Category Archives: Beer Reviews

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Scotland, Sour Ale - Smoothie / Soda / Pastry, Vault City Brewing

Vault City Red Berry Waffle Cone Shortcake Triple Scoop

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Brewery: Vault City Brewing
Country: Scotland
ABV: 8.4%
Style: Sour Ale – Pastry

Brewer Description: (from can) Our favourite flavours of ice cream are the inspiration for our latest dessert sours, back again in a series of single, double, and triple scoops… Layers of juicy strawberries, cherries, raspberries and blackberries are added to a triple serving of smooth vanilla ice cream served in a golden waffle cone with generous toppings of crumbly shortcake biscuit.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.4

Intro: A 440ml can, canned on 7th May 2025, poured into a winebar glass.
Appearance: A dark reddish purple colour with a thin half finger pinkish head that had decent retention and left some nice lacing.
Aroma: Red berry jammy, strawberry ice cream, raspberry, vanilla, with notes of waffle biscuits.
Taste: Sweet and a touch sour, strawberry jam, red berry compote, vanilla, waffle biscuits, sour cherry.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: An enjoyable dessert sour with a wonderful aroma and nice flavours.

4 - Good (buy), American Strong Ale, Beer Reviews, The Lost Abbey, USA

Lost Abbey My Black Parade

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Brewery: The Lost Abbey
Country: USA
ABV: 12%
Style: American Strong Ale
Other Notes: Bourbon barrel-aged spiced ale

Brewer Description: (from bottle) No one knew her actual name, to most she was simply Madame Marigold – Princess of the Black Parade. Each November 1st she led a procession through the town square to a make-shift altar at an unmarked grave. Year after year, the processions grew larger and the celebrations more elaborate. Patiently she waited for him always. Yet, he never arrived. Then one year, she too was gone. Her legacy endures as The Black Parade marches on despite her absence. Each fall, the entire village celebrates the live of all the departed including Madame Marigold and her anonymous lover.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.16

Intro: A 375ml corked and caged bottle, not sure of the vintage, but very likely more than 8 years ago. Poured into a Bokke tasting glass.
Appearance: Black in colour with a thin beige head that dissipated quickly, while leaving only sparse lacing.
Aroma: Dark roast, chocolate, bourbon, dark fruit, oak, with notes of cinnamon.
Taste: Roasty, chocolate, raisin, bourbon, vanilla, cinnamon.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Thinner than expected, but not a big issue. It’s a nice sipper with good aromas and flavours that work well together.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Canada, Messorem Bracitorium, Sour Ale - Smoothie / Soda / Pastry

Messorem Petit Jus de Mort: Framboise + Vanille

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Brewery: Messorem Bracitorium
Country: Canada
ABV: 6%
Style: Sour Ale – Smoothie

Brewer Description: (from can) Framboise + Vanille.

My rating: 4+
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.37

Intro: A 473ml can, canned on 21st May 2025, poured into a winebar glass.
Appearance: A dark purplish red colour, thick smoothie texture, no head, smoothie like lacing.
Aroma: Tart and sweet, raspberry jam, strawberry, vanilla, smoothie.
Taste: Much like the aroma, tart and sweet, raspberry, vanilla, smoothie, with notes of lemon zest and lime.
Mouthfeel: Creamy, thick full bodied with soft to no carbonation.
Overall: Very fruit smoothie like, with a classic fruit and vanilla combo that works in pretty much all desserts.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Corporate Ladder Brewing Company, Sour Ale - Smoothie / Soda / Pastry, USA

Corporate Ladder Dessert Station Apple Pie

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Brewery: Corporate Ladder Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 6.5%
Style: Sour Ale – Pastry
Other Notes: Gluten free dessert beer

Brewer Description: (from can) Gluten free dessert beer conditioned on apple, brown sugar & cinnamon.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.01

Intro: A 1 pint can, with no clear canned on or best before date. Poured into a winebar glass.
Appearance: Looks like apple juice with a few floaties in it. Pretty much no head, but there’s some white lacing here and there.
Aroma: Sweet apple juice, stewed apples, cinnamon.
Taste: Sweet, apple juice, sugar syrup, stewed apples, cinnamon, with light crusty notes.
Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Sweet, maybe even sweeter than apple pie itself. It’s more like sweet stewed apples for me, while missing the pie crust, which I think would have balanced the sweetness to a more acceptable level.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brouwerij Alvinne, Wild Ale

Alvinne Cuvée Sofie Kweepeer-Quince

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Brewery: Brouwerij Alvinne
Country: Belgium
ABV: 8%
Style: Wild Ale

Brewer Description: (from Untappd) Phi aged on red wine barrels (Margaux, Pomerol or St-Emilion), macerated on Quince. Fermented with our own wild house yeast strain ‘Morpheus’.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 750ml bottle, poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy copper amber orange colour, with an almost one finger white head that had pretty good retention, and left some nice lacing.
Aroma: Dried cherry, pear, pear skin, wood, with notes of apple.
Taste: Sweet and sour, tart, cherry, pear, apple, apple cider vinegar.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: The sweet, sour and acidity balance each other out well, and it drinks nicely.