Tag Archives: barrel aged

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Oskar Blues Brewery, Stout - Imperial, USA

Oskar Blues Ten Fidy Bourbon Barrel Aged

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Brewery: Oskar Blues Brewery
Country: USA
ABV: 12.5%
Style: Stout – Imperial
Other Notes: Imperial Stout aged in bourbon barrels

Brewer Description: (from website) Oskar Blues Brewery stuffed Ten FIDY Imperial Stout into bourbon barrels for a minimum of eight months; allowing vanilla, oak, and bourbon flavors to permeate the pitch-black depths of FIDY. During maturation, the FIDY-plus-bourbon flavors mellow into a cool, drinkable, deeply complex brew at 12.5% ABV.

My rating: 4+
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.44
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.3

Intro: A 12 fl. oz. can, canned on 24th November 2020. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Black in colour with a nice one finger tanned head that had decent retention and left lots of nice lacing.
Aroma: Roasted malts, chocolate, dried dark fruit, prunes, fig, vanilla, and bourbon.
Taste: Roasty, chocolate, brown sugar, dried dark fruit, prunes, raisin, vanilla, oak, bourbon.
Mouthfeel: Smooth, full bodied, with soft carbonation.
Overall: A very enjoyable and complex sipper full of great flavours.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brussels Beer Project, Lambic - Unblended

Brussels Beer Project Dansaert Grappa Lambic

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Brewery: Brussels Beer Project
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6%
Style: Lambic – Unblended
Other Notes: Grappa-foeder aged lambic

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Our grappa foeder originally comes from a century-old distillery in Percoto, Italy and has been assembled by hand at Dansaert to give it a 2nd life. Grappa aging brings new layers to the blend: warmth, fruity notes & an extra spark of spirit. Lambic blend brewed in early 2020 & fermented in Côte Du Rhone & Bordeaux barrels for 14 months. The blend was then aged for 6 more months in our Grappa foeder.

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

Intro: A 750ml corked and caged bottle, bottled in September 2021, with a best before date of September 2026. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen gueuze glass.
Appearance: A slightly hazy golden colour with a two finger white head that had pretty good retention, while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Tart, lemon peel, green apple, orange zest, red berries, oak, damp wood, light funk.
Taste: Lightly sour, tart, lemon, orange zest, grape, red berries, oak, light funk, and a touch vinous.
Mouthfeel: Dry, medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: I enjoyed this being easy drinking with nice flavours.

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.