Category Archives: 4 – Good (buy)

Lervig Paragon

Brewery: Lervig Aktiebryggeri
Country: Norway
ABV: 13.5%
Style: English Barleywine
Other Notes: 2018 vintage

Brewer Description: (from bottle) 2018 vintage. Aged in bourbon barrels for 12 months.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.16
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 330ml pink waxed bottle, 2018 vintage, poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: A cloudy rusty dark orange brown colour with minimal head and no lacing.
Aroma: Syrupy sweet, caramel, bourbon, oak, vanilla, dark fruit, raisin, dates, fruit cake, toffee, brown sugar.
Taste: Sweet, syrupy, caramel, toffee, brown sugar, coconut, bourbon, vanilla, oak, dark fruit, raisin, dates and fig.
Mouthfeel: Smooth, full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Great aroma, but approaching borderline too sweet for me. Still enjoyable as a sipper with its complex aroma and flavours.

Alvinne Cuvée Sofie Schaarbeekse Kriek

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.

Carbon Brews Choco Rainforest

Brewery: Carbon Brews
Country: Hong Kong
ABV: 10.1%
Style: American Imperial Stout
Other Notes: Bottle 85 of 300. 80 IBUs. Malts – Oats, Wheat, Marris Otter, Carafa 2, Carafa S3, Caramunich, Chocolate, Amber and Abbey. Hops – Chinook and EKG. Yeast – Chico. Experience – Rich, chocolate, vanilla

Brewer Description: (from bottle) b.a. imperial stout.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.92
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.8

Intro: A 650ml bottle, bottle 85 of 300, bottled on 9th July 2019 and with a best before date on 9th July 2021. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: It poured black in colour with a half finger brown head that dissipated fairly quickly and left spotty lacing.
Aroma: Vanilla, chocolate, bourbon, with notes of caramel.
Taste: Chocolate, bourbon, oak, vanilla, with light notes of licorice and raisin.
Mouthfeel: Surprisingly only medium to light bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Enjoyable Imperial Stout with good flavours, although body was much lighter than expected.

Young Master Mio

Brewery: Young Master Brewery
Country: Hong Kong
ABV: 9.5%
Style: Belgian Quadrupel
Other Notes: 2016 vintage. Bottle 702 of 940

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Whiskey barrel aged Belgian Quadrupel.

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

Intro: A 750ml corked, caged and paper wrapped bottle. 2016 vintage. Bottle 702 of 940. Poured into a Chimay goblet glass.
Appearance: A cloudy dark brown colour with a one finger beige/tanned head that had good retention, but eventually settled to a creamy replenishing cap, while leaving some nice curtain like lacing.
Aroma: Sweet, whiskey, oak, vanilla, caramel, cream, with notes of dark fruit, berries, plum, raisin.
Taste: Sweet dark malt, lots of vanilla, oak, caramel, whiskey, with hints of dark fruit, berries, plum, raisin, and a boozy warming finish.
Mouthfeel: Creamy, full bodied with soft to moderate carbonation.
Overall: An enjoyable sipper. I think it’s aged well compared to when I last tried it two years ago. Good to open in winter with the warmth it provides, but I suppose an air conditioner works too. Perhaps would have preferred more dark fruit, but that was easily overpowered by the whiskey, vanilla and caramel.

Bruery Terreux Frederick H.

Brewery: The Bruery (Bruery Terreux)
Country: USA
ABV: 4.4%
Style: German Berliner Weisse

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Berlin-style tart wheat beer. Aged in an oak foeder.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.97
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.9

Intro: A 750ml bottle, bottled on 17th February 2017. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: It poured a lightly cloudy golden orange colour with a two finger white head that had good retention while leaving only some sparse lacing.
Aroma: Tart, peach, apricot, wheat, lemon zest, with notes of apple cider.
Taste: Sour, tart, apricot, apple peel, apple cider vinegar, with notes of wheat, oak, and lemon peel.
Mouthfeel: Light bodied with moderate to high carbonation.
Overall: Very nice and refreshing. Great for a hot summers day.