Category Archives: 5 – Excellent (must buy)

5 - Excellent (must buy), Abbaye Notre-Dame de Saint Remy Rochefort, Beer Reviews, Belgian Quadrupel, Belgium

Trappistes Rochefort 10

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Brewery: Abbaye Notre-Dame de Saint Remy Rochefort
Country: Belgium
ABV: 11.3%
Style: Belgian Quadrupel
Other Notes: Blue cap. Trappist beer

Brewer Description: (from the Trappist website) Reddish-brown colour, begins with a density of 24.5º Plato and ultimately reaches 11.3% ABV.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.83
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.7

Intro: A 330ml bottle, with a best before date of 3rd October 2022. Poured into a Chimay goblet.
Appearance: Dark brown in colour with an almost two finger tanned head that had decent retention but eventually settled to a nice self replenishing cap while leaving nice curtain like lacing.
Aroma: Strong dark fruits, plum, dates, raisin, black currants, caramel, light roast, toasted bread with a hint of clove and bubblegum.
Taste: Lightly sweet, dark fruits, plum, raisin, dates, fig, black currant, candied sugar, caramel with light banana and clove.
Mouthfeel: Creamy, light syrup, light booze, medium to full bodied with moderate to low carbonation.
Overall: Excellent, just so good. This is easily my favourite Trappist Quadrupel out there. It’s just so balanced, tasty and a joy to drink.

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5 - Excellent (must buy), Beer Reviews, Belgian Lambic (Fruit), Belgium, Brasserie Cantillon

Cantillon Vigneronne

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Brewery: Brasserie Cantillon
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6.5%
Style: Belgian Lambic (Fruit)
Other Notes: Muscat grapes

Brewer Description: (from bottle) A fine compromise between wine and beer, this is the Vigneronne Cantillon 100% lambic. The fruity taste of the white grape harmonized with the powerful character of a two year old lambic make from the Vigneronne Cantillon an unique beer. Beer with a taste evolution. Store and serve at cellar temperature 10-13°C/50-55°F. To enjoy completely the fruity taste of the Vigneronne Cantillon, drink it better in the year after purchase. To be drunk preferably within the 10 years after the bottling date.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.47
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.4

Intro: A 750ml bottle, bottled on 22nd October 2017. Poured into a Cantillon ballon glass.
Appearance: A lightly hazy golden colour with a less than one finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly while leaving some nice lacing.
Aroma: Tart, white grape, grape skin, peach, apricot, pear, lemon, oak, wet hay with light funk.
Taste: Sour, tart, sweet green grapes, peach, pear, lemon, oak and moderate funk.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Really tasty and excellent as is. It’s only been bottled for less than a year, but I think extra time in the bottle does it wonders.

5 - Excellent (must buy), Beer Reviews, Belgian Lambic (Unblended), Belgium, Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen

3 Fonteinen Zenne y Frontera Solera

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Brewery: Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen
Country: Belgium
ABV: 7%
Style: Belgian Lambic (Unblended)
Other Notes: Lambic blend aged on Oloroso & Pedro Ximénez sherry casks

Brewer Description: (from bottle) With the first version of Zenne y Frontera, 9 Oloroso barrels and 3 PX barrels were filled with young lambic. After one year of oak maturation, the characteristics of the finest of sherries and the 40 year old casks integrated with the 3 Fonteinen lambic. Only half of the volume of all casks was blended and bottled and the barrels were filled again with young lambic – our interpretation of the “solera” method. For this second edition, again only half of all barrels was blended and bottled. After another 17 months of bottle maturation, the average age of this naturally refined traditional lambic beer is more than 45 months. This batch is limited to 3000 bottles.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.8
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.6

Intro: A 750ml bottle, batch 2, bottled on 26th March 2016 and a best before date of 26th October 2026. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen funnel and decanter, decanted for 60 to 90 minutes and poured into a 3 Fonteinen Zenne glass.
Appearance: A mostly clear golden orange colour with a minimal white head and sparse to no lacing.
Aroma: Earthy funk, barnyard, hay, oak, nutty, sherry, peach and lemon.
Taste: Complex flavours. Funky, earthy, barnyard, sour, lemon, grape, apricot, sherry and oak with a hint of vanilla.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Wow, such complexity and goodness from a beer. Amazing and well balanced. Now I really want to try this side by side with the sherries and even batch 1, if at all possible.

5 - Excellent (must buy), Beer Reviews, Belgian Lambic (Fruit), Belgium, Brasserie Cantillon

Cantillon Cuvée Moeder Lambic Kriek

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Brewery: Brasserie Cantillon
Country: Belgium
ABV: 5%
Style: Belgian Lambic (Fruit)
Other Notes: aka Cantillon Kriekenlambik

Brewer Description: (from lambic.info) Cantillon Cuvée Moeder is a kriek blend made specifically for the two Moeder Lambic bars in Brussels. Whereas Cantillon Kriek contains 200 grams per liter of Turkish cherries and the Lou Pepe Kriek contains 300 grams per liter (g/l) of Schaerbeekse cherries, this unique kriek blend is made with of 200 grams per liter of Turkish cherries and 100 grams per liter of Schaerbeekse cherries.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.55
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.4

Intro: A 250ml pour from the cask at Moeder Lambic Fontainas into a Cantillon Gueuze glass.
Appearance: A hazy dark ruby red colour with an almost two finger frothy pink head that had pretty good retention and left some lacing.
Aroma: Cherry, almond and marzipan.
Taste: Sour, tart, cherry, almond, marzipan and a touch of lime.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Very refreshing and just so easy to drink.

5 - Excellent (must buy), Beer Reviews, Belgian Lambic (Gueuze), Belgium, Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen

3 Fonteinen Oude Geuze Honing

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Brewery: Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen
Country: Belgium
ABV: Unknown (7%?)
Style: Belgian Lambic (Gueuze)
Other Notes: 2015 vintage

Brewer Description: (from lambic.info) 3 Fonteinen Oude Geuze Honing is a geuze infused with honey (local organic honey).

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.67
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.5

Intro: A 750ml bottle at 3 Fonteinen lambik-O-droom, 2015 vintage, bottled on 12th January 2015. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A clear dark orange, copper colour with a three finger off white head that had great retention and thick stick lacing.
Aroma: Funk, grass, hay, lightly sweet honey, light herbs and lemon peel.
Taste: Sour, funk, lightly sweet, grass, hay, lemon peel, sherry vinegar and light berries.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with soft to moderate carbonation.
Overall: Another amazing lambic by 3 Fonteinen. Just so enjoyable and relaxing to drink.