Tag Archives: ba

4 - Good (buy), Almanac Beer Co., Beer Reviews, USA, Wild Ale

Almanac Farmer’s Reserve Grand Cru

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Brewery: Almanac Beer Co.
Country: USA
ABV: 10.2%
Style: Wild Ale
Other Notes: Farm to barrel

Brewer Description: (from bottle) An Imperial Sour Ale aged in white wine barrels with California grown muscat blanc grapes.

My rating: 4+
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.49
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.4

Intro: An admittedly forgotten in the cellar but still tasting good, 1 pint 9.4 fl. oz. bottle, bottled in Autumn 2015. Poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A nice lightly hazy golden orange colour with a one finger beige head that had decent retention, but left only sparse lacing.
Aroma: Fuji apple and apple peel sweetness, light tartness, peach sour gummy, lemon peel, white wine grapes, vinous, oak, and vanilla.
Taste: Sweet Fuji apple, tart, peach sour gummy, white wine grapes, lemon, light funk, oak, with light notes of vanilla.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Despite being forgotten in the cellar, this turned out to be still really good, with a good balance of sweet, tart, and funk. It drinks really easy and doesn’t feel ‘Imperial’ at 10.2% ABV.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Lervig Aktiebryggeri, Norway, Stout - Imperial

Lervig Rackhouse Black Forest Picante

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Brewery: Lervig Aktiebryggeri
Country: Norway
ABV: 13%
Style: Stout – Imperial
Other Notes: Rackhouse. Stout aged in Tennessee whiskey barrels for 10 months

Brewer Description: (from bottle) We took our 3 bean stout a step further and spiced it up with a bit of heat and give it nudge with Norwegian cherry juice. And of course the barrel aging is the icing on this cake. Vanilla, coconut, oak and a touch of the bourbon will satisfy your senses in full.

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

Intro: A black waxed 375ml bottle, with a best before date of 9th August 2026. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Dark dark brown to black in colour, with a thin brown head that dissipated quickly, while leaving some spotty lacing.
Aroma: Light roast, chocolate, cherry juice, vanilla, coconut, with bourbon notes.
Taste: Moderately sweet, light roast, chocolate, vanilla, coconut, oak, bourbon, tart cherry juice, with a splash of chili spice on the finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: An enjoyable dessert like sipper, as the chili spice, tart cherry, and bourbon notes, balance out a lot of the sweetness.

2 - Maybe (likely wouldn't buy, might drink), Beer Reviews, Belgian Pale Ale, Denmark, Mikkeller ApS

Mikkeller Ǻrh Hvad?! (BA Cherry Wine)

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Brewery: Mikkeller ApS
Country: Denmark
ABV: 6.8%
Style: Belgian Pale Ale
Other Notes: Brewed & bottled by Mikkeller at De Proef Brouwerij

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Belgian Pale Ale aged in Cherry Wine barrels.

My rating: 2
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.08
My ratebeer.com rating: 2.9

Intro: A 375ml bottle, with a best before date of 30th April 2025. Poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy rusty dark orange brown colour, with a thin white head that dissipated fairly quickly, while leaving some nice lacing.
Aroma: Funky, brett, damp wood, grape, tart berries, orange, with light caramel notes.
Taste: Malty, funky, brett, damp wood, plum, orange, mixed berries, pepper spice, with a bitter finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: It’s been a while since I had the base beer, but my feeling is that it was better than this BA version, as this just didn’t fully work for me.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brouwerij Boon x Mikkeller ApS, Lambic - Gueuze

Boon x Mikkeller Oude Geuze Calvados

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Brewery: Brouwerij Boon x Mikkeller ApS
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6.4%
Style: Lambic – Gueuze
Other Notes: 100% Boon Lambic. Collaboration between Boon and Mikkeller

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Mikkeller Oude Geuze Boon Lambic is a new unique collaboration between Boon and Mikkeller. Blending lambic from one to three years old, this blend is made in the traditional method of spontaneous fermentation in the Senne Valley, Belgium. This special blend has a distinct twist being matured in oak foeders previously used for Calvados. Ideal before a meal or paired with cheese.

My rating: 4-
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.98
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.9

Intro: A 750ml corked and caged bottle, with a best before date of 22nd November 2036. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen gueuze glass.
Appearance: A mostly clear golden colour with a two finger white head that had pretty good retention, eventually settling to a thin cap, while leaving some nice lacing.
Aroma: Tart, funky, damp rotting wood, dusty, green apple, lemon.
Taste: Lightly sour, tart, green apple, oak, lemon, tea, with some mild calvados and funky notes.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft to moderate carbonation.
Overall: A good easy drinking Boon x Mikkeller geuze collaboration. I was hoping for the Calvados barrel to be more apparent than it was though as it did seem a bit muted.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgian Strong Dark Ale, Belgium, S.A. Bières de Chimay

Chimay Grande Réserve Vieillie en Barriques: Châtaignier neuf, Chêne, Cognac 15/03/2016

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Brewery: S.A. Bières de Chimay
Country: Belgium
ABV: 10.5%
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale
Other Notes: 38% French oak, 22% American oak (second utilization), 22% new cognac barrels & 18% new chestnut

Brewer Description: (from bottle) The “Grande Réserve” barrel aged is an exceptional beer that benefits from triple fermentation and extended maturing in barrels. Unfiltered, unpasteurised, this beer has an incomparable rounded, wooden flavour.

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

Intro: A 750ml corked and caged bottle, bottled on 15th March 2016, with a best before date of end of 2021. Poured into a Chimay goblet glass.
Appearance: A dark amber brown colour, with a thin half finger beige head that dissipated fairly quickly to a ring around the glass, and a gently replenishing centre, while leaving some nice lacing.
Aroma: Light to moderately sweet dark fruit, plum, prunes, raisin, oak, with light toffee notes.
Taste: Sweet dark malt, dark fruit, plum, prunes, caramel, toffee, oak, cognac, light booze, and a touch bitter on the finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with moderate to soft carbonation.
Overall: It’s a nice complex sipper, but my preference is still the base beer, which is just so good. Despite this, the barrel aged variants are still very interesting, and I would love to keep trying more.