Category Archives: Belgium

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

Alvinne Cuvée Sofie Sleedoorn-Sloeberries

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Brewery: Brouwerij Alvinne
Country: Belgium
ABV: 8%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: Fruit Sour. Sweet 2/5, Sour 3/5 & Bitter 1/5

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Foeder aged blond sour with foraged sloeberries.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.07
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.9

Intro: A 330ml bottle, with a best before date of May 2023. Poured into an Alvinne teku glass.
Appearance: A hazy murky rusty dark orange brown colour with a one finger white head that had decent retention and left some nice lacing.
Aroma: Tart, sour fruit, berry skin, blackberries, oak, with hints of funk and acetone.
Taste: Sour, tart, dark berry skin, mixed dark berries, plum, oak, a touch acidic, and hints of vinegar.
Mouthfeel: Medium to light bodied with moderate to high carbonation.
Overall: I have no idea what sloeberries are supposed to smell or taste like, but this was enjoyable and great to drink.

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

Alvinne Batch #1000 Abrikoos-Apricot

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Brewery: Brouwerij Alvinne
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6.7%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: Fruit Sour Ale. Sweet 2/5, Sour 3/5 & Bitter 1/5

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Batch 1000, a milestone on our craft beer journey. We made a long boil blond sour and barrel aged it on American oak St-Emilion (red wine) barrels. This beer was macerated on apricots for 2 months.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.76
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.6

Intro: A 330ml bottle, with a best before date of November 2023. Poured into an Alvinne teku glass.
Appearance: A slightly hazy rusty copper orange colour with some light sediment and a thin, large bubbly one fingered off white head that dissipated fairly quickly, while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Light aromas, but tart, funky, oak, lightly vinous and touches of apricot.
Taste: Light sour, tart, vinous, grape, oak, light funk and apricot.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: I preferred the original base version more. I felt that the additions of apricot seemed to have taken away from the nice strong barrel character that just wasn’t as prominent in this version.

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

Alvinne Batch #1000

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Brewery: Brouwerij Alvinne
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6.7%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: Blond Sour Ale. Sweet 2/5, Sour 3/5 & Bitter 1/5

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Batch 1000, a milestone on our craft beer journey. We made a long boil blond sour and barrel aged it on American oak St-Emilion (red wine) barrels. This is an exclusive project for Beer Seeker, a collaboration between the magazine Belgian Beer & Food and online beershop Etre Gourmet.

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

Intro: A 330ml bottle, with a best before date of November 2023. Poured into an Alvinne teku glass.
Appearance: A slightly hazy copper orange colour with a one finger off white head that had decent retention while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Tart, vinous, grape, cherry and oak, with hints of funk, vanilla and balsamic.
Taste: Sour, tart, vinous, grape, cherry, oak, vanilla, light funk, and notes of vinegar.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Enjoyable complex sour with nice vinous and barrel character.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brouwerij Alvinne, Sour Ale

Alvinne Hard Brett-xit

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Brewery: Brouwerij Alvinne
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6.5%
Style: Sour Ale
Other Notes: Sweet 3/5, Sour 3/5 & Bitter 3/5

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Superblend of various barrels and fruits. Oak aged. Bitter, sweet & sour with a touch of regret.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.83
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.7

Intro: A 330ml bottle, with a best before date of October 2023. Poured into an Alvinne teku glass. I knew this was a crazy gusher from past experience, so I quickly opened it but yet still felt the need to have a look first. The uneventful slow lag of a passing second, suddenly became a fast reacting chemical reaction, and I quickly poured it into the glass before I could lose more than a third of the bottle like last time!
Appearance: A slightly hazy rusty orange brown colour with an one finger beige head that had decent retention while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: A Flanders Red character, fruity, mixed berries, cherry, oak, plum, and a splash of vinegar.
Taste: Moderate sour and sweet, fruity, caramel, lightly tart, cherry, mixed berries, plum, oak, with notes of vinegar.
Mouthfeel: Dry, medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Nice, balanced and enjoyable to drink.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brouwerij Boon x Mikkeller ApS, Lambic - Gueuze

Boon x Mikkeller Goût Américain Oude Geuze

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Brewery: Brouwerij Boon x Mikkeller ApS
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6.5%
Style: Belgian Lambic (Gueuze)
Other Notes: 100% Boon Lambic. Collaboration between Boon and Mikkeller

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Acetic sting, an off-flavor to us, an acquired taste for others. Such as with this blend of 1, 2 & 3 yr old lambic now, in the past some champagne bottles would be given the name “Goût Americain” (“American taste”) when they were typified by a high amount of volatile acidity. With this in mind, we developed this limited edition both high in acidity while maintaining a delicate balance that is both complex and fruity. Pair this special blend with sharp cheeses or simply as an aperitif.

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

Intro: A 750ml corked and caged bottle with a best before date of 19th February 2039. Poured into a Boon stemmed glass.
Appearance: A mostly clear golden colour with a two finger white head that had dissipated quite quickly while leaving only sparse lacing.
Aroma: Funky, barnyard, oak, straw, grass, with hints of apple, lemon peel and apricot.
Taste: Moderate sweetness and acidity, white wine, grapes, oak, straw, lemon, with hints of funk and a touch of sourness on the finish.
Mouthfeel: Dry, medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: It was sweeter and less funkier in taste than I expected, but still refreshingly enjoyable with nice fruity notes of grape and lemon.