Category Archives: Beer Reviews

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

Girardin Framboise

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Brewery: Brouwerij Girardin
Country: Belgium
ABV: 5%
Style: Belgian Lambic (Fruit)

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Minimum of 150g of raspberries per finished liter.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.28
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 375ml corked and caged bottle. The cork has the words Diam EX 2016, and the number 09 on it, which I think I’ve worked out to be Batch E, bottled in September 2015. Poured into a Cantillon ballon glass.
Appearance: A clear dark pinkish red colour with a very thin pink head that dissipates quickly while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Raspberry jam with perhaps hints of grape juice.
Taste: Sour raspberries and grape juice to begin, followed by sweet-ish berries with hints of wood.
Mouthfeel: Crisp, light bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Refreshing and nice to drink. Good balance between sour and sweet.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), American IPA, Beer Reviews, Hong Kong, Young Master Brewery

Young Master Panama Fruit Bomb Coffee IPA

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Brewery: Young Master Brewery
Country: Hong Kong
ABV: 6.4%
Style: American IPA
Other Notes: 64 IBUs

Brewer Description: (from bottle) (my summary) Brewed in collaboration with 18 Grams Specialty Coffee using Panamanian Finca Ziska.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.4
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.3

Intro: A 330ml bottle with a best before date of 30th September 2017. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A clear copper colour with a nice two finger white head that had great retention and lots of sticky lacing.
Aroma: Ground coffee beans with some kind of nuttiness I can’t quite work out as the grapefruit and light floral aromas keep trying to push through. Doesn’t seem to quite mix together here.
Taste: Sweet-ish malt to begin, followed by freshly shelled peanuts and a lightly bitter grapefruit and pine finish.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: I’d be interested to try freshly ground Panama Finca Ziska coffee to see what it tastes like as I’m a little perplexed as to the peanut aroma and taste, which I can only assume comes from the coffee and I’m guessing, unintentional. In addition, I feel that the fruitiness is coming from the hops and not the coffee, despite the name. Lately I’ve found that coffee in IPAs seem to change taste pretty fast and are best consumed fresh as soon as possible. Maybe something happened in this case, but I do believe the bottle is quite fresh (less than 3 weeks?). But this is why I prefer bottled on dates instead of best before dates. Anyway, it’s worth a try if you can get it fresh.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, BIIR, Lambic - Fruit, Spain

BIIR Sweet-Sour Red Series 2014

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Brewery: BIIR
Country: Spain
ABV: 6%
Style: Belgian Lambic (Fruit)
Other Notes: Bottled at De Troch, Belgium by BIIR Brewer Assoc

Brewer Description: (from bottle) BIIR Sour Sweet is a 100% lambic beer, aged 12, 18, 24 and 36 months in French oak barrels. It has 450gr/l of whole cherries and raspberries, without added sugar. Blended by Gunther Bensch (Montaigu), the maker of Triple Gueuze. Lambic beer is a traditional Belgian style beer with a combination of red fruits to get an unique and balanced sour and a sweet taste. It is made exclusively in the Zenne Valley.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.26
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 375ml corked and capped bottle, bottle no. 870/3800, with a best before date of June 2017. Poured into a Cantillon ballon glass.
Appearance: A nice clear dark ruby red colour with a thin soapy pinkish head that dissipates quickly while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Sweet and sour red berry fruit with cherries and raspberries leading the way. This is followed by blackcurrants and oak with hints of vinegar and funk.
Taste: Lightly sweet and lightly sour cherry, raspberry and oak with a hint of red wine.
Mouthfeel: Medium to light bodied with low carbonation.
Overall: It’s more sweet than sour which is not my preference, but it is still an interesting and very nice Fruit Lambic.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brasserie Dupont, Farmhouse Saison

Dupont Saison Dupont Cuvée Dry Hopping 2016

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Brewery: Brasserie Dupont
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6.5%
Style: Belgian Saison
Other Notes: Dry hopped with Brewers Gold

Brewer Description: (from website) Saison Dry Hopping was first brewed in 2010. In line with the Dupont tradition, this is a top-fermented blond beer, refermented in the bottle. The special feature of this beer, which is produced in limited quantities, is that the hops used for the “dry hopping” are different every year. This year, three distinctive hop varieties were selected. For the dry hopping, brews were made from the “Brewers Gold” variety, grown in Germany. The result is a coppery, blond beer, dry and refreshing with sustained bitterness. The use of Brewers Gold in dry hopping intensifies the fruity notes (mainly white fruits and citrus) and gives the beer a perfume of fresh hops. Our selection of yeasts gives the beer very specific aromas and flavours. The genuine bottle refermentation, which may be extended by a long period in your cellar, produces a complex and highly aromatic beer.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.07
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 375ml corked and caged bottle, 2016 cork with a best before date of July 2019. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku.
Appearance: It was a hazy golden orange colour with a two finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly and left nice lacing.
Aroma: Sweet juicy mandarin, orange, lemon, grass, yeast and pepper spice.
Taste: Follows the aroma closely with citrusy mandarin, orange, lemon, hay, grass, yeast and pepper spice. Starts sweet, ends lightly bitter.
Mouthfeel: Dry, light to medium bodied with high carbonation.
Overall: Another great, easily drinkable Saison from Dupont.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brasserie Dupont, Farmhouse Saison

Dupont Avec les Bons Voeux

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Brewery: Brasserie Dupont
Country: Belgium
ABV: 9.5%
Style: Belgian Saison

Brewer Description: (from website) The Bons Voeux is a blond top fermentation beer with refermentation in the bottle. Since 1970, the brewery has been brewing a special beer to give as a new years present to their best clients. The name of this beer “Avec les bons Voeux de la Brasserie Dupont” means “With the best wishes of the Brewery Dupont.” Because of the increasing success, they started to commercialise this “cadeau” but kept the name. Although the demands were considerable, only a small quantity was brewed, so they had to make a reservation list, even months before new year. This Bons Voeux is coppery blond, has very fine hop aromas and tastes bitter, fruity and mild. Our selection of yeasts, in combination with a long during riping process, on a “dry hopping” base, are creating a typical and complex aroma and taste. A real refermentation in the bottle, which will continue for a long time in your cellar, result in a harmonious and well-balanced beer, full of unexpected and complex aromas.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.29
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 375ml corked and caged bottle, 2016 cork, with a best before date of October 2021. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: It was a hazy golden straw orange colour with a just under two finger white head that had pretty good retention and left nice lacing.
Aroma: Peach, honey, lemon, banana and clove with some pepper and herbally notes.
Taste: Honey, lemon, banana, clove, grass, pepper spice and yeast.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate to high carbonation.
Overall: A very nice cross between a Saison and a Tripel. It’s got the nice classic Belgian beer characteristics and the 9.5% ABV is surprisingly well hidden.