Tag Archives: 2018 vintage

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, BFM (Brasserie des Franches-Montagnes), Bière de Garde, Switzerland

BFM Abbaye de Saint Bon-Chien Special Blend Bordo Casks 2018

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Brewery: BFM (Brasserie des Franches-Montagnes)
Country: Switzerland
ABV: 11%
Style: Bière de Garde
Other Notes: Special blend Bordo casks 2018

Brewer Description: (from bottle in French) Bière atypique aux notes épicées et balsamiques avec une belle acidité, la est élevée en barriques de vins rouges plus d’un an, puis assemblée.

(translated to English) An atypical beer with spicy and balsamic notes and a nice acidity, is aged in red wine barrels for more than a year, then blended.

My rating: 3+
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.96
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.8

Intro: A 750ml bottle, 2018 vintage, special blend Bordo casks. Poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A clear dark reddish copper colour with pretty much no head and no lacing.
Aroma: Lightly tart, dark fruit, plum, prunes, dark berries, vinous, wood, oaky vanilla notes, with a splash of balsamic.
Taste: Sour, tart, dark fruit, plum, prunes, dark berries, red wine grapes, vinous, wood, and an oaky vanilla note.
Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with no carbonation.
Overall: It’s got good aroma and flavours, but the lack of carbonation made it not nearly as good as the original. The lack of carbonation just seemed like it was missing something.

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

De Cam Malus Domestica Lambicus

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Brewery: Geuzestekerij De Cam
Country: Belgium
ABV: 7%
Style: Lambic – Fruit
Other Notes: 2018 vintage

Brewer Description: (from bottle in Dutch) In Gooikse velden rijpen de mooiste appels die samen met lambiek vergisten tot deze Pajotse cider. Deze variëteit van appels levert intense extra smaak aan de lambiek die vergist op houten vaten. 45kg op 100 liter jonge lambiek.

(translated to English) The most beautiful apples ripen in Gooikse fields and ferment together with lambic into this Pajotse cider. This variety of apples provides intense extra flavor to the lambic fermented in wooden barrels. 45 kg on 100 liters of young lambic.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.24
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 750ml corked and caged bottle, 2018 vintage, with a best before date of August 2041. Poured into a De Cam stemmed glass.
Appearance: A slow gusher upon popping the cork, but it poured a nice hazy golden straw yellow colour with a slightly more than one finger pillowy fluffy white head that had good retention, while leaving only some sparse lacing.
Aroma: Tart, green apple, apple skin, oak, lemon zest, peach, hay and funk.
Taste: Moderately sour, tart, green apple, apple skin, oak, lemon, citrus sherbet, funk, with light stone fruit notes.
Mouthfeel: Dry, medium bodied with high carbonation.
Overall: Very enjoyable and easy to drink with a good balance of fruit, sour and funk.

4 - Good (buy), Barleywine - English, Beer Reviews, Lervig Aktiebryggeri, Norway

Lervig Paragon

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Brewery: Lervig Aktiebryggeri
Country: Norway
ABV: 13.5%
Style: English Barleywine
Other Notes: 2018 vintage

Brewer Description: (from bottle) 2018 vintage. Aged in bourbon barrels for 12 months.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.16
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 330ml pink waxed bottle, 2018 vintage, poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: A cloudy rusty dark orange brown colour with minimal head and no lacing.
Aroma: Syrupy sweet, caramel, bourbon, oak, vanilla, dark fruit, raisin, dates, fruit cake, toffee, brown sugar.
Taste: Sweet, syrupy, caramel, toffee, brown sugar, coconut, bourbon, vanilla, oak, dark fruit, raisin, dates and fig.
Mouthfeel: Smooth, full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Great aroma, but approaching borderline too sweet for me. Still enjoyable as a sipper with its complex aroma and flavours.

4 - Good (buy), Australia, Beer Reviews, La Sirène Brewing, Wild Ale

La Sirène Cuvée de Bois

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Brewery: La Sirène Brewing
Country: Australia
ABV: 6.2%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: Avant Garde Collection. 2018 vintage. Oak-aged Wild Ale with chardonnay – solera method. Funk 4/5, sour 2/5 and oak 2/5

Brewer Description: (from bottle) La Sirène 2018 Cuvée de Bois is a special wine hybrid mixed fermentation farmhouse ale blended with select French oak barriques of La Sirène Saison. Using our vintage basket press, Australian chardonnay free run juice was brewed into a specially designed farmhouse beer, then blended with our barrel-aged Saison. The 2018 Cuvée de Bois is a delightful blend of balanced wild farmhouse complexity and grape forward acidity crowned by the elegance & depth of toasted French oak.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.21
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 375ml bottle, batch no. 230230, and bottled in February 2019. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A clear golden straw colour with a big two finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly and left only some sparse spotty lacing.
Aroma: Light funk, sweet white wine, grapes, peach, apricot, with a hint of oak and citrus.
Taste: Sour, tart, funky, white wine, grapes, stone fruit, peach, apricot and lemon peel on the finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Nice enjoyable grape and stone fruit flavours.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Fremont Brewing Company, USA, Winter Warmer

Fremont B-Bomb Coconut

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Brewery: Fremont Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 14%
Style: Winter Warmer
Other Notes: Malts – 2-Row Pale, Crystal-120, Munich, Roast Barley, Carafa-2 and Chocolate. Hops – Columbus, Willamette and US Golding. Adjunct – Coconut. Limited 2018 release.

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Coconut Edition B-Bomb: Imperial Winter Ale with Coconut aged in Bourbon Barrels.

This year’s release of B-Bomb is aged in 8-12-year-old American Oak bourbon barrels and is a blend of 9, 12, and 24-month old barrel-aged Winter Ale. This special edition adds toasted coconut to complement the bourbon, oak, cacao, leather, toffee, and dark coffee notes achieved from its extended barrel aging and barrel blending. Each barrel contributes a different note, and combining each barrel to create a coherent tone is a distinct art and true pleasure. Please do enjoy this unique barrel-aged ale today but know that Coconut Edition B-Bomb will age gracefully for years to come. Don’t Be Afraid To Be Abominable.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.74
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.7

Intro: A 22 fl. oz. bomber, 2018 release. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Dark dark brown in colour with a thin brown head that dissipated quickly, but left some spotty lacing.
Aroma: Roasted malts, coconut, chocolate, vanilla and molasses with hints of oak and bourbon.
Taste: Roasty, moderate sweetness, bourbon, chocolate, coconut, vanilla, oak, a touch of booze and hints of molasses.
Mouthfeel: Creamy, full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Nice sipper, but it got too sweet as it became warmer. I easily preferred Coffee Cinnamon B-Bomb which I thought was near perfect, over this version.