Category Archives: 5 – Excellent (must buy)

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

3 Fonteinen Oude Geuze Vintage

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Brewery: Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6%
Style: Belgian Lambic (Gueuze)
Other Notes: 2010 vintage

Brewer Description: (from lambic.info) Oude Geuze Vintage is 3 Fonteinen’s reserve series geuze.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.65
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.5

Intro: A 375ml corked and caged but unlabelled bottle at 3 Fonteinen lambik-O-droom. Bottled on 8th March 2010. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy dark orange colour with a just under two finger puffy white head that had good retention and left some nice sticky lacing.
Aroma: Funk, barnyard, hay, earthy, citrusy lemon, oak with hints of herbal and green apple.
Taste: Tart, funky, hay, lemon, grapefruit rind, wet oak and hints of green apple.
Mouthfeel: Smooth, light to medium bodied with low carbonation.
Overall: Just wonderful, with great aromas and taste continuing after 8 years in the bottle.

5 - Excellent (must buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Bokke, Lambic - Fruit

Bokke Pjassel

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Brewery: Bokke
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6%
Style: Belgian Lambic (Fruit)
Other Notes: 2017 vintage

Brewer Description: (from bottle) 2 year old lambic with red vineyard peaches.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.79
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.6

Intro: A 750ml bottle at Koelschip, bottled in December 2017. Poured into a Cantillon tasting glass.
Appearance: A very nice ruby red colour with a just over one finger pink head that dissipated quickly while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Peach and strawberry candy with some light bandaid (but in a good way).
Taste: Cherry, strawberry, peach, jammy, candy like, with a light vinous character.
Mouthfeel: Light bodied with low to moderate carbonation.
Overall: Very nice. Love the wonderful fruity jammy candy flavours.

5 - Excellent (must buy), Beer Reviews, Fruit Beer, New Glarus Brewing Company, USA

New Glarus Wisconsin Belgian Red

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Brewery: New Glarus Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 4% (I think… the bottle and website don’t state this)
Style: Fruit Beer
Other Notes: Wisconsin Ale brewed with cherries

Brewer Description: (from bottle) You hold the marriage of wine and beer. Belgian Red is a tapestry of flavor. This ale is brewed with whole Montmorency Cherries, Wisconsin farmed wheat and Belgian roasted barleys, balanced by hops we aged in our brewery one full year, and then aged in oak vats. Over a pound of Door County Cherries in every bottle makes this ale uniquely “Wisconsin”. So unique, in fact, that we applied for a patent. Expect this ale to be ruby red, with a medium body that is highly carbonated and intense with cherry flavor & bouquet. Serve your friends Belgian Red in a brandy sniffer or champagne flute and toast life with ale from the land of Wisconsin.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.7
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.5

Intro: A 1 pint 9 fl. oz. bottle with no bottled on or best before date (but I think 2017 designed labels). Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A cloudy deep purple red with a big two finger beige head that had decent retention while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Tart, cherry, artificial candied cherry with hints of oak and almond.
Taste: Tart, lightly sweet, lightly sour, cherry, oak and almonds.
Mouthfeel: Light bodied with low to moderate carbonation.
Overall: Wonderful as the tart and sour balanced out the sweetness leaving behind cherry and almond fruity goodness.

5 - Excellent (must buy), Beer Reviews, Fruit Beer, New Glarus Brewing Company, USA

New Glarus Serendipity

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Brewery: New Glarus Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 4% (I think… the bottle and website don’t state this)
Style: Fruit Beer
Other Notes: Wisconsin Ale brewed with apples, cranberries & cherries

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Severe drought, we shared the farmer’s horror as Wisconsin’s cherry crop failed! Dan bought what cherries he could. The apple crop fared better. Then joy! A grand Wisconsin cranberry harvest. What will Dan brew with apples, cranberries and cherries? Oh my! You hold the happy accident of Wisconsin’s favorite fruit aged in oak with an almost magical wild fermentation. Serendipity is a wondrous celebration that sparkles your senses and dances across your palate. A kaleidoscope of flavor discovered by accident in a sour ale! Cheers to the unexpected.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.53
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.4

Intro: A 1 pint 9 fl. oz. bottle with no bottled on or best before date (but I think 2017 designed labels). Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy dark reddish brown colour with a big three finger beige head that had decent retention while leaving some spotty lacing.
Aroma: Sweet, jammy, cherry, apple juice, cranberries.
Taste: Sweetarts, sweet and lightly tart, cherry, oak, apple and cranberry.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with light carbonation.
Overall: Although sweet, I think the apple/apple juice flavours balanced out that sweetness really well, and I easily preferred this over Raspberry Tart which was almost too sweet. Very drinkable goodness!

5 - Excellent (must buy), Beer Reviews, Denmark, Mikkeller ApS, Stout - Imperial

Mikkeller Beer Geek Vanilla Shake BA Bourbon

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Brewery: Mikkeller ApS
Country: Denmark
ABV: 13%
Style: American Imperial Stout
Other Notes: Brewed & bottled by Mikkeller at Lervig Aktiebryggeri, Norway

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Oatmeal Stout brewed with coffee & vanilla & aged in bourbon whiskey barrels.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.57
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.4

Intro: A 11.2 fl. oz. bottle, bottled on 5th September 2016 and a best before date of 5th September 2026. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Dark dark brown, near black in colour with pretty much no head and no lacing.
Aroma: Vanilla, caramel, cream, chocolate, cocoa, oak and bourbon with hints of alcohol soaked raisin.
Taste: Cocoa, chocolate, caramel, fudge, vanilla, bourbon soaked raisin, oak, bourbon cream with touches of roasty coffee.
Mouthfeel: Creamy, full bodied with low carbonation.
Overall: A very nice sipper with good creamy vanilla and bourbon flavours.