Category Archives: Belgium

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Lambic - Fruit, Lambiek Fabriek

Lambiek Fabriek Juicy & Wild Muri-Elle

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Brewery: Lambiek Fabriek
Country: Belgium
ABV: 7%
Style: Lambic – Fruit

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Unique unfiltered blend of self-brewed spontaneous fermented lambics, aged in oak barrels and macerated with blackberries (+/- 300g/l).

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.21
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 750ml corked and capped bottle, bottled in August 2020, with a best before date of bottled date + 5 years. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A slightly hazy pinkish orange colour with an almost two fingered fluffy white head that had excellent retention and left lots of nice lacing.
Aroma: Berries, blackberry, farmhouse, dried sweat, funky, floral, lime.
Taste: Tart, lightly sour, blackberry, funky, farmhouse, damp wood, with a splash of lime on the finish.
Mouthfeel: Slight creaminess, medium bodied, with moderate to soft carbonation.
Overall: Very enjoyable and easy to drink as the fruit and funk were balanced.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Sour Ale - Smoothie / Soda / Pastry, Totem

Totem Rhubarb Pastry Sour

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Brewery: Totem
Country: Belgium
ABV: 4%
Style: Sour Ale – Pastry
Other Notes: 40 IBUs. Malts – Golden Promise, Oat Malt, Wheat Malt and Dextrin Malt. Hops – Jaryllo. Bitter 3/10, Sour 6/10, Fruity 8/10, Sweet 2/10

Brewer Description: (from can) Rhubarb pastry sour.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.89
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.7

Intro: A 330ml can, with a best before date of September 2022. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A hazy golden colour with a just over one finger white head that had decent retention while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Rhubarb, vanilla, milk, candied lemon.
Taste: Sweet, tart, rhubarb, pineapple, lemon, vanilla, dried tropical fruit, slight wheat.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Nice aromas with interesting rhubarb sweet and tart flavours. Not something you usually associate coming from Belgium which in the past has been quite old school. But Totem is one of those progressive craft breweries that are popping up more and more in Belgium, and it’s interesting to see what they come up with.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brasserie Fantôme, Farmhouse Saison

Fantôme Saison Speciale Amarillo

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Brewery: Brasserie Fantôme
Country: Belgium
ABV: 8%
Style: Belgian Saison
Other Notes: Belgian Ale brewed with spices

Brewer Description: Not much information I could find, but I assume this is Fantôme Saison hopped with Amarillo.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.04
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.9

Intro: A 750ml corked and capped bottle, with a best before date of end of 2022. Poured into a Holy Mountain tulip glass.
Appearance: Surprised that this was not a gusher considering the other two hopped varieties that I tried were slow gushers that just couldn’t stop. It was a hazy golden orange colour with an almost two finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly to a thin cap, while leaving some decent lacing.
Aroma: Grapefruit zest, candied citrus, lime, orange, honey, yeast.
Taste: Sweet, orange, candied citrus, malt, caramel, herbal, bubblegum notes, honey, yeast, with a spicy kick on the finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with high carbonation.
Overall: Carbonation was too high to make it easy to drink, but the aroma and flavours were quite nice. I think I preferred the Sorachi version just a little bit more though (despite ratings showing this to be higher due to ‘appearance’).

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brasserie Fantôme, Farmhouse Saison

Fantôme Saison Sorachi Unic Brewing

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Brewery: Brasserie Fantôme
Country: Belgium
ABV: 7.5%
Style: Belgian Saison
Other Notes: Belgian Ale brewed with spices

Brewer Description: Not much information I could find, but I assume this is Fantôme Saison hopped with Sorachi Ace.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.02
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.8

Intro: A 750ml corked and capped bottle, bottle 260 of 650, with a best before date of end of 2022. Poured into a Holy Mountain tulip glass.
Appearance: Slow to moderate gusher upon popping the cork, it was a hazy golden orange colour, with an almost three finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly, but settled to a thin cap, while leaving only sparse lacing.
Aroma: Grapefruit, citrus zest, lime, candied orange, yeasty, herbal, with a touch of coconut and light funk.
Taste: Sweet and bitter, candied grapefruit, orange, citrus zest, sweet malt, caramel, herbal, coconut notes, and a spicy acidic kick.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with high carbonation.
Overall: The high carbonation was a bit uncomfortable here, but I still found it better than the Simcoe version with it’s enjoyable aroma and flavours.

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

De Struise Black Albert Costa Rica Espresso

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Brewery: De Struise Brouwers
Country: Belgium
ABV: 13%
Style: Russian Imperial Stout
Other Notes: Belgian Espresso stout. Vintage 2015

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Experience de Tarrazu coffee in our Black Albert. Grown in the rich volcanic soils of Costa Rica’s famed Tarrazu region, these first choice Arabica coffee cherries are ripened evenly at 1,400 to 1,600 meters, hand-picked, sun dried and then dark roasted on Struise premises for a unique taste. It will surprise you with a flavor that hints of cacao and grapefruit and an aroma of aged wood and dark chocolate. Its intensity fills the palate, then fades cheerfully. Discover why we now roast our own coffee beans.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.9
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.7

Intro: A 750ml bottle, bottled on 17th November 2016. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Black in colour with no head and no lacing.
Aroma: Roasty, coffee, chocolate, caramel, plum, dark fruit, licorice, boozy, and light smoky notes.
Taste: Roasted malts, chocolate, caramel, coffee, moderately sweet, dark fruit, plum, raisins, licorice, candi sugar, and a strong boozy finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: The booziness comes through quite strong in the aroma and taste, and maybe a bit too much. I was also hoping for more or stronger coffee notes. It’s interesting, but I easily prefer the original version of Black Albert more.