Category Archives: Country

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgian Quadrupel, The Lost Abbey, USA

Lost Abbey Box Set Track #8 (Number of the Beast)

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Brewery: The Lost Abbey
Country: USA
ABV: 13.7%
Style: Belgian Quadrupel
Other Notes: Ale brewed with raisins, aged in bourbon barrels with cinnamon and chiles

Brewer Description: (from bottle) To this day, little Johnny B. Goode remains one of Sister Mary Hightower’s favorite pupils. A ray of light heaven sent she often declared. Unfortunately, she was now teaching his younger brother Damian and most assuredly was not his biggest fan. Hard to believe one mother could produce two children of such different temperaments, but God works in mysterious ways she reminded herself. Damian had been her biggest challenge this year. The kids didn’t like him. The parents didn’t trust him and most of all, there was something lurking behind those shifty beady eyes. His presence in the classroom always troubled her. She thought him evil but couldn’t prove it. She set out to test him. Damian took his turn at the chalkboard, and the impossible question was presented. What is the square root of 443.556? As Damian finished writing the last 6 for his answer, he turned winked at her and returned to his seat. She finally had her answer. Sister Mary Hightower never returned to work…

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

Intro: A corked and caged 12.7 fl. oz. bottle, with no clear bottled on or best before date. Poured into a Chimay goblet glass.
Appearance: A murky dark brown colour with pretty much no head and no lacing.
Aroma: Dark fruit, raisins, prunes, plum, figs, toffee, bourbon, faint cinnamon, light roast, and a touch nutty.
Taste: Light to moderately sweet, dark fruit, raisins, prunes, plum, fig, chocolate, toffee, boozy bourbon, cinnamon, light chili spice.
Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Although I’m unsure of the timeline due to a lack of bottled on or best before date, I’m pretty sure I’ve cellared this for quite a few years. The aroma and flavours were nice and intense, and it was just an enjoyable sipper.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Harviestoun Brewery, Old Ale, Scotland

Harviestoun Ola Dubh Special Reserve 14

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Brewery: Harviestoun Brewery
Country: Scotland
ABV: 8%
Style: Old Ale
Other Notes: Aged in Highland Park Loyalty of the Wolf Single Malt casks

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Aged in selected oak casks, formerly used to mature Highland Park’s beautifully balanced Loyalty of the Wolf Single Malt Scotch Whisky.

(from tag) Ola Dubh (meaning ‘Black Oil’ in gaelic) is a real labour of love for our brew team. We take our Old Engine Oil and mature it in whisky casks from the award winning Orkney distillery & our good friends, Highland Park. The process is far from simple but the end result is a beautiful brew with complementary whisky notes and a chocolate, roasty and bittersweet aftertaste.

We are delighted to add the 14 year old into the Ola Dubh Range. The loyalty of the wolf barrels provide a smooth approachable ale which perfectly balances sweet flavours of vanilla, baked apples and cinnamon with a subtle spice of whisky and charred oak.

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

Intro: A 330ml black foiled and capped bottle, bottle no. 07501, bottled in February 2021, and a best before end date of March 2024. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Dark brown in colour with a half finger beige head that dissipated fairly quickly to a ring around the glass, while leaving some nice lacing.
Aroma: Roasted malts, chocolate, sweet dark fruit, whisky, caramel, with fruity candy notes.
Taste: Lightly sweet, dark fruit, roasted malts, roasty, toasty, chocolate, whisky, caramel, light vanilla, and a bittersweet finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Interesting aroma and flavours, although perhaps a touch thin.

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

3 Fonteinen Cassis

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Brewery: Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6.7%
Style: Lambic – Fruit
Other Notes: Blend°26, Season 21/22

Brewer Description: (from bottle) For this first ever Cassis, we macerated freshly harvested cassis berries on an ex-Bordeaux barrel for a good four months. The lambics used for macerating and blending were all two years old, and originating from two different barrels and eight different brews. The weighted average age of this blend clocks at 26 months. The final fruit proportion is 313 grams of cassis berries used per litre of finished fruit lambik. The berries were manually picked at Purfruit, a small community supported orchard in West-Flanders, Belgium.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.29
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 750ml corked and caged bottle, blend°26, season 21/22, bottled on 3rd February 2022. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A deep purple red colour, with a one finger pinkish head that had decent retention, and eventually settled to a thin cap, while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Blackcurrant, damp wood, lemon zest, green vines, a touch funky.
Taste: Lightly sour, tart, blackcurrant, lemon juice, citrus zest, rhubarb, oak, green vines (“raw”), with some light funky notes.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate to high carbonation.
Overall: The blackcurrant aroma and flavours works for me, but there is some rhubarb-y, “green” and “raw” notes that detract from it a bit in this blend.

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

3 Fonteinen Speling van het Lot XVI.iv: Rabarber + Kriek

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Brewery: Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6%
Style: Lambic – Fruit
Other Notes: Blend°8, Season 20/21. Number of bottles – 875

Brewer Description: (from bottle) For this Speling van het Lot, we blended a rhubarb lambik with a sour cherry lambik in a 43-57 cut. Maceration periods amounted up to five and ten months respectively. The combined final fruit intensity is 523 grams of fruit per litre of finished Rabarber + Kriek. The rhubarb was sourced with a local Hallenaar (inhabitant of Halle) and with De Groentelaar, an organic farm and member of our cereal circle of Pajot and Brabant farmers. We bottled this blend without adding any additional lambik. 100% 3 Fonteinen.

My rating: 4+
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.46
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.4

Intro: A 750ml corked and caged bottle, blend°8, season 20/21, bottled on 5th January 2021. Bottle number 730 of 875. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A lightly hazy ruby red colour, with a half finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly, while leaving only sparse lacing.
Aroma: Cherry, berry yoghurt, whipped cream, oak, with notes of apple peel, and light earthy rhubarb.
Taste: Lightly sour, tart, cherry, cream, vanilla, oak, with a splash of rhubarb and citrusy lemon zest.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft to moderate carbonation.
Overall: Very nice aroma and flavours. While the rhubarb was there, cherry clearly dominated, and did no wrong as it was very enjoyable.

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

3 Fonteinen Druif Riesling

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Brewery: Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen
Country: Belgium
ABV: 8.1%
Style: Lambic – Fruit
Other Notes: Blend°50, Season 21/22

Brewer Description: (from bottle) For this Druif, we macerated Riesling grapes from Harth & Harth, Rheinhessen, Germany. Maceration took five months and we used two- and three-year old lambikken only. Afterwards, we blended with three-year old lambikken and very young lambikken for balance and bottle fermentation. In total, we used lambikken originating from four different barrels and ten different brews. The weighted average age of the blend is almost 22 months. The final fruit intensity is 500 grams of Riesling grapes per litre of finished Druif. 100% 3 Fonteinen brewed lambik.

My rating: 4+
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.43
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.3

Intro: A 750ml corked and caged bottle, blend°50, season 21/22, bottled on 17th March 2022. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A clear golden colour (although some cloudiness appears with multiple pours), with a one finger white head that had pretty good retention, and eventually settled to a ring around the glass, while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Lightly tart, grape skin, white wine grapes, oak, light funk, with a splash of sweet fresh cut green apple.
Taste: Lightly sweet, white wine grapes, pear, oak, with light funk, and a touch earthy.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Easy drinking with good enjoyable aroma and flavours.