3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Japan, Lager - Black / Schwarzbier, West Coast Brewing

West Coast The Schwartz

Leave a comment

Brewery: West Coast Brewing
Country: Japan
ABV: 5%
Style: Lager – Black / Schwarzbier

Brewer Description: (from website) Ladies and Gents, It’s officially dark lager time. Hop Dude lager aficionados are ringing in the fall with “The Schwartz” our first ever take on a dark classic, schwarzbier. Lightly roasted coffee feels with hints of milk chocolate and dark fruit in an easy to consume low ABV elixir format—helllll yes. We may not end up comparing the size of our Schwartz, but we will end up having a damn good time taking it down. If and when, the next iteration we will def aim for a touch more bitterness, but for now we’ll gladly take the roasty drinkability.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.57
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.5

Intro: A 500ml can, canned on 11th October 2023. Poured into a winebar glass.
Appearance: Black in colour with a two fingered tanned head that had pretty good retention, while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Light roast, milk chocolate, a touch of coffee, and dark fruit notes.
Taste: As you’d expect from the aroma, light roast, malty, black coffee, milk chocolate, with light plum dark fruit notes.
Mouthfeel: Light bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Aroma and flavours were a little light in that I was hoping for stronger and more bitter roasty notes.

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

Cantillon 50°N-4°E Armagnac

Leave a comment

Brewery: Brasserie Cantillon
Country: Belgium
ABV: 7%
Style: Lambic – Gueuze
Other Notes: 2017 vintage, Armagnac barrel

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Lambic brewed on 18 November 2014, aged in Armagnac barrels and bottled on 7 February 2017.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.78
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.6

Intro: A 750ml corked and capped bottle, 2017 vintage, bottled on 7th February 2017. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed Zenne glass.
Appearance: A lightly hazy golden colour, with a nice one finger white head that had good retention and left nice lacing.
Aroma: Dusty, musty, derelict barn, apple peel, apple, Armagnac, orange peel, oak.
Taste: Lightly sweet, a touch tart, with bitter notes, candied citrus, lemon peel, citrus rind, apple peel, funky, dusty, oak, with brandy notes.
Mouthfeel: Creamy, medium bodied, with soft carbonation.
Overall: Drinks really well, balanced with good complexity. Just super enjoyable.

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

Cantillon Drogone Lambic

Leave a comment

Brewery: Brasserie Cantillon
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6.5%
Style: Lambic – Fruit
Other Notes: Cantina Giardino bottle #2902

Brewer Description: (from bottle) A collaboration between Cantina Giardino & Cantillon. A blend with the pomace of Aglianico grapes and 3-year-old Lambic. Before being blended with the Lambic, the grapes underwent a 3-month pellicular maceration in chestnut barrels.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.68
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.6

Intro: A 750ml corked and capped bottle, 2022 vintage, bottled on 19th January 2022. Poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A very nice clear ruby purplish red colour (getting darker towards the end of the bottle), with a one finger pinkish head that had good retention and eventually settled to a ring around the glass, while leaving some nice lacing.
Aroma: Grape and cherry hard candy, grape skin, red wine vinous, light funk, musty, a touch sweaty, and notes of tart blackcurrant.
Taste: Sour, tart, red wine vinous, grape skin, mixed berries hard candy sweetness, funky, musty, oak, and lemon zest.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Loved this. Drinks great, and the aroma and flavours were balanced and just exactly what I enjoy.

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

Cantillon Brabantiæ

Leave a comment

Brewery: Brasserie Cantillon
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6%
Style: Lambic – Gueuze

Brewer Description: (from bottle) The Gueuze Brabantiæ is the result of a blend of three year old Lambics aged in Porto barrels. Best enjoyed within 20 years of the bottling date. The flavor of the beer will evolve over time.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.49
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.4

Intro: A 750ml corked and capped bottle, 2018 vintage, bottled on 25th November 2018. Poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A very nice clear golden orange colour with a one finger white head that had good retention, and left nice lacing.
Aroma: Apple skin, funk, dusty, musty, sweet grapes, plum, oak, lemon zest.
Taste: Lightly sour, sweet grapes, raisins, port barrel, oak, funky, dusty, lime, lemon zest.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Enjoyable flavours with good barrel and funk complexity.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen, Lambic - Gueuze

3 Fonteinen Oude Geuze Cuvée Armand & Gaston Langste Kook

Leave a comment

Brewery: Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen
Country: Belgium
ABV: 7.4%
Style: Lambic – Gueuze
Other Notes: Blend°42, Season 21/22

Brewer Description: (from bottle) For this Langste Kook / Longest Boil – a special version of the Cuvée Armand & Gaston – we brewed a typical lambik wort, but with an extended boiling time. We usually boil for five hours – the highest in the lambik world and about tenfold of modern beer brewing. Now, we boiled a whopping eighteen hours. 18. Hours. After a full year of barrel fermentation and maturation, we blended with a young portion of lambik to assure continued bottle fermentation. With a weighted average age of the blend of almost twelve months upon bottling, this is a rather young geuze, but all lambikken were brewed with Pajottenland grains from our own Cereal Collective.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.24
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.2

Intro: A 750ml corked and caged bottle, blend°42, season 21/22, bottled on 23rd February 2022. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A lightly hazy copper amber orange colour with a just over one finger beige head, that had good retention and left some nice lacing.
Aroma: Tart, bright, lemon zest, citrus rind, green apple, oak, musty, funk.
Taste: Sour, tart, grapefruit, citrus rind, green apple, oak, funk, with hints of berries and caramel.
Mouthfeel: Smooth, medium bodied with moderate to light carbonation.
Overall: An interesting variant, that’s not quite as good as the original, but it’s young, has a great aroma, and drinks easy.

beer . travel . just life