Category Archives: Style

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

Alvinne Cuvée Sofie Kriek Framboos

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Brewery: Brouwerij Alvinne
Country: Belgium
ABV: 8%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: 2017 vintage. Alvinne limited edition, single cask, 350 bottles. 2012 French Oak from Gevrey-Chambertin

Brewer Description: (from bottle in Dutch) 65% Schaarbeekse krieken, 35% frambozen. 5 maand gerijpt op een Bourgognevat. Frambozen geteeld en geplukt door leerlingen van SBSO ‘T Vurstjen, Evergem. Schaarbeekse krieken uit Neerbeek-Brakel.

(translated to English) 65% Schaerbeek cherries, 35% raspberries. Aged for 5 months in a Burgundy barrel. Raspberries grown and picked by students of SBSO ‘T Vurstjen, Evergem. Schaerbeek cherries from Neerbeek-Brakel.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.19
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 500ml bottle, with a best before date of January 2022. Poured into an Alvinne teku glass.
Appearance: A reddish orange brown colour with a less than half finger off white head that dissipated quickly while leaving some nice lacing.
Aroma: Juicy, cherry, raspberry, oak, with notes of nail polish and vinegar.
Taste: Sour, tart, cherry, raspberry, oak, tannin, a touch vinous, and touches of vinegar.
Mouthfeel: Dry, medium bodied with moderate to soft carbonation.
Overall: An enjoyable balanced sour.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Garage Project, New Zealand, Wild Ale

Garage Project Omne Trium Perfectum – Guava, Coconut, Makrut Lime

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Brewery: Garage Project
Country: New Zealand
ABV: 5.8%
Style: American Wild Ale

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Three, it’s the magic number. OTP – a special series of sours, each batch combining a trio of unusual ingredients based on the perfect principle of three elements. This batch we’ve combined a hand-picked selection of 12-18 month oak-aged mixed fermentation beer with guava, coconut, and makrut lime to create a blend bursting with juicy, sour, tropical flavours. Omne Trium Perfectum, no more no less – for some reason things just work better in threes.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.39
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.3

Intro: A 750ml bottle with no clear bottled on or best before date. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy yellow orange colour with a half finger white head that disappeared immediately and left no lacing.
Aroma: Tart, guava dominates, with notes of pineapple, lime and coconut.
Taste: Tart, sour, guava, lime, with hints of coconut.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: A very enjoyable and balanced sour, with lots of tropical fruit flavours.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brasserie Fantôme, Farmhouse Saison

Fantôme de Tous les D’iâpes

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Brewery: Brasserie Fantôme
Country: Belgium
ABV: 8%
Style: Belgian Saison

Brewer Description: (from bottle in French) Tous avec les diables!

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

Intro: A 750ml corked and capped bottle with a best before end 2020 date. Poured into a Holy Mountain tulip glass.
Appearance: A very lightly hazy golden orange colour with a big three finger white head that gradually dissipated to a thick ring around the glass and left nice lacing.
Aroma: Citrusy orange, orange candy, carrot cake, herbal tea, gingerbread, and spices.
Taste: Sweet, orange zest, marmalade, tangy, biscuit malt, gingerbread, herbal tea, and spice.
Mouthfeel: Dry, light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Interesting aroma and flavours. Maybe sweeter than I prefer, but still drinkable.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Farmhouse Saison, The Lost Abbey, USA

Lost Abbey Carnevale

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Brewery: The Lost Abbey
Country: USA
ABV: 8%
Style: Belgian Saison
Other Notes: Brett Saison

Brewer Description: (from bottle) For centuries Venetians lightened the dark of winter with an elaborate upending of social order. In donning a disguise for Carnevale, for one night a pauper could become a prince, a learned man a fool, a proper lady a passionate lover… and no one would be wiser. This beer is our tribute to that grand celebration of the unexpected. A saison-style blonde ale with American hops and… well, that’s all you really need to know. Now put on your mask, raise your glass, and toast to the magic of a winter’s night mystery. Lo Carnevale!

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.83
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.7

Intro: A corked and caged 1 pint 9.4 fl. oz. bottle, vintage 2018. Poured into a Holy Mountain tulip glass.
Appearance: A hazy golden orange colour with a big three finger white head that had decent retention but eventually settled to a thin layer, while leaving nice lacing.
Aroma: Pear, apple, bubble gum, Belgian candi sugar, yeast, with floral and spice notes.
Taste: Sweet-ish, Belgian yeast, brett, bubble gum, pear, grapefruit, notes of spice and a touch boozy.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Sweeter and more boozy than I normally prefer, but still very drinkable.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Three Floyds Brewing Co., USA, Wild Ale

Three Floyds Chevalier Bertrand du Guesclin

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Brewery: Three Floyds Brewing Co.
Country: USA
ABV: Unsure as not on bottle (6.4% on RB and UT, 6.7% on BA)
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: American Sour Ale aged in wine barrels with blueberries

Brewer Description: (from bottle) In order to survive in the 14th century one needed to be a force to be reckoned with. In Brittany, Spain and France this knight proved his mettle in battle after battle. This tart blueberry ale was brewed in one of our 3000 gallon foeders in his honour.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.45
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.4

Intro: A 1 pint 9.4 fl. oz. blue-ish grey waxed bottle, with no clear bottled on or best before date (although I expect this to have been cellared 5 to 6 years maybe). Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy orange brown colour with a two fingered off white cream head that dissipated fairly quickly but settled to a thin continually replenishing layer, while leaving some nice lacing.
Aroma: Tart, blueberry skin, blueberry, mixed berries, cherry, plum, acetone, oak, with notes of citrus zest.
Taste: Light to moderate sweet and sour, tart, blueberry, cherry, blackcurrant, Ribena, plum, oak, lemon zest, with a sweet jammy finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate spritzy carbonation.
Overall: Enjoyable aroma and flavours that just worked for me. It was aged 5 or 6 years in my cellar, and actually, I can’t help but feel that it was better than I used to remember.