Category Archives: 4 – Good (buy)

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brouwerij Timmermans-John Martin N.V., Lambic - Faro

Timmermans Tradition Faro

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Brewery: Brouwerij Timmermans-John Martin N.V.
Country: Belgium
ABV: 4%
Style: Belgian Lambic (Faro)

Brewer Description: (from website) Timmermans Tradition Faro is a beer made by adding candy sugar and water to lambic to mellow its acidity. In the 19th century, Faro was very popular in the Brussels area. Various folk traditions were associated with it, and this ambrosial drink flowed abundantly, thanks to its relatively neutral but extremely pleasant flavour. Today, Timmermans Faro is still brewed using the methods and recipes of days gone by, and meets with unanimous approval.

Taste-wise… A sweet beer with a base of lambic enhanced with water and candy sugar, to make it just light enough. The sugared notes predominate, imparting a general flavour which does not intensify on the palate but is wonderfully refreshing.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.6
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.6

Intro: A 375ml corked and caged bottle with a best before date of 26th September 2019. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A clear copper amber colour with a two finger white head that had decent retention, eventually dissipating to a thin layer over the top while leaving some sparse lacing.
Aroma: Dusty and musty gives way to some sweet-ish candi sugar, apple, pear and dried fruits.
Taste: Sweet yet not overly so like in so many Faro’s. The slight sourness on the finish balances the sweetness and makes it easy on the palate. Plum, apple skin, brown sugar with a very light funk.
Mouthfeel: Light bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: I didn’t really enjoy the aroma, but luckily the taste was much more to my liking. It wasn’t overly sweet like so many Faro’s I’ve tried. I enjoyed it.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Evil Twin Brewing x Prairie Artisan Ales, Stout - Imperial, USA

Evil Twin x Prairie Bible Belt

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Brewery: Evil Twin Brewing x Prairie Artisan Ales
Country: USA
ABV: 13%
Style: American Imperial Stout
Other Notes: Brewed and canned for Evil Twin Brewing at Westbrook Brewing Co, Mount Pleasant, SC

Brewer Description: (from can) Imperial Stout aged on coffee, vanilla, chilies, and cacao nibs.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.4
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.3

Intro: A 1 pint can, canned on 22nd September 2017. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Black in colour with a one finger brown head that had pretty good retention while leaving some sparse spotty lacing.
Aroma: Roasty, chocolate, cacao, coffee, with hints of vanilla and a splash of booze.
Taste: Rich milk chocolate, vanilla, roasty, coffee, light smokiness.
Mouthfeel: Smooth, velvety, medium to full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Nice easy drinking flavours means it doesn’t feel like 13% ABV. I’m not getting much (if any) of the supposedly chili though. A slightly heavier body would also have helped it even more. But really, I’m just nitpicking now.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brasserie de Jandrain-Jandrenouille, Farmhouse Saison

Jandrain-Jandrenouille IV Dark Saison

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Brewery: Brasserie de Jandrain-Jandrenouille
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6.5%
Style: Belgian Saison

Brewer Description: I couldn’t find any official information, but as per (beer webshop Etre), this IV Dark Saison has a similar recipe to the IV Saison but with dark malts and oak chips.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.11
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.9

Intro: A 750ml bottle with a best before date of January 2020. Poured into a Holy Mountain tulip glass.
Appearance: Dark brown to black in colour with a big four finger rather uncontrollable tanned head that had excellent retention while leaving behind some lacing.
Aroma: Roasty, coffee, chocolate, caramel, nuttiness with a hint of dark fruit.
Taste: Lightly sweet dark fruit, caramel, toffee, roast, coffee, bittersweet chocolate with a light spice.
Mouthfeel: Medium to bodied with moderate to high carbonation.
Overall: Pleasantly surprised. Although the roasty ‘dark’ part comes through stronger than the ‘saison’ part of this dark saison, it was still balanced enough to feel the Saison portion. Also, the higher carbonation maybe doesn’t go so well with the roastiness, but it was still very enjoyable.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Foreign / Export Stout, Greece, Strange Brew

Strange Brew Mandy Black

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Brewery: Strange Brew
Country: Greece
ABV: 7%
Style: Foreign / Export Stout

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Beyond the reefs of howling wind, hides the rebel bandit Queen. She storms the ships of Union Jack, their Stout barrels to take back. And people sing with pints on hand “Here’s to you, o, Mandy Black!”

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.19
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 330ml bottle with a best before date of 9th December 2019. Poured into a Spiegelau stout glass.
Appearance: Black in colour with a just over one finger tanned head that had some decent retention and left some nice lacing.
Aroma: Creamy, roast, coffee, chocolate with a touch of vanilla.
Taste: Lightly sweet, roast, coffee, caramel and a bittersweet chocolate finish.
Mouthfeel: Creamy, smooth, medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Very nice and easy to drink with good bittersweet coffee and chocolate flavours.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, IPA - New England / Hazy, The Alchemist, USA

The Alchemist Focal Banger

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Brewery: The Alchemist
Country: USA
ABV: 7%
Style: New England / Hazy IPA
Other Notes: Drink from the can! Drink from the can! Drink from the can!

Brewer Description: (from can) Focal Banger is an American India Pale Ale. We have a real love for IPAs here at The Alchemist, and we strive to offer you the best hop experience that we possibly can. This beer is brewed using Citra and Mosaic hops and our favorite British malts. Truly, an abundance of hoppy goodness… Freshness and control have always been my main concern when it comes to our beer. We are committed to providing you with an unfiltered and unpasteurized hop experience. Why do I recommend that you drink it from the can? Quite simply, to ensure a delightful hop experience. The act of pouring it in a glass smells nice, but it releases the essential hop aromas that we have worked so hard to retain. If you MUST pour it into a glass, you may find that some of the hop resins have settled to the bottom – leave them in the can when pouring. This beer is perishable and at its best when it is young, fresh and hazy. Keep it cold, but not ice cold. Drink this beer today, you could be dead tomorrow….

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

Intro: A 1 pint can, with no clear canned on or best before date (although my source says mid-March). Poured around half into a Lost Abbey teku glass and drank the other half from the can.
Appearance: A hazy golden orange colour with a two finger white head that had good retention and left some sticky lacing.
Aroma: Mango, pineapple, pine, grapefruit peel, mandarin zest, fruit tea.
Taste: Light bitterness, grapefruit zest, citrus peel, mango, pineapple, melon, grass, pine, and a light but lasting bitter finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Nice, refreshing and enjoyable to drink.