Category Archives: Style

5 - Excellent (must buy), Barleywine - English, Beer Reviews, Birra Baladin, Italy

Baladin Xyauyù Fumé (Islay Whisky)

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Brewery: Birra Baladin
Country: Italy
ABV: 14%
Style: Barleywine – English
Other Notes: 2014 vintage, bottle #1762

Brewer Description: (from Untappd) It represents the complex expression of Teo’s mind in the creation of his couch beers. An high fermented beer after a macro oxidation process and 12 month aging in Scottish whisky barrels from Islay, which give a natural and turbid aroma. The color is deep dark brown with copper notes, in the glass is without cream and gas.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.68
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.5

Intro: A 500ml waxed and corked bottle, 2014 vintage, bottle #1762. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: A copper bronze colour, almost syrupy with no head and no lacing.
Aroma: Peat, leather, dark fruit, whisky.
Taste: Moderately sweet, dark fruit, brown sugar, toffee, caramel, light peat, and smoky notes.
Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied, a touch syrupy, and no carbonation.
Overall: An excellent sipper with good balanced sweetness. Admittedly, there was a worry on my part that this would be overly sweet like the Xyauyù Barrel, but no, it was really enjoyable.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Geuzestekerij De Cam, Lambic - Fruit

De Cam Perzik

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Brewery: Geuzestekerij De Cam
Country: Belgium
ABV: 5.5%
Style: Lambic – Fruit
Other Notes: 2022 vintage

Brewer Description: (from bottle in Dutch) Fruitlambik: 1000 kilo perzik (peach) worden samen met 1500 liter lambik vergist op vat.

(translated to English) Fruit lambic: 1000 kilos of peach are fermented together with 1500 liters of lambic in a barrel.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.12
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 750ml corked and caged bottle, 2022 vintage, with a best before date of July 2032. Poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy golden orange colour, with a one finger white head that had good retention and left nice lacing. The bottle itself, when opened, turned out to be a slow gusher, and definitely persistent.
Aroma: Peach, peach sour gummy candy, rose apple, apple peel, lemon juice, with a touch of damp wood.
Taste: Sour, tart, slightly underripe fruit, peach, apricot, apple peel, wood, lemon juice, and an acidic lemon pulp like finish which was a little harsh.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate to high carbonation.
Overall: Loved the aroma, and the flavours were nicely peach forward. Perhaps the acidic lemon pulpy finish which was a little harsh on the throat was a concern, but I’m hoping it will mellow out a bit over time.

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

Bofkont Dancing in the Moonlight 2021

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Brewery: Bofkont
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6%
Style: Lambic – Fruit

Brewer Description: (from bottle) 1, 2 and 3 years old lambic with apricots (Ardeche in France) blended together with peaches (Spain) and Riesling grapes (2020) from the Mosel in Germany.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.62
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.5

Intro: A 750ml corked and capped bottle, 2021 vintage, bottled on 15th September 2021. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen Zenne stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy golden orange colour with a one finger white head that had pretty good retention, while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Tart, sweet, jammy, apricot, peach, marmalade.
Taste: Sharp, sour, tart, apricot, peach, dried stone fruit, oak, with light white wine notes.
Mouthfeel: Medium to light bodied with moderate to high carbonation.
Overall: My first thought was that I absolutely loved the aroma, but the flavour was overly sharp and acidic. It quickly grew on me though, and by the time I poured a second glass, I really enjoyed the flavours, and found it refreshing.

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

Bofkont Raspoetin 2021

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Brewery: Bofkont
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6%
Style: Lambic – Fruit

Brewer Description: (from bottle) 1 and 2 year old lambic with 3 varieties of rhubarb.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.29
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 750ml corked and capped bottle, 2021 vintage, bottled on 29th September 2021. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A slightly hazy golden colour, with an almost two finger white head that had decent retention, while eventually settling to a ring around the glass, and leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Funky, citrus, lemon zest, rhubarb, and a touch earthy and leafy.
Taste: Tart, lightly sour, funky, light sweetness, rhubarb, with notes of stone fruit.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Although the rhubarb flavours were a bit light, the base and everything else seemed balanced and was enjoyable.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, England, Mills Brewing, Wild Ale

Mills Vienna

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Brewery: Mills Brewing
Country: England
ABV: 4%
Style: Wild Ale
Other Notes: Mills Brewing make beer with minimal modern intervention, relying on local wild yeast cultures and the influence of nature to ferment

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Vienna is a single barrel bottling made from one brew in May 2019. We made a turbid wort with Vienna malt, rye and raw barley. Solevian hops, both aged and fresh, were added during the boil. Fermentation and maturation took place in a well travelled 500 litre butt which was previously used for sherry, Scotch whisky and Herefordshire cider. The beer was bottled after 30 months in barrel, then conditioned slowly over winter.

My rating: 4+
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.44
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.3

Intro: A 750ml corked and capped bottle, bottled in November 2021, with a best before date of November 2031. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A clear golden colour with a two finger white head that had good retention and eventually settled to a thin cap while leaving nice lacing.
Aroma: Funky, sweet apple, lemon zest, oak.
Taste: Tart, light to moderate sour, lemon, apple, funk, oak.
Mouthfeel: Light bodied with moderate spritzy carbonation.
Overall: Light, balanced, refreshing, with enjoyable aroma and flavours.