Category Archives: Style

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, De Struise Brouwers, Stout - Russian Imperial

De Struise Cuvée Delphine Cask Strength 4 Roses BA

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Brewery: De Struise Brouwers
Country: Belgium
ABV: 13%
Style: Russian Imperial Stout
Other Notes: 2015 vintage

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Cask strength limited edition, medium carbonation, 4 Roses bourbon barrel 1 year.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.23
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 750ml bottle, 2015 vintage, limited edition cask strength, bottled on 10th May 2016. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Black in colour with a half finger brown head that dissipated fairly quickly, while leaving only sparse to no lacing.
Aroma: Sweet dark malt, milk chocolate, dried dark fruit, raisin, prunes, fruit cake, with boozy notes.
Taste: Sweet dark malt, dark dried fruit, raisin, prunes, fruit cake, bourbon, with notes of milk chocolate.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft to moderate carbonation.
Overall: A nice sipping RIS with a good amount of dried dark fruit and bourbon flavours, although my preference is still with the original Cuvée Delphine.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Croatia, Sour Ale, The Garden Brewery

The Garden Imperial Blueberry Lemon & Vanilla Sour

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Brewery: The Garden Brewery
Country: Croatia
ABV: 7.1%
Style: Sour Ale
Other Notes: Malts – Lager, Flaked Wheat and Jumbo Oats. Hops – Magnum. Yeast – Sanders & Brexit. Adjuncts – Blueberry, Vanilla and Lemon

Brewer Description: (from can) Double-fruited kettle sour with fragrant Vanilla and zesty Lisbon Lemons.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.93
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.8

Intro: A 440ml can, canned on 18th August 2021. Poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A cloudy purple colour with a one finger purple head that had decent retention, while leaving only sparse lacing.
Aroma: Tart, blueberry, vanilla, and lemon zest.
Taste: Moderately sour, with notes of sweetness. Tart, blueberry, lemon juice, lemon zest, and a touch of vanilla.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Nice adjunct flavours that go well together, although I would have preferred a stronger vanilla presence to maybe cut the sharpness of the lemon a bit.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Laugar Brewery, Spain, Stout - Russian Imperial

Laugar Basatia

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Brewery: Laugar Brewery
Country: Spain
ABV: 8%
Style: Russian Imperial Stout

Brewer Description: (from website) Get ready to run wild with its full body and creamy texture. Come to the dark side and jump into a bath of dark chocolate and roasted coffee flavours.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.53
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.4

Intro: A 330ml bottle with a best before date of February 2023. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Black in colour with pretty much no head and no lacing.
Aroma: Roasty, malty, chocolate, molasses, with notes of caramel, coffee and dark fruits.
Taste: Moderately roasty, chocolate, umami, soy sauce, dried dark fruit, molasses, caramel malt, with a hint of coffee.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Aroma and flavours were fine, but the body was definite lacking and much lighter than I would prefer and expect in an Imperial Stout.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brasserie de la Mule, Wheat - Hopfenweisse

Mule Hopfen Weisse

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Brewery: Brasserie de la Mule
Country: Belgium
ABV: 8%
Style: Wheat – Hopfenweisse

Brewer Description: 2021 BXL BeerFest beer pack, but should be part of their core range now.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.88
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.8

Intro: A 750ml bottle, with a best before date of 16th August 2022. From the 2021 BXL BeerFest beer pack. Poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A mostly clear golden orange colour with a big two finger white head that had pretty good retention and left some nice lacing.
Aroma: Wheat, clove, banana bread, notes of orange peel, and a touch herbal.
Taste: Wheat, floral, soapy, clove, banana, caramel malt, bitter citrus pith, orange peel, peppery spice, with herbal finishing notes.
Mouthfeel: Medium to light bodied with moderate to high carbonation.
Overall: While this was an interesting beer, and I think the base was good, the floral soapy notes I’m getting were not really my cup of tea.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Gueuzerie Tilquin, Lambic - Fruit

Tilquin Oude Sureau À l’ancienne

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Brewery: Gueuzerie Tilquin
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6.6%
Style: Lambic – Fruit
Other Notes: 2020-2021

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Beer of spontaneous fermentation, the Old Sureau Tilquin is made from the fermentation of 125g of elderberries by liter of lambic. Unfiltered and unpasteurized, this beer is refermented in the bottle.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.41
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.2

Intro: A 750ml corked and caged bottle, with a neck label of 2020-2021, and a best before date of 9th March 2031. Poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A very nice hazy reddish purple colour with a two finger pinkish head that dissipated fairly quickly to a ring around the glass, while leaving only sparse lacing.
Aroma: Mixed berries, blackberry, elderberry, plum, red wine, oak, earthy, with maybe some light funk notes.
Taste: Sour, tart, fruit forward, mixed berries, elderberry, blackberry, blackcurrant, red wine grapes, oak, earthy, green vines, with light funk.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Nice enjoyable berry aroma and flavours.