Category Archives: 4 – Good (buy)

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, BIIR, Lambic - Fruit, Spain

BIIR Sweet-Sour Red Series 2014

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Brewery: BIIR
Country: Spain
ABV: 6%
Style: Belgian Lambic (Fruit)
Other Notes: Bottled at De Troch, Belgium by BIIR Brewer Assoc

Brewer Description: (from bottle) BIIR Sour Sweet is a 100% lambic beer, aged 12, 18, 24 and 36 months in French oak barrels. It has 450gr/l of whole cherries and raspberries, without added sugar. Blended by Gunther Bensch (Montaigu), the maker of Triple Gueuze. Lambic beer is a traditional Belgian style beer with a combination of red fruits to get an unique and balanced sour and a sweet taste. It is made exclusively in the Zenne Valley.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.26
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 375ml corked and capped bottle, bottle no. 870/3800, with a best before date of June 2017. Poured into a Cantillon ballon glass.
Appearance: A nice clear dark ruby red colour with a thin soapy pinkish head that dissipates quickly while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Sweet and sour red berry fruit with cherries and raspberries leading the way. This is followed by blackcurrants and oak with hints of vinegar and funk.
Taste: Lightly sweet and lightly sour cherry, raspberry and oak with a hint of red wine.
Mouthfeel: Medium to light bodied with low carbonation.
Overall: It’s more sweet than sour which is not my preference, but it is still an interesting and very nice Fruit Lambic.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brasserie Dupont, Farmhouse Saison

Dupont Saison Dupont Cuvée Dry Hopping 2016

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Brewery: Brasserie Dupont
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6.5%
Style: Belgian Saison
Other Notes: Dry hopped with Brewers Gold

Brewer Description: (from website) Saison Dry Hopping was first brewed in 2010. In line with the Dupont tradition, this is a top-fermented blond beer, refermented in the bottle. The special feature of this beer, which is produced in limited quantities, is that the hops used for the “dry hopping” are different every year. This year, three distinctive hop varieties were selected. For the dry hopping, brews were made from the “Brewers Gold” variety, grown in Germany. The result is a coppery, blond beer, dry and refreshing with sustained bitterness. The use of Brewers Gold in dry hopping intensifies the fruity notes (mainly white fruits and citrus) and gives the beer a perfume of fresh hops. Our selection of yeasts gives the beer very specific aromas and flavours. The genuine bottle refermentation, which may be extended by a long period in your cellar, produces a complex and highly aromatic beer.

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

Intro: A 375ml corked and caged bottle, 2016 cork with a best before date of July 2019. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku.
Appearance: It was a hazy golden orange colour with a two finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly and left nice lacing.
Aroma: Sweet juicy mandarin, orange, lemon, grass, yeast and pepper spice.
Taste: Follows the aroma closely with citrusy mandarin, orange, lemon, hay, grass, yeast and pepper spice. Starts sweet, ends lightly bitter.
Mouthfeel: Dry, light to medium bodied with high carbonation.
Overall: Another great, easily drinkable Saison from Dupont.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brasserie Dupont, Farmhouse Saison

Dupont Avec les Bons Voeux

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Brewery: Brasserie Dupont
Country: Belgium
ABV: 9.5%
Style: Belgian Saison

Brewer Description: (from website) The Bons Voeux is a blond top fermentation beer with refermentation in the bottle. Since 1970, the brewery has been brewing a special beer to give as a new years present to their best clients. The name of this beer “Avec les bons Voeux de la Brasserie Dupont” means “With the best wishes of the Brewery Dupont.” Because of the increasing success, they started to commercialise this “cadeau” but kept the name. Although the demands were considerable, only a small quantity was brewed, so they had to make a reservation list, even months before new year. This Bons Voeux is coppery blond, has very fine hop aromas and tastes bitter, fruity and mild. Our selection of yeasts, in combination with a long during riping process, on a “dry hopping” base, are creating a typical and complex aroma and taste. A real refermentation in the bottle, which will continue for a long time in your cellar, result in a harmonious and well-balanced beer, full of unexpected and complex aromas.

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

Intro: A 375ml corked and caged bottle, 2016 cork, with a best before date of October 2021. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: It was a hazy golden straw orange colour with a just under two finger white head that had pretty good retention and left nice lacing.
Aroma: Peach, honey, lemon, banana and clove with some pepper and herbally notes.
Taste: Honey, lemon, banana, clove, grass, pepper spice and yeast.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate to high carbonation.
Overall: A very nice cross between a Saison and a Tripel. It’s got the nice classic Belgian beer characteristics and the 9.5% ABV is surprisingly well hidden.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Omnipollo x Siren Craft Brew x Dave Strachan, Porter - Imperial, Sweden

Omnipollo x Siren x Dave Strachan Lorelei

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Brewery: Omnipollo x Siren Craft Brew x Dave Strachan
Country: Sweden
ABV: 10.5%
Style: American Imperial Porter
Other Notes: Coconut Maple Toast Imperial Porter brewed with Toasted Coconut & Maple Syrup. Brewed by Omnipollo at Dugges Bryggeri

Brewer Description: (from website) Once a year, homebrewers are encouraged to send us their best brews. This time was the fourth time we invite a homebrewer to join us and Siren for a collaborative brew. Dave Strachan submitted a beautiful coconut Porter and so we decided to play along on that theme. Brewed with maple syrup and aromas.

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

Intro: A 330ml bottle with a best before date of 15th November 2020. Poured into a snifter.
Appearance: It was black in colour with a thin brown head that dissipated quickly but left spotty lacing.
Aroma: Biscuit, roasted coconut, hazelnut, maple syrup, milk chocolate and vanilla with a hint of booze.
Taste: Sweet maple syrup, vanilla, biscuit and caramel with hints of chocolate and fudge plus a light boozy finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: A nice sweet Imperial Porter. For me I would rank Yellow Belly > Noa > Lorelei > Anagram. But really all four were good.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Omnipollo x Dugges Bryggeri, Stout - Imperial, Sweden

Omnipollo x Dugges Anagram Blueberry Cheesecake Stout

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Brewery: Omnipollo x Dugges Bryggeri
Country: Sweden
ABV: 12%
Style: American Imperial Stout
Other Notes: Blueberry Cheesecake Stout. Brewed at Dugges Bryggeri in Sweden

Brewer Description: (from website) Friends, family, kindred spirits. Inspiration comes in many shapes and forms. In this case it’s in a Blueberry Cheesecake Stout. Brewed with blueberries and aromas.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.4
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.2

Intro: A 330ml bottle with a best before date of 19th September 2020. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku.
Appearance: It was black in colour with a nice one finger brown head that dissipated fairly quickly while leaving some spotty lacing.
Aroma: Pretty close to a blueberry cheesecake. There is a strong Graham cracker crumb mixture aroma along with toasted coconut flakes, vanilla and blueberries.
Taste: Moves away from blueberry cheesecake territory here. Sweet blueberry and blueberry jam were definitely there, followed by milk chocolate, vanilla and hints of sweet alcohol.
Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with low carbonation.
Overall: I think that the blueberry cheesecake experiment was definitely successful with the aroma, but not so much with the taste. However, it was still an enjoyable sweet dessert Imperial Stout.