Category Archives: Beer Reviews

3 Fonteinen Pruim Vroege Tolse

Brewery: Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6.8%
Style: Lambic – Fruit
Other Notes: Blend°5, Season 21/22

Brewer Description: (from bottle) This Pruim features the Vroege Tolse, an old plum varietal, hand-picked by our team in the summer of 2021 in the small plum orchards of Willy, a retired schoolteacher. With a yield of only 250 kilos, this is a small batch blend. The plums macerated on a single oak barrel for a good four months. We used two- and three-year old lambics for macerating and blending, originating from two barrels and two brews. The weighted average age of the blends upon bottling is almost 23 months, and the final fruit proportion is 285 grams of plums used per litre of finished Pruim. Bottle count: 860.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.12
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 750ml corked and caged bottle, blend°5, season 21/22, bottled on 7th December 2021. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A slightly hazy amber copper orange colour, with a one finger white head that had decent retention and settled to a ring around the glass, while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Plum skin, plum, lemon zest, funk, oak, with a splash of stone fruit.
Taste: Tart, plum skin, plum flesh, lemon zest, lemon, funk, oak.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft to moderate carbonation.
Overall: I preferred the taste over the aroma, and on the whole, it was enjoyable.

West Coast Hop Wave

Brewery: West Coast Brewing
Country: Japan
ABV: 8.5%
Style: IPA – Double
Other Notes: West coast Double IPA. Hops – El Dorado, Ekuanot, Simcoe & Simcoe CRYO

Brewer Description: (from website) Reintroducing one of the Hop Dude’s go-to brews, “Hop Wave” is a West Coast-style double IPA that celebrates our local surf scene, backloaded with veritable waves of El Dorado, Ekuanot and garnished with a touch of Simcoe to deliver the bright tropical fruit and candied orange aromatics the Alchemist craves. Hop Dude cleverly disguised the ABV hit with a medium body, citrus / pine on the nose and that classic West Coast-style bitterness, finishing dry, crisp and super clean. #clearbeer

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.68
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.5

Intro: A 500ml can, canned on 19th June 2023. Poured into a winebar glass.
Appearance: A nice clear golden orange colour with a two finger white head that had pretty good retention, while leaving lots of nice lacing.
Aroma: Orange peel, grapefruit, pine, a splash of lime, and a touch dank.
Taste: Sweet-ish pine, candied orange, citrus zest, grapefruit pith, light stone fruit notes, with a bitterish finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Easy drinking, but sweeter than I hoped, and looking for more bitterness.

Root + Branch The Crystal Spirit

Brewery: Root + Branch Brewing
Country: USA
ABV: 8%
Style: IPA – New England / Hazy Double

Brewer Description: (from can) Multi-oat/wheat Double India Pale Ale brewed with American hops.

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

Intro: A 1 pint can, batch 5, canned on 3rd May 2023, poured into a winebar glass.
Appearance: A hazy milky dark yellow colour with an almost two finger white head that had decent retention, while leaving lots of nice lacing.
Aroma: Grapefruit peel, citrus rind and pith, with notes of tropical mango, papaya, and melon.
Taste: A touch of sweet candied dried fruit, pineapple, melon, citrusy, grapefruit peel, citrus pith, and a light bitter finish.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Another easy drinking Root + Branch NEDIPA with good aroma and flavours.

Root + Branch Grammatical Fiction

Brewery: Root + Branch Brewing
Country: USA
ABV: 6.5%
Style: IPA – New England / Hazy

Brewer Description: (from Untappd) Multi-oat/wheat India Pale Ale brewed and dry hopped with Citra, Comet and Simcoe.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.17
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 1 pint can, canned on 10th May 2023, poured into a winebar glass.
Appearance: A hazy milky pale yellow colour with a one finger white head that had good retention, while leaving nice lacing.
Aroma: Sweetish, citrus zest and rind, strawberry, pineapple, mango, although a bit light.
Taste: Orange pith and rind, lime zest, pineapple, strawberry, and melon notes.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Aroma and flavours were good, but on the whole, a little light.

Root + Branch Ben Is Dead

Brewery: Root + Branch Brewing
Country: USA
ABV: 8.5%
Style: IPA – New England / Hazy Double

Brewer Description: (from can) Extra multi-oat/wheat Double India Pale Ale brewed and dry hopped with Citra, Cashmere & Motueka hops.

My rating: 4+
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.41
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.3

Intro: A 1 pint can, canned on 3rd May 2023, poured into a winebar glass.
Appearance: A hazy milky pale yellow colour with a two finger white head that had decent retention, while leaving nice lacing.
Aroma: Citrusy, grapefruit, orange rind, lemon zest, with light notes of tropical guava and mango.
Taste: Light sweet notes, grapefruit pith and rind, lime zest, melon, mango, pineapple, with a lasting bitter finish.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: An easy drinking NEDIPA with great aromas and flavours.