Tag Archives: ba

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Jester King Brewery, USA, Wild Ale

Jester King Nocturn Chrysalis

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Brewery: Jester King Brewery
Country: USA
ABV: 5.1%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: Barrel-aged sour beer refermented with blackberries

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Marion blackberries were added to mature barrel-aged sour beer and refermented to dryness. Unfiltered, unpasteurized, and 100% naturally conditioned.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.35
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.2

Intro: A 1 pint 0.9 fl. oz. bottle, blend five, bottled in August 2017. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen Zenne stemmed glass.
Appearance: A clear ruby red with a purple tinge colour, and a one finger pinkish head that had decent retention, while leaving some spotty lacing.
Aroma: Jammy, blackberry, woody oak, light musty funk, grapes.
Taste: Tart, lightly sour, blackberry, lemonade, oak.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Very nice blackberry aroma and flavours are front and centre with good lemonade notes to complement it. A very enjoyable wild ale.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Farmhouse Saison, Holy Mountain Brewing Company, USA

Holy Mountain Choir of the Sun

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Brewery: Holy Mountain Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 5.2%
Style: Belgian Saison
Other Notes: Ale aged in oak barrels

Brewer Description: (from bottle) A Saison fermented and aged in oak puncheons for 5 months. Choir of the Sun was hopped with Styrian Goldings, fermented with a blend of Saison strains, and aged with brettanomyces. Refermented in the bottle with brettanomyces.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.34
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.2

Intro: A 750ml bottle with no bottled on or best before date, but I think this has been cellared from the summer of 2017. Poured into a Holy Mountain tulip glass.
Appearance: It was a slightly hazy orange golden colour with a two finger white head that had decent retention while leaving only sparse lacing.
Aroma: Funky, musty, brett, strong barrel, oak, lemon, citrusy, and cream soda.
Taste: Light sour, tart, oak, funky, musty, brett, with fruity apricot and citrus flavours.
Mouthfeel: Medium to light bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Cellared for longer than intended, but still very enjoyable. Good mix of funk, brett, barrel and fruit, plus the lightness, just makes it very easy to drink.

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

Chimay Grande Réserve Vieillie en Barriques 2017 Rum Edition

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Brewery: S.A. Bières de Chimay
Country: Belgium
ABV: 10.5%
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale
Other Notes: 36% French oak, 42% American oak & 22% Rum

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.

(from website) On the eye, the beer boasts a deep brown robe with a bright glint. Its extremely fine and smooth foam also possesses a slight shade of cream. On the nose, notes of vanilla, marzipan and wood are equally predominant. On the palate, the woodiness cloaks the bread crust, roasting, rum aromas and empyreumatical notes. This edition boasts an excellent blend of the characters of Chimay Blue and Rum. A balance between roundness and power that will be appreciated at best between 6 months and 1 year after its bottling.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.18
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 375ml corked and caged bottle, bottled on 10th August 2017, with a best before date of end of 2022. Poured into a Chimay goblet glass. I always thought of the Chimay Grande Réserve and thus also it’s barrel variants to be a Belgian Quad, but it appears most sites list it as a Belgian Strong Dark Ale, so that’s what I’m going to do. Not going to debate this or differentiate the styles as a simple search will show many threads.
Appearance: A slightly hazy dark amber brown colour with a half finger beige head that dissipated quickly to a replenishing ring around the glass, while leaving some nice lacing.
Aroma: Light to moderately sweet, dark fruit, plum, prunes, oak, coconut, vanilla, with notes of rum.
Taste: Sweet malt, dark fruit, plum, prunes, grapes, fig, raisin, toasted oak, toasted bread, brown sugar, clove, vanilla, rum, light booziness.
Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied, with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Nice, complex and enjoyable, but not as good as the base beer in my opinion. I think it’s partly because rum is not one of my favoured liquors.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Belgian Quadrupel, Belgium, Brouwerij Alvinne

Alvinne Cuvée de Mortagne Sauternes

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Brewery: Brouwerij Alvinne
Country: Belgium
ABV: 12.8%
Style: Belgian Quadrupel
Other Notes: Traditional Ale. Sweet 4/5, Sour 0/5 & Bitter 2/5

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Sauternes barrel aged Quadrupel.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.78
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.6

Intro: A 330ml bottle, with a best before date of June 2023. Poured into a Chimay goblet glass.
Appearance: A hazy dark brown colour with a very thin beige head that disappeared immediately and no lacing.
Aroma: Sweet malt, slight vinous, red wine, grape, berries, apple, raisin, prunes, oak, with notes of caramel.
Taste: Sweet, candied dried fruit, prunes, raisin, grapes, oak, chocolate, caramel, and a light bitter herbal finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: It’s definitely a sipper with the booze and sweetness. Maybe a bit too sweet for me with lots of dark candied dried fruit and caramel. Still, the aroma and flavours were nicely complex with good barrel character.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Sante Adairius Rustic Ales, USA, Wild Ale

Sante Adairius Four Legs Good

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Brewery: Sante Adairius Rustic Ales
Country: USA
ABV: 9.9%
Style: American Wild Ale

Brewer Description: (from bottle) What do a three-legged dog, a made-up beer style, and a giant oak cask have to do with each other? One great beer. Four Legs Good, our Blond Quad, belies its sweet nature with a dry, full finish and sneaky strength. Fermented first in puncheons with extensive aging in oak foudres, Four Legs Good doesn’t care what you call it as long as she is along for the ride. Four Legs Good, three legs better. Sante!

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.45
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.3

Intro: A 750ml bottle with no clear bottled on or best before date. Poured into a Chimay goblet glass.
Appearance: A hazy darkish orange colour with a half finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly to a thin fluffy and replenishing cap, while leaving some nice lacing.
Aroma: Tart, redcurrants, apple, oak, funky, peach skin.
Taste: Sour, tart, plum, prunes, apricot, redcurrant, and oak, with funky notes.
Mouthfeel: Creamy, smooth, medium to full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Blond Quad? What’s that? Well, it is self described as a made up style. Before pouring, I thought it was a Quad, so I poured it into a goblet glass, but I’m going to call it a Wild Ale, and whatever you call it, this is still very good. Great sour, tart, fruity and barrel aging flavours, combined with a well hidden abv, just makes this extremely enjoyable.