edition

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Barrel fermented and aged blond sour with sea buckthorn berries and silverberries. Limited edition for BXL Beerfest.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.99
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.9

Intro: A 750ml bottle, 2017 limited edition for BXL Beerfest, with a best before date of August 2022. Poured into an Alvinne teku glass.
Appearance: A lightly hazy copper orange brown colour with no head and no lacing.
Aroma: Sour, lightly tart, plum skin, grape, oak, funk, with notes of acetone.
Taste: Sour, plum, grape, mixed berries, lemon, oak, with vinous notes and hints of funk and red wine vinegar.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: I don’t know what sea buckthorn berries or silverberries tastes like, but this was an enjoyable sour with lots of fruity notes.