Tag Archives: barrel aged

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Odd Breed Wild Ales, USA, Wild Ale

Odd Breed Agronomics of Squander

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Brewery: Odd Breed Wild Ales
Country: USA
ABV: 6.5%
Style: Wild Ale
Other Notes: Wild Ale with Blackberries and Blackcurrants

Brewer Description: (from bottle) This brew was blended from two Sangiovese puncheons of our turbid mashed wild ales; half was barrel aged for eight months and half was aged 16 months. We refermented and conditioned the blend on over 700 pounds of blackberries and blackcurrants for three months. Blackcurrants lend bright acidity with flavors reminiscent of passionfruit and black raspberries with plenty of tannins, while the blackberries lend some sweetness and jam-like notes with earthy undertones. Our mixed culture adds some funk and nuance to this fruit forward wild fruit ale.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.01
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.9

Intro: A 750ml corked and capped bottle, bottled on 5th June 2020. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy strawberry red with a slight orange hue, and a two finger pinkish head that dissipated quite quickly to a thin replenishing cap, while leaving only sparse lacing.
Aroma: Lightly tart, Ribena, blackcurrant, blackberry, jammy, with nice woody notes.
Taste: Sour, tart, blackcurrant, berry seeds, oak, blackberry, and a touch jammy.
Mouthfeel: Acidic, medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: The aroma was wonderful, but taste while having great fruity flavours, was on the borderline of being overly sour and acidic for me. I’m also not getting much, if any, funk, which I think would have helped balanced the sour and acidity.

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

Deschutes The Abyss

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Brewery: Deschutes Brewery
Country: USA
ABV: 11.1%
Style: American Imperial Stout
Other Notes: 2016 Reserve

Brewer Description: (from bottle) It’s dark. It’s deep. It’s mysterious. This imperial stout has immeasurable depth inviting you to explore and discover its rich, complex profile. The flavor of this special brew draws you in further and further with each sip. The Abyss beckons. Enjoy the journey.

Imperial Stout brewed with black strap molasses and licorice, dry spiced with cherry bark and vanilla bean, 21% aged in oak bourbon barrels, 21% aged in oak wine barrels, and 8% aged in new Oregon oak barrels.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.38
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.3

Intro: A 22 fl. oz. bomber, 2016 Reserve, bottled on 8th December 2016. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Very dark brown to black in colour with a nice one finger brown head that had decent retention, while leaving lots of nice spotty lacing.
Aroma: Dark malt, moderate roast, chocolate, sweet notes, licorice, molasses, bourbon, oak.
Taste: Light bitterness, roasted malts, dark chocolate, light char, sweet notes, brown sugar, licorice, molasses, oak and bourbon on the finish.
Mouthfeel: Creamy, smooth, full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: An excellent classic Imperial Stout with lots of great flavours and not too sweet. A wonderful and enjoyable sipper.

3 Sons Brewing Company, 4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Sour Ale - Smoothie / Soda / Pastry, USA

3 Sons Slice of Life

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Brewery: 3 Sons Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 12%
Style: Sour Ale – Pastry
Other Notes: Collaboration with Boneflower Craft Mead Co.

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Tequila barrel aged key lime pie sour with meadowfoam honey, lime zest & graham crackers.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.27
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.2

Intro: A 750ml bottle, 2020 vintage. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A lightly hazy golden colour with a one finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly while leaving only sparse lacing.
Aroma: Dessert like, very light tartness, strong graham cracker, shredded coconut, caramel, with light notes of vanilla, honey, marshmallow, and candied lime.
Taste: Liquid dessert or cocktail, moderately sweet, lightly tart, tequila, candied lime, marshmallow, graham cracker, shredded coconut.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Pleasantly surprised and really unexpected in a good way. I suppose the reason is that I had no idea what to expect even after reading the description. But this really worked, and everything from the description just seemed to meld together, and it’s like drinking a liquid dessert. At 12% ABV, any alcohol is really well hidden, and perhaps my only negative, is that after drinking half a bottle, it does start to feel quite sweet, so share the bottle and enjoy!

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Lervig Aktiebryggeri x Hoppin’ Frog Brewing Company, Norway, Stout - Imperial

Lervig x Hoppin’ Frog Sippin’ Into Darkness Bourbon Barrel Aged

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Brewery: Lervig Aktiebryggeri x Hoppin’ Frog Brewing Company
Country: Norway
ABV: 12%
Style: American Imperial Stout
Other Notes: Aged in bourbon barrels

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Chocolate martini Imperial Stout, collaboration w. Hoppin’ Frog Brewery (US), aged in bourbon barrels.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.38
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.2

Intro: A 330ml bottle with no bottled on or best before date. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Dark dark brown to black in colour with a very thin brown head that disappeared almost immediately while leaving only sparse lacing.
Aroma: Roasty, chocolate, cocoa, Horlicks malt wheat, coffee bean, vanilla, oak, bourbon.
Taste: Sweet, chocolate, bourbon, light roasted malt, cocoa, oak, candi sugar, molasses, lightly boozy, with notes of vanilla.
Mouthfeel: Smooth, creamy, medium to full bodied, with soft carbonation.
Overall: Loved the aroma, and while taste may be on the verge of being too sweet for me, it was still a wonderful sipper.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Netherlands, Nevel x Tommie Sjef Wild Ales, Wild Ale

Nevel x Tommie Sjef Twee

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Brewery: Nevel x Tommie Sjef Wild Ales
Country: Netherlands
ABV: 5.8%
Style: Wild Ale
Other Notes: Batch #1. Wild blonde ale aged on oak barrels, collab with Tommie Sjef Wild Ales. Fruity, funky and mineral

Brewer Description: (from website) Man can only see himself when he mirrors himself in another person. When oneness divides itself in two, it results in a meeting of souls, the creation of something new, the incarnation of a child. Without the concept of two there is no together, without being together there is no Twee.

This collab with Tommie Sjef Wild Ales is a blend of a two-year-old beer from his barrelhouse blended with a young saison from our brewery. This blend was put back in barrels for a year until it was rich enough to be harvested. To finetune its balance we blended it for a second time with a young barrel-aged beer. Twee can therefore be seen as a double bière de coupage. It is a wonderfully rustic beer with outspoken fruity notes of orange, peach and apricot. Its taste profile is defined by aged hops and our wild house culture, offering a good dose of dried hay, damp cellar and mineral stone. There is a good balance between sour and bitter notes in the rich structure of this beer.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.77
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.7

Intro: A 375ml bottle, batch #1, bottled on 2nd October 2019, drink within 3 years. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy golden orange colour with a two finger white head that had pretty good retention, and left some nice lacing.
Aroma: Tart, funky, hay, straw, oak, apricot, orange, with a light but lasting leather and herbal notes.
Taste: Lightly sour, tart, funky, orange, grapefruit, apricot, hay, straw, oak.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with moderate to soft carbonation.
Overall: Aroma wasn’t as good as the taste, but overall it was enjoyable and easy to drink.