Tag Archives: barrel aged

4 - Good (buy), 8 Wired Brewing Co., Beer Reviews, Flanders Red Ale, New Zealand

8 Wired Le Fût

Friday, 6 January 2017 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: 8 Wired Brewing Co.
Country: New Zealand
ABV: 6.7%
Style: Belgian Flanders Red Ale
Other Notes: 2013 vintage. Aged in Wine Barrels

Brewer Description: (from bottle) A complex sour red ale brewed in the Flemish tradition and aged in French oak barrels for two years. Blended from 15 unique barrels to create the perfect combination of acidity and sweetness, funk and fruitiness.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.04
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.9

Intro: A 500ml bottle, 2013 vintage. Poured into a Cantillon ballon glass.
Appearance: A clear copper red colour with a one finger light tanned head that dissipated quickly, but leaves some nice lacing.
Aroma: Cherry, vinous red and white wine, oak and wet wood with a touch of balsamic.
Taste: Lightly sour, tart, cherry, raisins, oaky wood, vinous red wine, soft funk and a red wine vinegar plus pepper punch at the end.
Mouthfeel: Dry, medium to light bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: I thought that there was less fruit and a more oaky vinous character than traditional Flanders Red Ales, but in this case, that was to be expected since it was aged in wine barrels. Enjoyable, I like it!

4 - Good (buy), Avery Brewing Company, Beer Reviews, Stout - Imperial, USA

Avery Vanilla Bean Stout

Wednesday, 7 December 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Avery Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 11.5%
Style: American Imperial Stout
Other Notes: Stout with Vanilla Beans added, Aged in Bourbon Barrels

Brewer Description: (from bottle) A double dose of vanilla derived from both fresh Bourbon barrels and the trio of Tongan, Ugandan and Mexican whole vanilla beans is complemented by essences of chocolate, caramel and molasses to round out this luxuriously silky stout.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.46
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.3

Intro: A 22 fl oz foiled bomber, bottled on 29th April 2016. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: A dark dark brown to black colour with a less than one finger tanned head that dissipated fairly quickly while leaving some sparse lacing.
Aroma: Nice strong sweet vanilla, cocoa, oak, bourbon and perhaps some light char.
Taste: Sweet vanilla, cocoa, molasses and toffee, a good hit of bourbon with a touch of dark fruit and oak.
Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with moderate to light carbonation.
Overall: Other than its body being lighter than I prefer for an Imperial Stout, this beer has everything else going for it. Great aromas and taste make it a great sipper on a cool night.

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

Almanac Peach de Brettaville

Thursday, 17 November 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Almanac Beer Co.
Country: USA
ABV: 6.5%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: Farm to barrel

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Farmhouse ale aged in wine barrels with peaches.

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

Intro: A 375ml bottle, bottled in November 2015, and poured into a Cantillon ballon glass.
Appearance: It poured a cloudy golden straw orange colour with a one finger white head that dissipated quickly and left only sparse to no lacing.
Aroma: Tart, mildly funky, light oak with some peach, pineapple and lemon. Think along the lines of sour peach ring gummy candy.
Taste: Sour and tangy with only light funkiness. Fruity peach with a sharp citrus lemon and orange peel flavour and acidity. There is also a touch of vinegar, white wine and earthy oak.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with high carbonation.
Overall: This is good. A very nice sour from Almanac that is tasty and easy to drink.

5 - Excellent (must buy), Beer Reviews, Brouwerij De Molen, Netherlands, Stout - Imperial

De Molen Hel & Verdoemenis Port Charlotte (peated) BA

Wednesday, 31 August 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Brouwerij De Molen
Country: Netherlands
ABV: 11%
Style: American Imperial Stout
Other Notes: Smoked Imperial Stout-ish. Malts – Pils, Caramel, Chocolate, Roasted and Brown. Hops – Saaz and Columbus.

Brewer Description: (from website) We were looking forward to this beer… and it turned out we were right to. With 11% ABV it’s a strong beer for beer lovers that enjoy their peated flavors. The original bitter coffee and chocolate flavors of Hel & Verdoemenis (translates as Hell & Damnation) are enriched with the peat, woody, roasty tastes of the exceptional Port Charlotte barrels. The beer aged in these barrels for over 6 months.

About Port Charlotte – Two miles south of Bruichladdich (Scotland), lies the village of Port Charlotte and ruins of Lochindaal Distillery, that ran spirit for 100 years between 1829 and 1929. The heavily peated Port Charlotte single malts of Bruichladdich are a tribute to the men who once worked this great, now silent, distillery. The spirit is matured in wooden barrels of the original old stone warehouses in Port Charlotte.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.59
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.4

Intro: On tap at Brouwcafe de Molen, into a De Molen snifter glass.
Appearance: It was black in colour with a two finger beige head that had good retention and nice lacing.
Aroma: Whisky, chocolate, coffee, wood and liquorice.
Taste: Peat, whisky, coffee, chocolate and oak.
Mouthfeel: Full bodied with low carbonation.
Overall: Brilliant! The base H&V was already very good. I thought that barrel aging it in peaty Port Charlotte barrels was even better as the nice peat and whisky notes make for a great sipper.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Bière de Champagne / Bière Brut, Denmark, Mikkeller ApS

Mikkeller Nelson Sauvignon Chardonnay BA

Wednesday, 22 June 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Mikkeller ApS
Country: Denmark
ABV: 9%
Style: Bière de Champagne / Bière Brut
Other Notes: Fermented with champagne yeast, brettanomyces and enzymes. Brewed and bottled by Mikkeller at De Proef Brouwerij

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Belgian wild ale aged in Chardonnay barrels.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.39
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.2

Intro: A corked and caged 750ml bottle with no best by or bottled on date (it might have been on the cap but rubbed off) and poured into a Lindemans flute glass.
Appearance: It poured a very nice clear deep copper colour with a one finger off white head that had decent retention and left nice lacing.
Aroma: Grape, white wine, oak and brett.
Taste: Similar to the aroma. Grape, white wine, oak, brett, apple cider and a hint of tropical stone fruit. Lightly sweet and sour on the finish.
Mouthfeel: Dry, medium bodied, moderate carbonation and sporadic light warming alcohol.
Overall: Very nice. A top Mikkeller beer and this is right on the fence of a buy beer and a must buy beer.

words of another dreamy traveller