Category Archives: 4 – Good (buy)

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brouwerij De Ranke, Euro Sour Ale

De Ranke Cuvée

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Brewery: Brouwerij De Ranke
Country: Belgium
ABV: 7%
Style: Euro Sour Ale
Other Notes: On base of old Flemish beer and Lambic

Brewer Description: (from bottle) 70% Belgian Sour Ale with 30% Lambic added.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.98
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.9

Intro: A 750ml bottle with a best before date of 28th May 2020. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A nice clear copper orange colour with a just over one finger light beige head that dissipated fairly quickly and left some spotty lacing.
Aroma: Tart, oak, white wine, apple, herbal and funky.
Taste: Tart, but only mildly sour, red apple, lime, cork, oak, funk and maybe hay with only a hint of a herbal element and vinegar.
Mouthfeel: Acidic, medium to light bodied with good moderate carbonation.
Overall: A nice and balanced blend of a sour ale and Lambic. Much better than the Kriek version in my opinion.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, German Berliner Weisse, New Glarus Brewing Company, USA

New Glarus Thumbprint Series Berliner Weisse

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Brewery: New Glarus Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 3%
Style: German Berliner Weisse

Brewer Description: (from bottle) A few times a year we cut Dan loose to brew whatever he chooses. Always handcrafted, the bottle you hold is brewed for the adventurous soul. This is a very limited edition and we make no promises to ever brew this style again. Napoleon hailed this tart beer style “the Champagne of the North.” A lively and elegant masterpiece this Berliner Weisse is a kaleidoscope of fresh flavor. Barrel fermentation, Riesling and Chardonnay grapes with Wisconsin White Wheat are bottle fermented with five proprietary yeast strains. A connoisseur’s rare jewel both spirited and subtle, enjoy your sparkling toast under summer stars.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.99
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.9

Intro: A 12 fl oz bottle with no clear bottled on or best before date. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A hazy straw yellow colour with a two finger white head that had decent retention and left some lacing. Lots of nice upward streaming bubbles.
Aroma: Lemon, wheat and citrus zest. Lightly tart and lightly funky.
Taste: Tart, lemon, lemon zest, white grapes and green apple with hints of wheat on the finish.
Mouthfeel: Light bodied with high carbonation.
Overall: A nice, easy drinking Berliner Weisse with especially nice mouthfeel. A great thirst quencher on a hot day.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, German Hefeweizen, New Glarus Brewing Company, USA

New Glarus Bubbler

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Brewery: New Glarus Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: unknown
Style: German Hefeweizen

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Suits stride, Toes skip, Heels click staccato expedition rhythms. Labor and Workers and Shoppers alike pause to share Downtown Bubblers on Wisconsin blocks. The Bubbler Hefeweiss you hold in your hand sparkles with democratic spirit combining Wisconsin Wheat alongside European Pilsner Malt. Choice American hops partner with imported hops, even yeasts blend together in our Open Top fermenters. 100% naturally carbonated and hazy, expect this living beer to pour an exuberant effervescent gold. Bubblers beat in our hearts- it’s a Wisconsin thing. Cheers!

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.36
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.2

Intro: A 12 fl oz bottle with no clear bottled on or best before date. Poured into a Reidel weizen glass.
Appearance: A hazy golden straw yellow with a nice big two finger fluffy white head that had excellent retention and left lots of lacing.
Aroma: Nice strong clove, banana, bubblegum and wheat.
Taste: Much like the aroma, wheat, clove, banana and bubblegum flavours that combine well.
Mouthfeel: Crisp, light bodied with high to moderate carbonation.
Overall: This was so tasty. It’s been a while since my last Hefeweizen and drinking Bubbler just makes me want to go out and buy more Hefe’s.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Bellwoods Brewery, Canada, Wild Ale

Bellwoods Jelly King Strawberry Rhubarb

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Brewery: Bellwoods Brewery
Country: Canada
ABV: 5.6%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: Dry-Hopped Sour w/ strawberry and rhubarb

Brewer Description: (from website) This limited edition version of Jelly King includes a large dose of strawberry and rhubarb purees, blended on top of a mixed fermentation sour ale. In addition, we added a complimentary dose of Citra-Mosaic-Cascade in the dry hop. The result is juicy, sour, and bursting with jammy aroma and flavour that comes enrobed in a dusty rose hue. A classic combo served on top of a sour beer for your pleasure.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.41
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.3

Intro: A 500ml bottle with no bottled on or best before date, poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A cloudy guava pink colour with a two finger white head that dissipated quickly and left sparse to no lacing.
Aroma: Sweet jelly fruitiness, strawberry, peach and apricot. Mixed berry instant jello.
Taste: Very juicy, moderate tartness, lightly sour. Strawberry, rhubarb, lemon and peaches.
Mouthfeel: Medium to light bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Really tasty stuff, and I felt that the addition of strawberry, rhubarb and dry hopping improved upon the base beer Jelly King quite a bit. Perfect for a hot summer day.

4 - Good (buy), Almanac Beer Co., Beer Reviews, USA, Wild Ale

Almanac Valley Of The Heart’s Delight

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Brewery: Almanac Beer Co.
Country: USA
ABV: 7%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: Farm to barrel

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Sour blonde ale aged in wine barrels with apricots & strawberries

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.28
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.2

Intro: A 375ml bottle, released in February 2017. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A hazy golden yellow orange colour with a one finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly to a ring around the glass that lingers and left some sparse lacing.
Aroma: Oak, strawberry, apricot, peach, tart mixed berries, with some funk, leather, straw and white wine.
Taste: Tart and tangy lemon, apricot and strawberry, followed by a touch of oak, vanilla, funk and leather.
Mouthfeel: Medium to light bodied with moderate prickly carbonation.
Overall: It was very tasty and complex. I’m not usually too fond of wine barrel aging, but the addition of apricots and strawberries matched it well, and probably took it up a notch. Very enjoyable.