Category Archives: Beer Reviews

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

Lambiek Fabriek Oude Kriek Jart-Elle

Leave a comment

Brewery: Lambiek Fabriek
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6%
Style: Belgian Lambic (Fruit)

Brewer Description: (from bottle in Dutch) Oude Kriek, traditionele en uniek blend op basis van kriekenlambiek met hergisting op de fles. De kriekenlambiek is bekomen door het macereren van verse krieken op onze zelf gebrouwen lambieken. Dit product is puur, ongefilterd en niet gepasteuriseerd.

(translated from Dutch to English) Oude Kriek, traditional and unique blend based on cherries lambic with refermentation in the bottle. Cherry lambic is obtained by macerating fresh cherries on our home-brewed lambics. This product is pure, unfiltered and unpasteurized.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.18
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 750ml corked and capped bottle, bottled in January 2020. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A very nice looking hazy ruby red colour with a two finger pink head that had pretty good retention and left nice lacing.
Aroma: Funky, barnyard, oak, straw, herbal, minerally, with notes of cherry.
Taste: Tart, oak, hay, cherry skin, cherry, sour and funky.
Mouthfeel: Dry, light bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Not getting as much cherry in the aroma as I would like, but the look and taste were great and enjoyable.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brouwerij De Ranke, Lambic - Gueuze

De Ranke Mirakel

Leave a comment

Brewery: Brouwerij De Ranke
Country: Belgium
ABV: 5.5%
Style: Belgian Lambic (Gueuze)
Other Notes: 2018 vintage. Spierelambic

Brewer Description: (from bottle) The lambics used in this blend are one, two and three years old. Two of them are real lambics made by traditional producers of the valley of the Senne river. The third one is made in our own brewery and we’ve called it Spierelambic, after the tiny river that runs near the brewery. We love this style and decided to try to make it ourselves. That it seemed to work, was a miracle to us.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.55
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.4

Intro: A 750ml bottle, 2018 vintage, bottled in June 2018, with a best before date of 8th June 2023. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A lightly hazy golden straw yellow colour with pretty much no head and no lacing.
Aroma: Light funk, barnyard, oak, lemon peel, apricot, and Champagne grape.
Taste: Lightly sour, funky, oak, lemon, green apple, with notes of apricot.
Mouthfeel: Light bodied with soft to no carbonation.
Overall: Aroma and flavours were not as bold or funky as some of the better Gueuze’s I’ve tried, and I wasn’t fond of the lack of carbonation.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brouwerij Lindemans x Brouwerij Varenbroek, Lambic - non-Lambic Blends

Lindemans x Varenbroek Goyck

Leave a comment

aka – Lindemans Goyck (beeradvocate)
aka – Varenbroek Goyck (ratebeer & untappd)

Brewery: Brouwerij Lindemans x Brouwerij Varenbroek
Country: Belgium
ABV: 5.5%
Style: Belgian Lambic (non-Lambic blends)
Other Notes: a fine blend of ‘Toots’ & ‘Lindemans Lambic’

Brewer Description: (from bottle) ‘GOYCK’ is a blend beer from a top fermented beer ‘Toots’ and a beer of spontaneous fermentation ‘Lindemans Lambic’. The bottle refermentation with ‘Brettanomyces’ gives the final beer a unique taste and aroma! ‘GOYCK’ refers to the old notation of the name of our beautiful village. A village and a beer of ‘Pajottenland’ to be proud of!

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.08
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 750ml bottle, bottled on April 2018, with a best before date of April 2025. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A lightly hazy golden straw yellow colour with a big three finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly but eventually settled to a very nice fluffy thin replenishing layer while leaving good lacing.
Aroma: Brett, damp wood, zingy, citrus rind, lemon peel, apricot, peach, straw, with floral notes.
Taste: Funky, brett, musty, apricot, peach, citrusy, lemon zest, grass, with a herbal and floral finish.
Mouthfeel: Creamy, medium bodied with moderate to soft carbonation.
Overall: An enjoyable blend of beers that is refreshing and great for a hot summer day.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Denmark, Lambic - Gueuze, Mikkeller ApS

Mikkeller HUES

Leave a comment

Brewery: Mikkeller ApS
Country: Denmark
ABV: 5%
Style: Belgian Lambic (Gueuze)
Other Notes: 2014 vintage. Brewed by Mikkeller at De Proef Brouwerij, Belgium

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Spontaneously fermented beer aged in Hungarian oak barrels.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.9
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.8

Intro: A 375ml corked and caged bottle with a best before date of 27th March 2024. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen gueuze glass.
Appearance: A dark rusty orange amber colour with a very thin white head that disappeared immediately and left no lacing.
Aroma: Funky, apple cider vinegar, green apple, grape, oak.
Taste: Sour, musty, wet oak, apple peel, vinegar, lemon juice, with vinous notes.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate to soft carbonation.
Overall: Reminds me of the Spontan series, and much like Betelgeuze, I grew to enjoy it more and more towards the end.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Denmark, Lambic - Fruit, Mikkeller ApS

Mikkeller Spontandoubleraspberry

Leave a comment

Brewery: Mikkeller ApS
Country: Denmark
ABV: 7.7%
Style: Belgian Lambic (Fruit)
Other Notes: Brewed by Mikkeller at De Proef Brouwerij, Belgium

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Sour ale brewed with raspberries & aged in oak barrels.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.43
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.3

Intro: A 375ml bottle with a best before date of 29th May 2028. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy dark ruby red colour with a two finger pinkish beige head that had great retention and left lots of nice lacing.
Aroma: Wood, lightly tart, jammy, raspberry, strawberry shortcake.
Taste: Lightly sour, tart, jammy, raspberry, lime, oak.
Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Enjoyable jammy raspberry flavours. One of the better ones in the Spontan lineup.