Category Archives: 4 – Good (buy)

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Flanders Red Ale, The Lost Abbey, USA

Lost Abbey Cuvee de Tomme

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Brewery: The Lost Abbey
Country: USA
ABV: 12.5%
Style: Flanders Red Ale
Other Notes: Barrel-aged wild ale with sour cherries

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Bourbon & wine barrel-aged wild ale with sour cherries. You are holding in your hands one of the most elusive and sought after small batch beers known simply as Cuvee. Our Cuvee de Tomme is a blend of Old World brewing traditions and New World brewing processes. It is made from our Judgment Day ale, then aged in American bourbon and French oak wine barrels. We add some fantastic wild yeasts and sour cherries to the barrels, creating a secondary fermentation. After one year, our brewers then get together to work out the final blend. This means that each batch of Cuvee will vary slightly between bottlings. Yet, the result will always be a memorable drinking experience.

My rating: 4+
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.55
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.4

Intro: A corked and caged 1 pint 9.4 fl. oz. bottle with no clear bottled on or best before date. Poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: It was a dark brownish red colour, with a thin beige head that dissipated quickly, while leaving only sparse to no lacing.
Aroma: Cherry, vanilla, blackcurrant, oak, graphite, cabernet sauvignon.
Taste: Sour, tart, cherry, blackcurrant, blackberry, vanilla, oak, with light notes of caramel, chocolate and bourbon, and a lightly acidic finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Complex and enjoyable. Loved the aroma, while the taste was good but perhaps just a touch acidic.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Lambic - Fruit, OWA Brewery SPRL

OWA Mikan Lambic

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Brewery: OWA Brewery SPRL
Country: Belgium
ABV: 5.5%
Style: Lambic – Fruit
Other Notes: Brewed at Brouwerij De Troch

Brewer Description: (from bottle) “Mikan” is Mandarin Orange in Japanese. Lambic is fermented by wild yeast and matured for several months in wooden barrel, and after with Mikan. Mandarin harvest in Japan. Not added perfume, pigment, even yeast. Mikan Lambic is the first marriage of Belgian proper beer and Japanese Mikan Mandarin.

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

Intro: A 375ml orange paper wrapped cap bottle, 2018 vintage. Poured into an OWA short stemmed glass.
Appearance: A clear golden orange colour with a thin big bubbled white head that dissipated fairly quickly while leaving only sparse to no lacing.
Aroma: Tart and sweet, mandarin, orange peel, dusty, hay, funk, damp wood.
Taste: Sour, tart, lemon juice, sour mandarin, orange, grapefruit, citrus peel, light funk, dust, hay.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: The Mikan and lambic combined well and it was very enjoyable and easy to drink.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Lambic - Fruit, OWA Brewery SPRL

OWA Sudachi Lambic

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Brewery: OWA Brewery SPRL
Country: Belgium
ABV: 5.5%
Style: Lambic – Fruit
Other Notes: Brewed at Brouwerij De Troch

Brewer Description: (from bottle) “Sudachi” is a small, round, green citrus fruit of Japanese origin that is a specialty of Tokushima Prefecture in Japan. It is a sour citrus, not eaten as fruit, but used as food flavouring in place of lemon or lime. Genetic analysis shows it to be the product of a cross between a yuzu and another citrus akin to the koji and tachibana orange.

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

Intro: A 375ml green paper wrapped cap bottle, 2019 vintage, poured into an OWA short stemmed glass.
Appearance: A clear deep gold copper colour with a thin big bubbled white head that dissipated fairly quickly while leaving only sparse to no lacing.
Aroma: Tart, citrusy, lime, yuzu, grapefruit peel, funky, barnyard, wet hay, damp wood, and notes of vinegar.
Taste: Sour, tart, citrusy, lime, yuzu, grapefruit, pithy bitterness, notes of wood, light funk, and a herbal perfumy touch on the finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Enjoyable very citrus forward flavours, like a blend of lime and yuzu.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Browar Stu Mostów, Poland, Wild Ale

Stu Mostów WILD No.13 Bière de Soif refermented with Red Regent and Rondo Grapes Blend 2021

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Brewery: Browar Stu Mostów
Country: Poland
ABV: 6.8%
Style: Wild Ale
Other Notes: Hops – Hersbrucker. 5 IBUs

Brewer Description: (from website) For this blend, we personally picked the grapes from the small local Jadwiga Winery, located just 20 km from the Brewery. The very same day we blended them with the beer base and let it referment with skin contact for over 12 days. This beer drinks really close to some of our favourite French “glou glou” Pét-Nat wines. Filled with cherry and red fruits aromas balanced with a slight tartness and funk notes. Delights with a vibrant cherry color topped with a pinkish, long lasting foam. Unpasteurised and so changing with time – perfect for refermentation and long aging!

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.25
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 375ml clear bottle, with a best before date of 10th May 2024. Poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy cherry red colour with a two finger pinkish head that dissipated quickly while leaving only sparse lacing.
Aroma: Funky, grape skin, vinous, cherry, with light oak notes.
Taste: Lightly sour, funky, grape skin, natural red wine, vinous, cherry, red fruits.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with high carbonation.
Overall: Nice funk with enjoyable grape skin and vinous notes.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen, Lambic - Fruit

3 Fonteinen Hommage Honing

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Brewery: Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen
Country: Belgium
ABV: 7.2%
Style: Lambic – Fruit
Other Notes: Blend°12, Season 19/20

Brewer Description: (from bottle) For this Hommage iteration, we blended about one third of kriekenlambik with two thirds of frambozenlambik, both macerated on stainless steel. The weighted average maceration time was four and a half months. While macerating and blending, we used lambikken originating from 4 different barrels and 6 different brews. The final fruit intensity amounts up to 413 grams of fruit per litre of Hommage. Finally, we added some honey just before bottling. 100% 3 Fonteinen.

My rating: 4+
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.39
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.3

Intro: A 750ml corked and caged bottle, blend°12, season 19/20, bottled on 13th December 2019. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A lightly hazy strawberry pinkish red colour with a two finger beige head that had dissipated fairly quickly, while leaving some nice lacing.
Aroma: Tart, raspberry, cherry, oak, lemon zest, with a splash of honey.
Taste: Sour, tart, raspberry, cherry, lemon, oak, with notes of vinegar.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Very drinkable with a nice blend of raspberry and cherry aroma and flavours. The honey wasn’t immediately noticeable except for a bit on the nose. But in the end, my preference is still the original Hommage.