Category Archives: Belgium

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

3 Fonteinen Druif/Kriek Dornfelder

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Brewery: Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen
Country: Belgium
ABV: 8.3%
Style: Lambic – Fruit
Other Notes: Blend°26, Season 20/21

Brewer Description: (from bottle) For this Druif/Kriek, we blended a Belgian dornfelder druivenlambik and a kriekenlambik in a 50/50 proportion. We used both young and two-year old lambikken, originating from nine different barrels and nine different brews. The combined maceration took eight months and the final fruit intensity is 510 grams per litre of sour cherries and freshly pressed, skin-macerated grape juice.

3 Fonteinen Druif/Kriek is obtained by the successive maceration of grapes and cherries on lambik. Natural fruit, without the addition of syrups, or sugars. Unfiltered and unpasteurized.

My rating: 4+
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.48
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.4

Intro: A 750ml corked and caged bottle, blend°26, season 20/21, bottled on 10th February 2021. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A dark maroon purple colour with a nice one finger pinkish head that had decent retention and eventually settled to a thin but frothy cap, while leaving some nice lacing.
Aroma: Tart, cherry, blackberry, marzipan, with light citrus zesty notes.
Taste: Sour, tart, cherry, blackberry, grape skin, vinous, oak, with a touch of funk.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft to moderate carbonation.
Overall: This Druif/Kriek blend worked really well and was super enjoyable. Despite the 50/50 blend, I got all cherry and no grape in the aroma, but the grape and vinous character did come out nicely in the flavour, and matched well with the cherries.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Belgium, De Struise Brouwers, Stout - Russian Imperial

De Struise Black Damnation XXVI – Froggie

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Brewery: De Struise Brouwers
Country: Belgium
ABV: 13%
Style: Stout – Russian Imperial
Other Notes: 72 IBUs

Brewer Description: (from bottle) A massive stout from Flanders matured in Bordeaux wine barrels. Margaux, Pauillac & St.-Estèphe.

My rating: 3+
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.88
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.8

Intro: A 750ml bottle, bottled on 25th July 2018, and a best before date of 24th July 2023. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Black in colour with a nice frothy one finger brown head that had good retention and left lots of nice lacing.
Aroma: Roasted malts, light char, chocolate, cocoa, raisin, fig, dates, and a touch red wine vinous.
Taste: Roasted malts, bakers chocolate, espresso, light char, licorice, and red wine notes.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: The wine barrels add an interesting dimension to the aroma and flavour, but it’s not among my favourites of the Black Damnation’s. It’s a decent sipper, but I didn’t think it was better than much of the whiskey barrel aged variants.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgian Strong Dark Ale, Belgium, Brouwerij De Dochter van de Korenaar

De Dochter van de Korenaar Embrasse Peated Oak Aged

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Brewery: Brouwerij De Dochter van de Korenaar
Country: Belgium
ABV: 9%
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale
Other Notes: Aged in peated Islay whiskey barrels

Brewer Description: (from website) Embrasse matures four to six months in whiskey barrels. For the peated oak aged Embrasse Islay barrels are used. By barrel aging the beer it takes the rich tones of the whiskey and the beer gets a softer and fuller taste.

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

Intro: A 330ml bottle with a notched best before end date of October 2022. Poured into a Chimay goblet glass.
Appearance: Dark brown in colour with a thin beige head that dissipated fairly quickly to a thin replenishing cap, while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Peaty, leather, dry grass, roasted malts, with milk chocolate and whisky notes.
Taste: Roasted malts, peat, smoke, milk chocolate and whiskey.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: It’s peat forward and obvious, but not overpowering. The peat is balanced with some nice roasty and chocolate flavours. The body was lighter than expected though, and I was hoping for a bit more carbonation.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Belgian Strong Dark Ale, Belgium, Brouwerij De Dochter van de Korenaar

De Dochter van de Korenaar Embrasse Blended Oak Aged

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Brewery: Brouwerij De Dochter van de Korenaar
Country: Belgium
ABV: 9%
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale
Other Notes: Aged in whiskey barrels

Brewer Description: (from website) Embrasse matures four to six months in whiskey barrels. For the blended oak aged Embrasse non-peated whiskey barrels are used. By barrel aging the beer it takes the rich tones of the whiskey and the beer gets a softer and fuller taste.

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

Intro: A 330ml bottle with a notched best before end date of I think July 2022. Poured into a Chimay goblet glass.
Appearance: Dark brown in colour with a one finger beige head that had decent retention, before settling to a thin replenishing cap, while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Roasted malts, chocolate, dried dark fruit, raisin, fig, caramel.
Taste: Roasty, coffee, dark chocolate, bittersweet, caramel, whiskey, with notes of dried dark fruits.
Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with moderate to soft carbonation.
Overall: Nice bittersweet flavours with the roastiness, coffee and chocolate coming through nicely.

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

3 Fonteinen Blauwe Bosbes

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Brewery: Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen
Country: Belgium
ABV: 7.6%
Style: Lambic – Fruit
Other Notes: Blend°45, Season 18/19. Number of bottles – 934

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Mid September 2018, we received 500 kilos of wild blueberries, foraged in the Swedish forests. For this blend, we let 250 kilos macerate for 5 months and 5 days on 210 litres of young traditional 3 Fonteinen lambic and in an oak barrel. The berry lambic was then blended with young lambic and a bit of fresh lambic wort for a continued fermentation in the bottle. Natural fruit without addition of juices, sirops or sugars. Unfiltered and unpasteurised.

The final fruit intensity is 351 grams of blueberries per litre of Blauwe Bosbes lambik. 100% 3 Fonteinen. # of bottles: 934.

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

Intro: A 750ml corked and caged bottle, blend°45, season 18/19, bottled on 25th February 2019. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A reddish purple colour with a two finger pinkish head that had excellent retention and left nice lacing.
Aroma: Funky, barnyard, blueberry, leather, bandaid, wood, and a touch herbal.
Taste: Tart, blueberry, funky, barnyard, blueberry skin, cherry, grass, oak and a splash of lemon.
Mouthfeel: Creamy, medium bodied, with moderate carbonation.
Overall: This was nice and enjoyable. I got some bandaid in the aroma, more so when it was cold, but it wasn’t over the top. While the flavour had a nice balance between the blueberries, funk and oak.