Category Archives: Style

5 - Excellent (must buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brasserie Cantillon, Lambic - Fruit

Cantillon Blåbær Lambik

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Brewery: Brasserie Cantillon
Country: Belgium
ABV: 5%
Style: Belgian Lambic (Fruit)
Other Notes: 400 litre barrel with 100kg of bilberries added

Brewer Description: (from 2015 bottle) 10 years ago, shortly before we opened Ølbutikken in Copenhagen, Denmark we approached our friends at Cantillon and asked them if they would make a special beer for our little store. 50 bottles came out of that first batch. 10 years later we make the same beer once a year and this is the 10th Anniversary vintage. We are happy about our continued friendship with Jean and his family and are excited about every years new batch! Enjoy! Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergsø.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.72
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.6

Intro: A 375ml bottle at Himmergiet of the 2015 Vintage. Poured into a mini wine glass.
Appearance: It poured a slightly hazy ruby red dark purple colour with a one finger pinkish purple head that had good retention and sparse lacing.
Aroma: Blueberry, tart, funk, some acidity and lemon.
Taste: Blueberry, sour, tart and light funk.
Mouthfeel: Light bodied with moderate to high carbonation.
Overall: Wow, this was just special. One of the best Cantillon offerings I’ve tried along with the Lou Pepe Framboise. It’s just too bad I missed the 2016 release in Copenhagen by two days as I would have loved to open another bottle.

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5 - Excellent (must buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen, Lambic - Gueuze

3 Fonteinen Oude Geuze Cuvée Armand & Gaston

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Brewery: Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6%
Style: Belgian Lambic (Gueuze)

Brewer Description: (from bottle) (in French) Assemblage de jeunes, mi-vieux et vieux lambic, brassés par 3 Fonteinen. Cent pour cent naturel, authentique, spontané et un peu têtu, mais toujours élégant et plein de caractère. La Pure Passion, comme Armand et Gaston l’ont toujours fait.

(English translation) Blend of young, middle-aged and old lambics, brewed by 3 Fonteinen. One hundred percent natural, authentic, spontaneous and a bit stubborn, but always elegant and full of character. The Pure Passion, as Armand and Gaston have always done.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.67
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.6

Intro: A 375ml bottle at Himmergiet, bottled on 7th October 2015 and best before 26th October 2035. Poured into a mini wine glass.
Appearance: It poured a slightly hazy golden orange colour with a one finger off white head that had pretty good retention and left nice lacing.
Aroma: 3F funkiness, sour, tart, barnyard, leather and lemon citrus.
Taste: Sour, tart, apple, farmyard, oak, grape, grapefruit and lemon juice.
Mouthfeel: Crisp, light bodied with high carbonation.
Overall: Another amazing gueuze from 3F. Perfect mouthfeel with wonderful matching aromas and taste. Must buy if you can find it!

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3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Denmark, Lambic - Fruit, Mikkeller ApS

Mikkeller Spontanlemon

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Brewery: Mikkeller ApS
Country: Denmark
ABV: 7.7%
Style: Belgian Lambic (Fruit)
Other Notes: Brewed by Mikkeller at De Proef Brouwerij

Brewer Description: (from Mikkeller webshop) In the spontan series we present Spontanlemon – this time, forming an alliance with Lemon that were generously added underway the brewing process, creating a truly unique, distinct and very sour beer.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.76
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.5

Intro: On tap at Koelschip, Copenhagen, into a Mikkeller Spontan mini gueuze type glass.
Appearance: It was a clear copper colour with a half finger off white head that dissipated fairly quickly, leaving sparse lacing.
Aroma: Lemon, tart, sour, wood, oak with very light funk.
Taste: Lots of lemon. Lemon and carbonated water, sourness, some light oak and funk.
Mouthfeel: Medium to light bodied with high carbonation.
Overall: This was ok, but not one of the better beers in the Spontan series.

**Apologies for the poor photo below.

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4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, USA, Wicked Weed Brewing, Wild Ale

Wicked Weed Marina

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Brewery: Wicked Weed Brewing
Country: USA
ABV: 6.5%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: Marina is a blonde sour ale aged in wine barrels with over one pound per gallon of peaches and apricots. The result is a delicate, hazy-gold ale with deep stone fruit character

Brewer Description: (from bottle) The daughter of a poor, ailing farmer, Marina was wrought with the burden of responsibility. Her father had done his best to raise her with all the love and lessons benefitting a princess. Time passed and with it her father. Her worry for the land deepened and dominated her every thought. One night, Marina found a letter scribbled in her father’s hand: “Do not fear; you are the daughter of the king, sister to Medora, raised outside the kingdom to keep you safe when war was upon us.” Marina, unburdened and full of rejoicing, returned home to her sister, and it was said of them, never did such just and loving rulers watch over the people.

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

Intro: On tap at Koelschip, Copenhagen, into a Mikkeller Spontan mini gueuze type glass.
Appearance: It was a slightly hazy golden straw yellow colour with a half finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly but left great lacing.
Aroma: Sour, tart, funk, green apple and apple juice.
Taste: Sour, tart, peach, apricot, cherry, strawberry and light funk.
Mouthfeel: Light bodied with moderate to high carbonation.
Overall: Nice, refreshing and easy to drink.

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4 - Good (buy), AleSmith Brewing Company, Beer Reviews, Stout - Imperial, USA

AleSmith Speedway Stout – Hammerhead

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Brewery: AleSmith Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 12%
Style: American Imperial Stout
Other Notes: Coffee Imperial Stout with Espresso

Brewer Description: (from website) Mirroring the coffee-house espresso-drink of the same name, Hammerhead Speedway Stout is a version of AleSmith’s world-renowned coffee imperial stout dosed with even more select java plus a heaping helping of espresso. This highly caffeinated one-off was first brewed on an experimental basis as part of AleSmith’s popular Speedway Grand Prix event during the 2013 edition of San Diego Beer Week. Introduced along with 11 other special versions of Speedway Stout, it was an instant classic and the all-around favorite of AleSmith fans. As such, we are immensely proud to bottle it for the very first time as the first in a family of future releases that will eventually tackle the beer’s much beloved offspring, Double Hammerhead Speedway Stout and, for the most insatiable Joe enthusiasts, Triple Hammerhead Speedway Stout.

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

Intro: On tap at Mikkeller & Friends (Stefansgade), Copenhagen, into a Mikkeller tasting glass.
Appearance: It was a nice dark black colour with a one finger beige head with moderate retention and great lacing.
Aroma: Dark chocolate, oak, vanilla, coffee and a touch of alcohol.
Taste: Espresso, chocolate, vanilla, oak and dark fruit.
Mouthfeel: Rich, full bodied with light carbonation.
Overall: A very nice Imperial Stout and a great variant of the Speedway Stout.

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