Tag Archives: ba

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brouwerij Alvinne, Wild Ale

Alvinne Laurelin 2017 Fellowship Ale N°5

Leave a comment

Brewery: Brouwerij Alvinne
Country: Belgium
ABV: 8%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: 2018 Fellowship. Cuvée Sofie Schaarbeekse Kriek (2017). Fruit Flemish Sour Ale. Sweet 1/5, Sour 4/5 & Bitter 0/5

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Laurelin was one of Two Trees of Valinor. It was said to be some sort of cherry tree, her last fruit was made into the sun. In July we added 25kg of Schaarbeekse Kriek to a Domaine Harmand Geoffroy red wine (Bourgogne/Gevrey-Chambertin) barrel. This Cuvée Sofie aged for 16 months in this third time used French oak barrel.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.05
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.9

Intro: A 330ml bottle, with a best before date of January 2024. Poured into an Alvinne teku glass.
Appearance: A cloudy dark reddish purple colour with a thin white head, that left only sparse lacing.
Aroma: Tart, sour, cherry, cherry pie, acetone, nail polish, with hints of vinegar.
Taste: Sweet, sour, tart, tangy, cherry, jammy, cherry pie, cherry juice, oak, acetone, with notes of vinegar.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: I tried this side by side with the 2016 version, and I preferred this version a lot more. The cherry was much more prominent here and not overwhelmed by any barrel character like too much vanilla in the 2016 version. It’s still sweeter than I expected given the sweet and sour ratings on the label, and the carbonation was softer than I prefer, but this was still enjoyable as the acidity helped with the soft carbonation.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brouwerij Alvinne, Wild Ale

Alvinne Laurelin 2016 Fellowship Ale N°4

Leave a comment

Brewery: Brouwerij Alvinne
Country: Belgium
ABV: 8%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: 2018 Fellowship. Cuvée Sofie Schaarbeekse Kriek (2016). Fruit Flemish Sour Ale. Sweet 1/5, Sour 4/5 & Bitter 0/5

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Laurelin was one of Two Trees of Valinor. It was said to be some sort of cherry tree, her last fruit was made into the sun. In July we added 25kg of Schaarbeekse Kriek to a Domaine Noelat Michel red wine (Bourgogne/Vosne-Romannée) barrel. This Cuvée Sofie aged for 28 months in this first time used Hungarian oak barrel.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.8
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.6

Intro: A 330ml bottle, with a best before date of January 2024. Poured into an Alvinne teku glass.
Appearance: A cloudy dull reddish brown colour with a thin white head that left only sparse lacing.
Aroma: Sweet, oak, vanilla, cherry, marzipan, more wood, barnyard, and lightly tart.
Taste: Tart, sweet, sour, cherry, cherry wine, oak, vanilla, marzipan, with a splash of vinegar.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Given the sour and sweet ratings on the bottle label, this was a lot sweeter than I expected. That in itself is not really a problem. However despite the nice cherry notes, I felt that the oak barrel imparted quite a lot of vanilla into the flavour, and probably more than I prefer. I tried this side by side with Laurelin 2017 Fellowship Ale N°5, and I easily preferred the 2017 version more.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brouwerij Alvinne, Wild Ale

Alvinne Cuvée Freddy Framboos-Raspberry

Leave a comment

Brewery: Brouwerij Alvinne
Country: Belgium
ABV: 8%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: Dark Fruit Sour Ale. Sweet 3/5, Sour 3/5 & Bitter 1/5

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Foeder aged dark sour ale with raspberries.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.3
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.2

Intro: A 330ml bottle, with a best before date of August 2023. Poured into an Alvinne teku glass.
Appearance: Dark brown in colour with a two finger beige head that had decent retention while leaving only some sparse spotty lacing.
Aroma: Tart, sour, raspberry, oak, and a touch of acetone.
Taste: Sour, tart, raspberry, oak, with light acidity and balsamic.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Very nice raspberry aroma and flavours. I could drink this again and again.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brouwerij Oud Beersel, Lambic - Gueuze

Oud Beersel Oude Geuze Vieille Vandervelden 135 Years

Leave a comment

Brewery: Brouwerij Oud Beersel
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6.5%
Style: Belgian Lambic (Gueuze)
Other Notes: Bottled 20 years before best before date

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Vandervelden 135 Oude Geuze is a blend of 1 year old lambic aged on foeders that were previously used for mainly red Brunello di Montalcino wine and of 3 year old Lambic aged on an old Oud Beersel foeder.

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

Intro: A 375ml corked and caged bottle with a best before date of 14th February 2037. Poured into a Cantillon gueuze glass.
Appearance: A mostly clear golden colour with a thin white head that dissipated fairly quickly and left only sparse lacing.
Aroma: Funky, barnyard, musty, green apple, straw, oak, lemon zest and lemon juice.
Taste: Lightly sour, funky, earthy, straw, hay, oak, green apple, lemon, with hints of sweetness, pineapple, grape, and vinous notes.
Mouthfeel: Dry, light bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Very enjoyable. One of my favourites from Oud Beersel with good aromas and flavours, matched with a good balance between sour and sweet.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brouwerij ‘t Verzet, Flanders Oud Bruin

Verzet Oud Bruin Oak Leaf

Leave a comment

Brewery: Brouwerij ‘t Verzet
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6%
Style: Belgian Flanders Oud Bruin
Other Notes: Harvest 2015

Brewer Description: (from neck tag in Dutch) Oud Bruin Oak Leaf ontstaat door eikenbladeren toe te voegen aan bier dat reeds één jaar rijpte op eiken vaten. Aan de rand van een pittoreske, Meulebeekse vijver werden deze bladeren zorgvuldig met de hand geplukt. De nazomerbladeren geven het bier een houterige smaak en een drogend gevoel in de mond. De wilde gisten die van nature op de bladeren aanwezig zijn, fermenteren de restsuikers in het bier tot een brede waaier aan complexe en vooral organische aroma’s. Geniet van dit unieke bier en laat je door je zintuigen meenemen op een zonnige herfstwandeling in het bos.

(translated from Dutch to English) Oud Bruin Oak Leaf is created by adding oak leaves to beer that has matured in oak barrels for one year. At the edge of a picturesque Meulebeek pond, these leaves were carefully picked by hand. The late summer leaves give the beer a woody taste and a drying feeling in the mouth. The wild yeasts naturally present on the leaves ferment the residual sugars in the beer into a wide range of complex and especially organic aromas. Enjoy this unique beer and let your senses take you on a sunny autumn walk in the forest.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.27
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A corked and caged 750ml bottle, harvest 2015, and with a best before date of April 2026. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A clear amber orange brown colour with a one finger beige head that had decent retention and eventually settled to a thin replenishing cap, while leaving some decent lacing.
Aroma: Lightly tart, cherry skin, blackberry, mixed berries, oak, woody, dried grass, grape skin, light herbal medicine, and a touch vinous.
Taste: Sour, tart, cherry skin, grape skin, woody oak, dried grass, with a splash of vinegar.
Mouthfeel: Dry, lightly acidic, light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Refreshing and enjoyable with good aroma and flavours. Acidity is more balanced here than in some of the other varieties.