Category Archives: 4 – Good (buy)

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Farmhouse Saison - Fruit, Sante Adairius Rustic Ales, USA

Sante Adairius Long Distance Neighbors

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Brewery: Sante Adairius Rustic Ales
Country: USA
ABV: 5.8%
Style: Farmhouse Saison – Fruit
Other Notes: Barrel-aged Saison co-fermented with fresh pear juice

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Meaningful connections often extend beyond mere physical proximity, and such is the case with Long Distance Neighbors. Beginning as a saison that utilizes California-grown raw grain from Sonoma County-based Central Milling, Long Distance Neighbors was then co-fermented with fresh pear juice from our friends at Mission Trail Ranches in San Luis Obispo County. The end result blurs the line between beer and perry, and stands as a testament to our kindred spirits who share a connected approach to their craft, while existing beyond our immediate region. Cheers to all of our neighbors, both near and far!

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.04

Intro: A 750ml bottle with no clear bottled on or best before date. Poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy golden straw blonde colour with a half finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly, while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Light tartness, pear, lemon zest, grapes, oak, and a touch of funk.
Taste: Lightly sour and tart, lemon, pear, oak, with notes of apricot and funk.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: An interesting perry and saison mix, but probably not among my favourite SARA saisons.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Bofkont, Lambic - Fruit

Bofkont Olasz Rizling

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Brewery: Bofkont
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6%
Style: Lambic – Fruit
Other Notes: 2022 vintage

Brewer Description: (from bottle) 1,2&3 year old lambic with Olasz Rizling grapes from Hungary. Skin maceration for several days. After this, the grapeslambic went back into a barrel for a year.

My rating: 4+
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.43

Intro: A 750ml corked and capped bottle, 2022 vintage, bottled on 30th November 2023. Poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A lightly hazy golden orange colour with a one finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly to a ring around the glass, while leaving some nice lacing.
Aroma: Funky, dusty, grape skin, minerals, oak, and honey.
Taste: Sweet and tart, grape skin, honey, lemon zest, funk, wood, boozy tea.
Mouthfeel: Dry, medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Nice enjoyable complexity with good aromas and great flavours.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Brew Your Mind, Hungary, Sour Ale

Brew Your Mind Fruit Works – Raspberry-Blackberry-Blueberry

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Brewery: Brew Your Mind
Country: Hungary
ABV: 5.5%
Style: Sour Ale

Brewer Description: (from can) Raspberry, blackberry, blueberry.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.12

Intro: A 440ml can, poured into a winebar glass.
Appearance: A very nice deep purple colour with a slight reddish tinge, and a big two finger pinkish head, that dissipated fairly quickly to a ring around the glass, while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Sweet mixed berry sauce, jammy, blackberry, raspberry, blueberry, vanilla.
Taste: Light sweetness, a touch sour, blackberry, blueberry, with a hint of vanilla.
Mouthfeel: Medium to light bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Nice easy drinking, with a good amount of fruit.

4 - Good (buy), Amager Bryghus, Beer Reviews, Denmark, Stout - Imperial

Amager Double Black Mash (2023) Bourbon BA Version

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Brewery: Amager Bryghus
Country: Denmark
ABV: 13.2%
Style: Stout – Imperial
Other Notes: Widow Jane BA (label says 10 months, Untappd says that was erroneous and it should be 22 months)

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Take a good thing and make it even better – that’s the philosophy behind Double Black Mash. This huge Imperial Stout was easily big and potent enough after the first mashing, but we thought what the heck let’s give it another spin. So we mashed it in a second time doubling everything that was already good while aiming for great. All grain, heavy duty, no nonsense. Did we hit what we aimed for? Well, that’s really up to you to decide. If you like it big and black this is your kinda beer for sure.

My rating: 4+
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.43

Intro: A 750ml black waxed bottle, 2023 vintage, with a best before date of January 2029. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: A deep black colour with a thin brown head that dissipated quickly to a ring around the glass while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Bourbon, light roast, chocolate, toffee, licorice.
Taste: Bourbon sweetness, chocolate, vanilla, toffee, wood, light roast, and a touch bitter on the finish.
Mouthfeel: Creamy, full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: An enjoyable sipper with great aroma and flavours. Back to basics barrel aged beer without the need to over adjunctify (is that a word?).

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brouwerij Timmermans-John Martin N.V., Lambic - Gueuze

Timmermans Oude Geuze Cuvée Lambikstoemper 2024 (25 Jaar)

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Brewery: Brouwerij Timmermans-John Martin N.V.
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6.7%
Style: Lambic – Gueuze
Other Notes: Lambikstoemper 25th Anniversary

Brewer Description: (from bottle in Dutch) Cuvée Lambikstoemper 2024 is een Oude Geuze, een door de EU beschermde benaming, samengesteld bij Brouwerij Timmermans (Itterbeek) door De Lambikstoempers vzw, naar aanleiding van het 25-jarig bestaan van de bierproeversvereniging uit het Pajottenland en de Zennevallei, lid van HORAL vzw en van Zythos vzw.

Deze Oude Geuze is een blend van 40% lambiek uit foeder 4 (brouwsel 10/05/2023), 22,5% uit pijp 214 (brouwsel 26/03/2020), 24,2% uit foeder 20 (brouwsel 11/11/2019) en 13,3% uit een Pinot Gris vat (brouwsel 24/03/2022), samengesteld door het Lambikstoempers beheer op 21/09/2023, afgevuld op fles in december 2023, spontaan hergist op fles in de Lambikstoemperskelder en feestelijk gelanceerd in 2024.

(translated to English) Cuvée Lambikstoemper 2024 is an Oude Geuze, a designation protected by the EU, composed at Brouwerij Timmermans (Itterbeek) by De Lambikstoempers vzw, on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the beer tasting association from the Pajottenland and the Zenne valley, member of HORAL vzw and Zythos vzw.

This Oude Geuze is a blend of 40% lambic from foeder 4 (brewed 10/05/2023), 22.5% from pipe 214 (brewed 26/03/2020), 24.2% from foeder 20 (brewed 11/11/2019) and 13.3% from a Pinot Gris barrel (brewed 24/03/2022), composed by the Lambikstoempers management on 21/09/2023, bottled in December 2023, spontaneously refermented in the bottle in the Lambikstoempers cellar and festively launched in 2024.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.31

Intro: A 750ml corked and caged bottle, 2024 vintage, with a best before date of 31st December 2044. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen gueuze glass.
Appearance: A very nice clear golden orange colour with a two finger white head that had good retention, and eventually settled to a nice fluffy cap, while leaving nice lacing.
Aroma: Funky, musty, fresh cut green apple, wood, hay, with notes of lemon zest and pear.
Taste: Green apple, lightly sour, lemon, lemon zest, wood, funky, with hints of gooseberry.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Light and refreshing with interesting aroma and flavours. Definitely on the young side, and glad to have several more bottles on hand to see how they turn out in the future.