Category Archives: 3 – Indifferent (might buy, probably drink)

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Bellwoods Brewery, Canada, Wild Ale

Bellwoods Grandma’s Boy Niagara Shiro Plums

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Brewery: Bellwoods Brewery
Country: Canada
ABV: 5.8%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: 2018 vintage, wild ale blend w/ Niagara Shiro Plums. Barrel aged for 12-18 months

Brewer Description: (from website) The fourth iteration of our beloved Grandma’s Boy, this ‘wild ale’ was barrel aged in oak with various strains of wild yeasts and bacteria, and conditioned on a hefty bed of Niagara Shiro plums prior to bottle conditioning.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.97
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.8

Intro: A 500ml bottle, 2018 vintage, poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy golden straw yellow colour with a two finger white head that had decent retention while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Tart, stone fruit, plum, apricot, peach, light citrus, lemon zest, oak, honey, and a touch funky.
Taste: Sour, tart, plum, apricot, lemon juice, oak, light funk.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Good aroma and flavour, but the sour and tartness was on the verge of being too much, that it wasn’t entirely comfortable on the palate.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Farmhouse Saison - Fruit, Trillium Brewing Company, USA

Trillium Lineage Wheat – Double Raspberry

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Brewery: Trillium Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 6.7%
Style: Farmhouse Saison – Fruit
Other Notes: American Wild Saison with raspberry aged in oak barrels. Lineage series. Hops – US Goldings. Malts – Pilsner, Valley Wheat and Flaked Wheat. Adjunct – Raspberries

Brewer Description: (from website) The latest edition of our New England Wild Saison series features a double dose of raspberry and a generous amount of local wheat from Valley Malt in Hadley, Massachusetts. The beautiful red hue gives way to aromas of fresh raspberries, dark cherries, and a touch of funk from our Native New England mixed culture. The amplified quantity of fruit we used in the process intensifies the notes of raspberry jam and tart cranberry that highlight the single raspberry version of this beer. Slight floral character and a light, drinkable body give Double Raspberry Lineage Wheat added nuance and approachability.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.87
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.7

Intro: A 330ml bottle, bottled on 5th July 2018. Poured into a Holy Mountain tulip glass.
Appearance: A hazy maroon red colour with a two finger slightly pinkish head that dissipated quickly to a ring around the glass, while leaving sparse lacing.
Aroma: Tart, jammy, raspberry, with slight cherry notes.
Taste: Sour, tart, probably overly so. Raspberry, jammy, cranberry, red currant, acidic, with a touch of citrusy lemon on the finish.
Mouthfeel: Acidic, sharp, intense, medium to light bodied with moderate to high carbonation.
Overall: Loved the jammy aroma, and although the taste had notes of this jammy flavours coming through, it was overwhelmed by sharp and intense, sour and tartness, that made it uncomfortable on the palate. I preferred the regular Lineage Wheat – Raspberry, which had the same jammy notes, but was much more balanced than this Double Raspberry.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Farmhouse Saison - Fruit, Trillium Brewing Company, USA

Trillium Lineage Rye – Orange Muscat

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Brewery: Trillium Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 10.1%
Style: Farmhouse Saison – Fruit
Other Notes: American Wild Saison aged in oak casks. Lineage series. Hops – US Goldings and Aged Hops. Malts – Pilsner, Valley Danko Rye and Flaked Wheat

Brewer Description: (from website) Our series of New England saisons continues with Orange Muscat Lineage Rye, a wild ale featuring Valley Malt Danko Rye. This Polish rye grain provides a soft earth and spice malt backbone to compliment the complex characteristics derived from aging in oak barrels with our native New England mixed culture and well aged hops. The Orange Muscat version of Lineage Rye has a light straw hue and engaging floral and vinous aromatics on the nose with a hint of kiwi and mild brett-derived farmhouse funk. The palate develops the nose further, emerging with orange zest, young white wine and a suggestion of honeysuckle nectar. Mature, soft oak melds with a faint rye spice on the finish with a refreshing light acidity and a zippy, tight carbonation.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.68
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.4

Intro: A 330ml bottle, bottled on 17th May 2018. Poured into a Holy Mountain tulip glass.
Appearance: A hazy golden orange colour with a two finger white head that dissipated quickly, while leaving only sparse lacing.
Aroma: Vinous, oak, grape skin, citrus zesty, funk.
Taste: Sour, tart, vinous, orange, orange zest, white wine grape, oak, spicy, light funk.
Mouthfeel: Rich, medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Aroma and flavours were not bad, but the richness of the vinous and orange was a bit overwhelming for my palate, and just not so easy to drink.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Trillium Brewing Company, USA, Wild Ale

Trillium Fated Farmer – Apricot

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Brewery: Trillium Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 6.7%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: Barrel fermented wild ale. Adjunct – Apricots

Brewer Description: (from website) Our Fated Farmer Series is a landmark step toward realizing our foundational vision for Trillium: Build a place that intuitively celebrates the intersection of New England farming, agriculture, brewing, and integrated community experience. The grist of each of the dynamic Fated Farmer wild ales is set on the structure of Valley Malt and is barrel fermented in 500L puncheons with our Native New England Wild Culture and aged for 5-7 months, before refermenting on freshly harvested fruit.

Bottled in March of 2019 and enjoying an extended period of bottle conditioning, Fater Farmer: Apricot presents a bright, light straw color in the glass. Pretty aromas of peach mist, apricot preserves, lemongrass, and a kiss of pineapple weave in and out across the palate. Medium-bodied and highly refreshing, this wild ale finishes with structured acidity.

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

Intro: A 330ml bottle, bottled on 28th March 2019. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A hazy straw golden colour, with a two finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly to a ring around the glass, while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Tart, apricot, funky notes, with a touch of pineapple.
Taste: Sour, tart, apricot, light funk, with slightly boozy notes coming through.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with prickly high carbonation.
Overall: Sourness is a bit intense and carbonation too high, to fully easily enjoy.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, de Garde Brewing, USA, Wild Ale

de Garde The Law of Winter

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Brewery: de Garde Brewing
Country: USA
ABV: 6%
Style: American Wild Ale

Brewer Description: (from bottle) A spontaneous Wild Ale aged in oak barrels for three years with cider apples, vanilla beans, cinnamon, allspice, ginger & orange zest. Bottled still.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.91
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.8

Intro: A 1 pint 9.4 fl. oz. corked and capped bottle, bottled still in November 2019. Poured into an Alvinne teku glass.
Appearance: It was a hazy golden colour with only a minimal white head and no lacing.
Aroma: Sweet, apple cider, vanilla, orange zest, almost perfumy, with a splash of cinnamon on the finish.
Taste: Sour, tart, apple, cidery, grapefruit, orange, funky, oak, vanilla, perfumy, with some light spice notes.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with very soft carbonation.
Overall: Interesting wintery holiday aroma and flavours. But I think that the combination especially of orange zest and vanilla was perhaps too perfumy for me. It was mostly fine on the aroma, but too much on the flavour. The apple cidery notes were good though.