Category Archives: Belgium

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

Alvinne Wild West Barrel 58

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Brewery: Brouwerij Alvinne
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: 2016 vintage. Alvinne limited edition, single cask, 400 bottles. French Oak from Pineau de Charentes

Brewer Description: (from bottle in Dutch) Barrel 58 is een uniek project waar we enkel zelfgeplukte bessen toevoegen aan Wild West rechtstreeks op het eiken vat. Passie, toewijding en kennis… Barrel 58 5 maand gerijpt op een Pineau de Charentes barrel. Sleedoorn (Moen), braambessen (Gavere), bosbessen (Vlaamse Ardennen).

(translated to English) Barrel 58 is a unique project where we only add self-picked berries to Wild West directly on the oak barrel. Passion, dedication and knowledge… Barrel 58 matured for 5 months on a Pineau de Charentes barrel. Blackthorn (Moen), blackberries (Gavere), blueberries (Flemish Ardennes).

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.39
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.3

Intro: A 500ml bottle, 2016 vintage, with a best before date of December 2021. Poured into an Alvinne teku glass.
Appearance: A lightly hazy rusty orange brown colour with a one finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly and settled to a thin layer.
Aroma: Tart, sour, mixed berries, vinous, oak, with a splash of vinegar and acetone.
Taste: Sour, tart, mixed berries, vinous, grape, oak, and lemon.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Very nice and balanced with great complexity and enjoyable berry notes.

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

Alvinne Cuvée Sofie Kriek Framboos

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Brewery: Brouwerij Alvinne
Country: Belgium
ABV: 8%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: 2017 vintage. Alvinne limited edition, single cask, 350 bottles. 2012 French Oak from Gevrey-Chambertin

Brewer Description: (from bottle in Dutch) 65% Schaarbeekse krieken, 35% frambozen. 5 maand gerijpt op een Bourgognevat. Frambozen geteeld en geplukt door leerlingen van SBSO ‘T Vurstjen, Evergem. Schaarbeekse krieken uit Neerbeek-Brakel.

(translated to English) 65% Schaerbeek cherries, 35% raspberries. Aged for 5 months in a Burgundy barrel. Raspberries grown and picked by students of SBSO ‘T Vurstjen, Evergem. Schaerbeek cherries from Neerbeek-Brakel.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.19
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 500ml bottle, with a best before date of January 2022. Poured into an Alvinne teku glass.
Appearance: A reddish orange brown colour with a less than half finger off white head that dissipated quickly while leaving some nice lacing.
Aroma: Juicy, cherry, raspberry, oak, with notes of nail polish and vinegar.
Taste: Sour, tart, cherry, raspberry, oak, tannin, a touch vinous, and touches of vinegar.
Mouthfeel: Dry, medium bodied with moderate to soft carbonation.
Overall: An enjoyable balanced sour.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brasserie Fantôme, Farmhouse Saison

Fantôme de Tous les D’iâpes

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Brewery: Brasserie Fantôme
Country: Belgium
ABV: 8%
Style: Belgian Saison

Brewer Description: (from bottle in French) Tous avec les diables!

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

Intro: A 750ml corked and capped bottle with a best before end 2020 date. Poured into a Holy Mountain tulip glass.
Appearance: A very lightly hazy golden orange colour with a big three finger white head that gradually dissipated to a thick ring around the glass and left nice lacing.
Aroma: Citrusy orange, orange candy, carrot cake, herbal tea, gingerbread, and spices.
Taste: Sweet, orange zest, marmalade, tangy, biscuit malt, gingerbread, herbal tea, and spice.
Mouthfeel: Dry, light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Interesting aroma and flavours. Maybe sweeter than I prefer, but still drinkable.

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

Alvinne Cuvée Sofie Schaarbeekse Kriek

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Brewery: Brouwerij Alvinne
Country: Belgium
ABV: 8%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: 2015 vintage. Alvinne limited edition, single cask, 350 bottles. 2012 French Oak from Chateau la Croizillé

Brewer Description: (from bottle in Dutch) Ons eerbetoon aan de traditionele kriek. 5 maand gerijpt op een St-Emilion vat. 100% schaarbeekse krieken, zelf geplukt in een oude boomgaard in Neerbeek-Brakel.

(translated to English) Our tribute to the traditional cherry. Aged for 5 months in a St-Emilion barrel. 100% cherries from Belgium, self-picked from an old orchard in Neerbeek-Brakel.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.4
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.2

Intro: A 500ml bottle, with a best before date of November 2025. Poured into an Alvinne teku glass.
Appearance: A hazy orange red rusty colour with a half finger beige head that had decent retention and left some nice lacing.
Aroma: Tart, sweet, cherry, cherry pip, grape skin, acetone, with hints of raspberry yoghurt.
Taste: Sour, tart, cherry, cherry pie, strawberries, wood, with notes of vinegar.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Nice cherry flavours that are well balanced. I can’t help but wonder what this tasted like fresh.

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

Alvinne Laurelin 2017 Fellowship Ale N°5

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Brewery: Brouwerij Alvinne
Country: Belgium
ABV: 8%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: 2018 Fellowship. Cuvée Sofie Schaarbeekse Kriek (2017). Fruit Flemish Sour Ale. Sweet 1/5, Sour 4/5 & Bitter 0/5

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Laurelin was one of Two Trees of Valinor. It was said to be some sort of cherry tree, her last fruit was made into the sun. In July we added 25kg of Schaarbeekse Kriek to a Domaine Harmand Geoffroy red wine (Bourgogne/Gevrey-Chambertin) barrel. This Cuvée Sofie aged for 16 months in this third time used French oak barrel.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.05
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.9

Intro: A 330ml bottle, with a best before date of January 2024. Poured into an Alvinne teku glass.
Appearance: A cloudy dark reddish purple colour with a thin white head, that left only sparse lacing.
Aroma: Tart, sour, cherry, cherry pie, acetone, nail polish, with hints of vinegar.
Taste: Sweet, sour, tart, tangy, cherry, jammy, cherry pie, cherry juice, oak, acetone, with notes of vinegar.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: I tried this side by side with the 2016 version, and I preferred this version a lot more. The cherry was much more prominent here and not overwhelmed by any barrel character like too much vanilla in the 2016 version. It’s still sweeter than I expected given the sweet and sour ratings on the label, and the carbonation was softer than I prefer, but this was still enjoyable as the acidity helped with the soft carbonation.