Category Archives: Belgium

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Belgian Quadrupel, Belgium, Brouwerij Alvinne

Alvinne Cuvée de Mortagne Sauternes

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Brewery: Brouwerij Alvinne
Country: Belgium
ABV: 12.8%
Style: Belgian Quadrupel
Other Notes: Traditional Ale. Sweet 4/5, Sour 0/5 & Bitter 2/5

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Sauternes barrel aged Quadrupel.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.78
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.6

Intro: A 330ml bottle, with a best before date of June 2023. Poured into a Chimay goblet glass.
Appearance: A hazy dark brown colour with a very thin beige head that disappeared immediately and no lacing.
Aroma: Sweet malt, slight vinous, red wine, grape, berries, apple, raisin, prunes, oak, with notes of caramel.
Taste: Sweet, candied dried fruit, prunes, raisin, grapes, oak, chocolate, caramel, and a light bitter herbal finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: It’s definitely a sipper with the booze and sweetness. Maybe a bit too sweet for me with lots of dark candied dried fruit and caramel. Still, the aroma and flavours were nicely complex with good barrel character.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgian Quadrupel, Belgium, Brouwerij De Halve Maan

Straffe Hendrik Heritage 2015 Armagnac Oak Aged Ale

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Brewery: Brouwerij De Halve Maan
Country: Belgium
ABV: 11%
Style: Belgain Quadrupel
Other Notes: Armagnac Oak Aged Ale

Brewer Description: (from bottle) This quadruple is a heavy and dark beer, brewed in the unique family brewery “De Halve Maan”, which has been located since 1856 in the historical centre of Bruges. This quadruple is matured for more than one year in oak casks in the ancient cellars of the brewery. It gives this beer a complex flavour and rich aroma. The beer is re-fermented in the bottle, and has a longer shelf life, during which the taste evolves still further. The tannins and the complex malt flavours ripen into a harmonious balance over the time.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.38
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.3

Intro: A 750ml corked and caged bottle, bottle no. 22214, 2015 vintage, and with a best before date of end of 2026. Poured into a Chimay goblet glass.
Appearance: A hazy dark amber brown colour with an almost two finger creamy beige head that dissipated fairly quickly but settled to a rapidly replenishing thin layer over the top while leaving some nice lacing.
Aroma: Plum, prunes, apple, oak, with notes of cherry, red berries, and brandy.
Taste: Dark fruit, plum, prunes, oak, boozy, brandy, caramel, toffee, apple, with notes of red berries.
Mouthfeel: Creamy, medium to full bodied, light to moderate carbonation, and a warming finish.
Overall: Very nice complex flavours and the Armagnac barrel matched well with this Quad. I haven’t tried many barrel aged Quads, but this definitely makes me want to try more.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brouwerij De Ranke, Wild Ale

De Ranke Back To Black

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Brewery: Brouwerij De Ranke
Country: Belgium
ABV: 9.5%
Style: Wild Ale
Other Notes: Aged on wood

Brewer Description: (from bottle) This beer has been designed as an old Export Porter. It has been brewed as undrinkable bitter and then aged in wood for 9 months. The result is a strong dark beer that has a perfect bitter/sour balance.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.75
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.6

Intro: A 750ml bottle with a best before date of 13th October 2021. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: A hazy rusty orange brown colour with a thin beige head that dissipated fairly quickly but left nice spotty lacing.
Aroma: Tart, plum, prunes, cherry, light funk, with only a hint of roast and chocolate.
Taste: Sour, tart, plum, prunes, raisin, orange, citrus peel, and oak.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with moderate to soft carbonation.
Overall: I was expecting an Imperial Porter so my first impression wasn’t great. But as a Wild or Sour Ale, this was interesting with its citrusy orange finish. The body didn’t seem like it’d support such a high ABV beer, but at the same time, it didn’t feel even close to being 9.5% ABV.

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

Lambiek Fabriek Juicy & Wild Muscar-Elle

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Brewery: Lambiek Fabriek
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6.8%
Style: Belgian Lambic (Fruit)

Brewer Description: (from bottle in Dutch) Unieke blend van zelf gebrouwen lambieken met hergisting op de fles, die een maceratie kende met de nobele Muscaris druif, geteeld in Belgie. Dit product is puur, ongefilterd en niet gepasteuriseerd.

(translated from Dutch to English) Unique blend of self-brewed lambics with refermentation in the bottle, which was macerated with the noble Muscaris grape, grown in Belgium. This product is pure, unfiltered and unpasteurized.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.38
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.3

Intro: A 750ml corked and capped bottle, bottled in January 2020. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A clear golden colour with a two finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly but eventually settled to a thin replenishing fluffy cap.
Aroma: Sweet, grapes, Gewürztraminer, honey, apple peel, lemon zest, funky, oak, with peppery notes.
Taste: Lightly sweet and sour, grapes, lemon, green apple, and a light funkiness.
Mouthfeel: Crisp, dry, light bodied with moderate to high carbonation.
Overall: Second time trying, and this bottle seems even better than the first. Reminds me of sweet white wine, but not the dessert kind and it’s also got a light sour tang to balance out the sweetness. As far as lambics go, it doesn’t feel too complex, but the taste is my thing and it drinks really easy. This would be an interesting one to age.

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

Lambiek Fabriek Oude Kriek Jart-Elle

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Brewery: Lambiek Fabriek
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6%
Style: Belgian Lambic (Fruit)

Brewer Description: (from bottle in Dutch) Oude Kriek, traditionele en uniek blend op basis van kriekenlambiek met hergisting op de fles. De kriekenlambiek is bekomen door het macereren van verse krieken op onze zelf gebrouwen lambieken. Dit product is puur, ongefilterd en niet gepasteuriseerd.

(translated from Dutch to English) Oude Kriek, traditional and unique blend based on cherries lambic with refermentation in the bottle. Cherry lambic is obtained by macerating fresh cherries on our home-brewed lambics. This product is pure, unfiltered and unpasteurized.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.18
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 750ml corked and capped bottle, bottled in January 2020. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A very nice looking hazy ruby red colour with a two finger pink head that had pretty good retention and left nice lacing.
Aroma: Funky, barnyard, oak, straw, herbal, minerally, with notes of cherry.
Taste: Tart, oak, hay, cherry skin, cherry, sour and funky.
Mouthfeel: Dry, light bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Not getting as much cherry in the aroma as I would like, but the look and taste were great and enjoyable.