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

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, BFM (Brasserie des Franches-Montagnes), Farmhouse Saison, Switzerland

BFM Saison au Cidre

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Brewery: BFM (Brasserie des Franches-Montagnes)
Country: Switzerland
ABV: 6.672%
Style: Belgian Saison

Brewer Description: (from website) The juice fermented in barrels for over a year, supported by a few drops of beer. In fact, we do not really know if it’s a cider in a saison or a cider saison, but it’s in 75 cl and we only produced 2,276 bottles, or 379.33 boxes of 6.

(from bottle in French) Cidre et bière affinées en fûts de Saint Bonch’. Au cidre de pommes de la grand-mere du Keke et du Lucas.

(translated into English) Cider and beer matured in Saint Bon-Chien barrels. With apple cider from the grandmother of Keke and Lucas.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.74
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.6

Intro: A 750ml bottle, with a notched best before date of January 2022. Poured into a Holy Mountain tulip glass.
Appearance: A lightly hazy golden straw yellow colour with a slightly less than two finger white head that had decent retention and eventually settled to a thin cap, while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Apple cider, oak, with some funky notes and maybe a touch peppery.
Taste: Light sour, tart, apple peel, apple cider, oak, funk, pear, citrus zest, with peppery notes.
Mouthfeel: Medium to light bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Aroma was nice, but this mix of cider and saison didn’t work as well as I hoped it would.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, BFM (Brasserie des Franches-Montagnes), Farmhouse Saison, Switzerland

BFM √225 La Saison

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Brewery: BFM (Brasserie des Franches-Montagnes)
Country: Switzerland
ABV: 6%
Style: Belgian Saison
Other Notes: 2016 vintage

Brewer Description: (from website) A favourite of connoisseurs, La √225 Saison barrel with tart and bitter notes at the same time.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.81
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.7

Intro: A 750ml bottle, 2016 vintage, with a notched best before date of August 2021. Poured into a Holy Mountain tulip glass.
Appearance: A very lightly hazy golden orange colour with a big three finger white head that had decent retention and left lots of nice lacing.
Aroma: Light tartness, apricot, citrus zest and rind, green apple, notes of funk, oak, and a splash of lime.
Taste: Tart, lemon, orange, funky, pepper spice, grass, lightly herbal, and bitter notes.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: An interesting refreshing Saison, but perhaps a bit too herbal for me.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, England, IPA - New England / Hazy, Magic Rock Brewing

Magic Rock Clairvoyance

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Brewery: Magic Rock Brewing
Country: England
ABV: 7.2%
Style: New England / Hazy IPA
Other Notes: DDH IPA

Brewer Description: (from website) A smoothly balanced and refreshing IPA brewed with our house Golden Promise base malt along with Golden Naked Oats, Wheat & Acidulated malt. Citra and Vic Secret hops in whirlpool and dry hop deliver aromas and flavours redolent of passion fruit, mango and lime. Fermented with our house Californian ale yeast (WLP001) to give great drinkability and a clean hop profile.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.89
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.8

Intro: A 440ml can with a best before date of 9th July 2021. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A hazy golden orange colour with a two finger white head that had good retention and left nice lacing.
Aroma: Mango, orange zest, citrus rind, lime, pine, and subtle notes of peach gummy candy.
Taste: Lightly sweet and bitter, grapefruit, mandarin, citrus zest, pine, with a hint of mango and peach and a tinge of lime on the finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Refreshing and easy drinking, although having also just tried Biotransformer, I think I preferred that a bit more.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, England, IPA - New England / Hazy Double, Magic Rock Brewing

Magic Rock What Are The Odds

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Brewery: Magic Rock Brewing
Country: England
ABV: 8.3%
Style: New England / Hazy Double IPA
Other Notes: DDH DIPA. Malts – Golden Promise, Malted Wheat & Dextrin Malt. Hops – T90 – Citra, Simcoe, Nelson Sauvin & Sabro / Cryo – Citra, Simcoe & Mosaic. Yeast – WLP066 London Fog

Brewer Description: (from website) Double dry-hopped for double the flavour with mango and citrus on the nose, followed by a big tropically fruity, full mouthfeel. Wheat in the mash aids haze and flavour, while fermentation with London Fog carries a big fruity aroma and a huge juicy finish.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.94
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.8

Intro: A 440ml can with a best before date of 2nd July 2021. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A hazy orange colour with an almost two finger white head that had good retention and left lots of lacing.
Aroma: Orange, citrus zest, peach, mango, with notes of pine resin.
Taste: Tropical fruit sweetness, mango, peach, honeydew melon, lightly bitter, orange zest, citrus rind, with a lasting bittersweet finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Good fruit aroma and flavours, but despite there being some bitter notes, the sweetness cuts through it easily, and it was perhaps a little too sweet for me in the end.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Farmhouse Saison, Nectar Bohème Sprl

Nectar Bohème La Petite Balade

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Brewery: Nectar Bohème Sprl
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6.5%
Style: Belgian Saison / Farmhouse
Other Notes: 50 IBUs. Hops – Triskel and Hull Melon

Brewer Description: (from BXLBeerFest FB page) A variation of A La Belle Saison with more wheat and a late hopping of Triskel and Hull Melon.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.57
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.5

Intro: A 750ml bottle from the 2020 BXL beer pack, with a best before date of June 2022. Poured into a Holy Mountain tulip glass.
Appearance: A hazy golden orange colour with a big three finger white head that had good retention and left lots of nice lacing.
Aroma: Yeasty, honeydew melon, grass, floral, wheat, with citrus zest notes.
Taste: Saison yeasty, bitter, grainy, wheat, citrus, orange zest, melon, floral, grass, and light peppery spice.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with high carbonation.
Overall: It’s not bad, but not my favourite flavour profile, with the Triskel and Hull Melon hops seemingly pushing through melon, floral and citrus notes.