Category Archives: 4 – Good (buy)

Dupont Avec les Bons Voeux

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.

Omnipollo x Siren x Dave Strachan Lorelei

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.

Omnipollo x Dugges Anagram Blueberry Cheesecake Stout

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.

Founders Imperial Stout

Brewery: Founders Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 10.5%
Style: Russian Imperial Stout
Other Notes: 75 IBUs

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Brewed with ten varieties of malted barley, this Stout is smooth as silk, yet complex and rich in body. Serve this guy at cellar temperature. Put another log on the fire, sit back and enjoy the friendship of this ultimate winter warmer.

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

Intro: A 355ml bottle, bottled on 30th November 2016. Poured into a snifter.
Appearance: It was black in colour with a nice one finger fluffy brown head that dissipated fairly quickly but left spotty lacing.
Aroma: Roasty, chocolate, cherry and a hint of coffee.
Taste: Roasty malts, rich bittersweet chocolate and coffee with hints of dark fruit balanced with some bitterness. Finish has a lasting ashy charcoal-ness.
Mouthfeel: Smooth, velvety and full bodied with low carbonation.
Overall: Nice and smooth. A good Russian Imperial Stout.

Almanac Hoppy Sour: Mandarina

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 & dry hopped with Mandarina Bavaria.

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

Intro: A 375ml bottle, bottled in November 2015. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku.
Appearance: A slightly hazy golden colour with a one and a half finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly while leaving only sparse lacing.
Aroma: Sour and tart orange and lemon with a hint of mango.
Taste: It’s what you’d expect from the aroma. Starts sour with tangy orange, lemon juice, unripe mango and peach. This is followed by hints of white wine and woody oak notes.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation and some quite strong but nice acidity.
Overall: The citrusy fruits were expected from the Mandarina Bavaria, but I was pleasantly surprised by the unripe-ish mango sourness. Nice and refreshing from Almanac.