Category Archives: Style

2 - Maybe (likely wouldn't buy, might drink), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brouwerij De Troch, Lambic - Faro

De Troch Chapeau Faro

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Brewery: Brouwerij De Troch
Country: Belgium
ABV: 4.75%
Style: Belgian Lambic (Faro)

Brewer Description: (from website) Milky, reddish brown colour with a layer of white bubbles. Vinous, tart-ish aroma, notes of blue grapes, grape juice, hints of morello, a touch of vinegar and leather. Taste is tart, fruity and slightly sugary, notes of morello, hints of blue…

My rating: 2
My beeradvocate.com rating: 2.91
My ratebeer.com rating: 2.8

Intro: A 250ml bottle with a best before date of 14th September 2019. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A clear copper colour with minimal white head, just a ring around the glass and no lacing.
Aroma: Musty, apple juice, soy sauce, cherry, apple cider vinegar.
Taste: Sweet, candi sugar, brown sugar, sugar syrup, apple cider, red grapes and a hint of wood.
Mouthfeel: Light bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Taste wasn’t bad and was better than the aroma, but it was sweet, too sweet. And even a 250ml bottle took quite a bit to finish.

5 - Excellent (must buy), Beer Reviews, Perennial Artisan Ales, Stout - Imperial, USA

Perennial Abraxas

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Brewery: Perennial Artisan Ales
Country: USA
ABV: 10%
Style: American Imperial Stout

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Ale brewed with ancho chili peppers, cacao nibs and cinnamon sticks.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.47
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.4

Intro: A 750ml bottle, bottled in 2017 (I think 27th November 2017). Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Dark dark brown to black in colour with a minimal brown head that dissipated quickly and left only sparse to no lacing.
Aroma: Cinnamon, creamy chocolate, carrot cake, and hints of chili peppers.
Taste: Cinnamon dominates when cooler, but as it warms it gets better as the roastiness, rich chocolate and cocoa, tones down the harshness of too much cinnamon. Only hints of chili spice on the finish.
Mouthfeel: Creamy, smooth, full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Cinnamon was too strong and harsh at cooler temperatures, but as it warmed, this was a wonderful balanced sipper.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Evil Twin Brewing x Prairie Artisan Ales, Stout - Imperial, USA

Evil Twin x Prairie Bible Belt

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Brewery: Evil Twin Brewing x Prairie Artisan Ales
Country: USA
ABV: 13%
Style: American Imperial Stout
Other Notes: Brewed and canned for Evil Twin Brewing at Westbrook Brewing Co, Mount Pleasant, SC

Brewer Description: (from can) Imperial Stout aged on coffee, vanilla, chilies, and cacao nibs.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.4
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.3

Intro: A 1 pint can, canned on 22nd September 2017. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Black in colour with a one finger brown head that had pretty good retention while leaving some sparse spotty lacing.
Aroma: Roasty, chocolate, cacao, coffee, with hints of vanilla and a splash of booze.
Taste: Rich milk chocolate, vanilla, roasty, coffee, light smokiness.
Mouthfeel: Smooth, velvety, medium to full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Nice easy drinking flavours means it doesn’t feel like 13% ABV. I’m not getting much (if any) of the supposedly chili though. A slightly heavier body would also have helped it even more. But really, I’m just nitpicking now.

2 - Maybe (likely wouldn't buy, might drink), Beer Reviews, Belgian Pale Ale, Belgium, Den Herberg

Den Herberg Cuvée Devillé

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Brewery: Den Herberg
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6.2%
Style: Belgian Pale Ale

Brewer Description: I could not find much in the way of any official information.

My rating: 2
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.31
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.1

Intro: A 330ml bottle with a notched best before date of what appears to be September 2021. Poured into a Chimay goblet glass (as I read somewhere that it was supposed to be an Orval clone).
Appearance: A hazy golden orange colour with a one finger white head that had decent retention and eventually settled to a very thin but replenishing layer, while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Lightly funky, light brett, grape, musty, straw, earthy, Belgian yeast and notes of wood.
Taste: Lightly sour, funky, brett, Belgian yeast, earthy, straw, hay, with a bitter finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium to light bodied, feels a touch watery, and soft carbonation.
Overall: Taste didn’t really work for me with this combination of brett, yeast, funk and earthiness. It was strangely on and off for me. Mouthfeel also seemed a tad watery at times.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brasserie de Jandrain-Jandrenouille, Farmhouse Saison

Jandrain-Jandrenouille IV Dark Saison

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Brewery: Brasserie de Jandrain-Jandrenouille
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6.5%
Style: Belgian Saison

Brewer Description: I couldn’t find any official information, but as per (beer webshop Etre), this IV Dark Saison has a similar recipe to the IV Saison but with dark malts and oak chips.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.11
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.9

Intro: A 750ml bottle with a best before date of January 2020. Poured into a Holy Mountain tulip glass.
Appearance: Dark brown to black in colour with a big four finger rather uncontrollable tanned head that had excellent retention while leaving behind some lacing.
Aroma: Roasty, coffee, chocolate, caramel, nuttiness with a hint of dark fruit.
Taste: Lightly sweet dark fruit, caramel, toffee, roast, coffee, bittersweet chocolate with a light spice.
Mouthfeel: Medium to bodied with moderate to high carbonation.
Overall: Pleasantly surprised. Although the roasty ‘dark’ part comes through stronger than the ‘saison’ part of this dark saison, it was still balanced enough to feel the Saison portion. Also, the higher carbonation maybe doesn’t go so well with the roastiness, but it was still very enjoyable.