Category Archives: 4 – Good (buy)

Lindemans GingerGueuze

Brewery: Brouwerij Lindemans
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6%
Style: Belgian Lambic (Fruit)

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Breaking the mould among existing beer styles, Lindemans developed the Botanical Lambics, a collection of old gueuzes with a twist. Third in the series, GingerGueuze is based on a blend of 12 months with 2 to 3 year old lambic fermented in oak and fresh ginger. Refermented in the bottle, GingerGueuze has a golden colour and combines the sourness of lambic with the subtle flavours of fresh ginger. Ideal as an aperitif, it is also perfect for food pairings.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.12
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.9

Intro: A 750ml bottle, bottled in December 2016. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A clear golden colour with a big three finger white head that had pretty good retention and left lots of sticky lacing.
Aroma: Ginger, lemon, floral, herbal, earthy, oak, funk, wet damp barnyard.
Taste: Cleaner than the aroma as in the ginger and lemon zest take centre stage, a bit ginger ale like, while there is light oak, herbal and funkiness going on in the background, but nowhere near as much as the aroma suggests.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: An interesting twist as I felt that the ginger did go quite well with Gueuze and in fact it reminded me a bit of ginger ale. Refreshing and tasty.

American Solera The Ground Is Shaking!

Brewery: American Solera
Country: USA
ABV: 6%
Style: Belgian Flanders Oud Bruin

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Sour Brown Ale aged in oak barrels.

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

Intro: A 1 pint 9.4 fl. oz. bottle, with surprisingly no vintage year printed on the label. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A clear dark brown amber colour with about a half finger off white head that dissipated fairly quickly while leaving only sparse lacing.
Aroma: Vinous red wine, fruity cherry, mixed berries with a light touch of balsamic vinegar and maybe oak.
Taste: Sour, tart, cherry, mixed berries, sharp acidic citrus zest, vinegar, light oak, with vinous wine notes at the end.
Mouthfeel: Dry, acidic, medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: A solid and enjoyable Oud Bruin with good aroma and flavours.

Trappistes Rochefort 6

Brewery: Abbaye Notre-Dame de Saint Remy Rochefort
Country: Belgium
ABV: 7.5%
Style: Belgian Dubbel
Other Notes: Red cap

Brewer Description: (from the Trappist website) This beer begins with a density of 16.5º Plato is 7.5% ABV. It’s fine aroma provides a delicate taste for the palate! “Rochefort 6” is the oldest Rochefort Trappist beer and was brewed empirically until the end of the Second World War. Until 1958, this was the only Rochefort beer that was bottled in both 33 cc bottles and 75 cc bottles. It has a strong malt taste and is slightly bitter.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.84
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.8

Intro: A 330ml bottle with a best before date of 8th August 2018. Poured into a mini Rochefort goblet glass.
Appearance: A light-ish orange brown colour with a one finger beige coloured head that dissipated fairly quickly while leaving some sparse lacing.
Aroma: Dark fruit plum, prunes and raisins with a hint of caramel.
Taste: Like the aroma, there’s lots of dark fruit raisins, prunes and plum with hints of honey, caramel and toffee.
Mouthfeel: Creamy, medium bodied with moderate to high carbonation.
Overall: Nice but not as complex as the other beers in their small but wonderful lineup.

Chimay Dorée (Gold)

Brewery: S.A. Bières de Chimay
Country: Belgium
ABV: 4.8%
Style: Belgian Pale Ale
Other Notes: Trappist beer. Ale is brewed at Scourmont Abbey

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Brewed at the heart of Scourmont Abbey, Chimay Dorée, a beer previously reserved for the monastic community, their guest and their colleagues, is now yours to savour, with its refreshing aromas of hops and spices.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.86
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.8

Intro: A 330ml bottle with a best before end date of December 2018. Poured into a Chimay goblet.
Appearance: A clear dark golden colour with a one finger white head that had great retention and left nice curtain like lacing.
Aroma: Lemon peel, clove, honey, tea, coriander and floral.
Taste: What you’d expect from the aroma with clove, banana, honey, tea, lemon peel, coriander, biscuit malt and floral.
Mouthfeel: Creamy, light bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Nice and easy to drink. Not as complex as their other regulars, but its not meant to be.

Brewski x Cycle 50 States Of Freedom

Brewery: Brewski x Cycle Brewing
Country: Sweden
ABV: 4%
Style: German Berliner Weisse
Other Notes: Berliner Weisse with Lime. Only real fruit inside!

Brewer Description: (from bottle) When our dear beloved friends from Cycle – St. Pete, Murcia – stepped into our brewery for the first time, we knew that this relationship would turn into magical and wonderful beers in a heartbeat. Together we poured the Florida sun, the breath of Swedish nature and a shitload of lime into this bottle. The result is a very refreshing and smooth brew with hints of freedom, motorized scooters and bald eagles, all perfectly balanced for you to enjoy on a warm summer day.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.91
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.8

Intro: A 330ml bottle with a best before date of 24th April 2019, ‘B7 lunch’. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A hazy golden straw yellow colour with a just over two finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly and left some sparse lacing.
Aroma: Tart, fruity sour candy, passionfruit and lime.
Taste: Sour and tart, tangy, lime with hints of mixed berries.
Mouthfeel: Crisp, light bodied with high prickly carbonation.
Overall: Carbonation was maybe a little bit too high, but other than that, this was refreshing and enjoyable.