Tag Archives: barrel aged

2 - Maybe (likely wouldn't buy, might drink), Beer Reviews, Brasserie Ammonite, France, Wild Ale

Ammonite Symphonie Solera IV

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Brewery: Brasserie Ammonite
Country: France
ABV: 5%
Style: Wild Ale

Brewer Description: (from bottle in French) Cette cuvée est issue de l’assemblage perpétuel de tous les millésimes depuis la naissance de la brasserie. Élaborée selon la pratique de la Solera, elle est l’empreinte du temps. Bière de fermentation spontanée, élevée en ex-fûts de vins bourguignons.

(translated to English) This vintage comes from the perpetual blending of all the vintages since the birth of the brewery. Developed according to the Solera practice, it is the imprint of time. Spontaneous fermentation beer, aged in ex-Burgundy wine barrels.

My rating: 2
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.14
My ratebeer.com rating: 2.9

Intro: A 750ml corked and capped bottle, bottled on 8th October 2021, poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: It was a lightly cloudy pale straw blonde colour with a thin white head that dissipated quickly to nothing, while leaving no lacing.
Aroma: Tart, green vines, dill pickles, pickled cucumber, microgreens, unripe guava, with a splash of lemon.
Taste: Sour, tart, lemonade, microgreens, pickled cucumber, lemon juice, with light vinous notes.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with soft to moderate carbonation.
Overall: A strange one for me, overly green, and the aroma and flavours just didn’t come together well for me. I love pickles and pickled vegetables, but that did not work in beer.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Denmark, Insight Cellars, Wild Ale

Insight Cellars Sunstead: White Peach

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Brewery: Insight Cellars
Country: Denmark
ABV: 6.3%
Style: Wild Ale
Other Notes: Danish Wild Ale with fresh white Saturn peaches. 2023 vintage. 2657 btls

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Our Sunstead series captures the essence of perfectly ripe stone fruits, allowing us to savor the warm flavors of summer all year long. The base beer is a blend of one, two and three-year-old Danish Wild Ales aged in white wine barrels. We racked this onto freshly destoned and crushed white Saturn peaches at a rate of over 600 grams of peaches per liter, and left it to macerate with the fruit for over a month before bottling. This complex, soft and juicy beer tastes almost like biting into a fragrant peach, transporting you back to the high days of summer no matter when you drink it.

My rating: 4+
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.47
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.4

Intro: A 750ml caged and corked bottle, 2023 vintage, bottled on 31st August 2023. Poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy golden orange colour with a one finger white head that dissipated quickly, while leaving only sparse to no lacing.
Aroma: Juicy, fresh juicy peach flesh, peach skin, with light wood and a touch of funk.
Taste: Lightly sour, super juicy, ripe peach, peach juice, a splash of lime, and light notes of funk.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Very juicy ripe peaches in both the aroma and flavours. Really enjoyable and easy to drink.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgian Strong Pale Ale, Belgium, De Dolle Brouwers

De Dolle Stille Nacht Reserva 2019 Barrique 10

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Brewery: De Dolle Brouwers
Country: Belgium
ABV: 12%
Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale
Other Notes: 2019 vintage

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Stille Nacht aged in oak barrels for 3 years. Refermented in the bottle.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.28
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 750ml bottle, brewed in 2019, bottled in 2023, poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A lightly hazy golden orange colour with a big two finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly to a thin cap, while leaving fluffy lacing.
Aroma: Oak, barrel, vanilla, fruit cake, lemon zest, lime, candied orange, white wine grapes, damp wood, with a touch of funk.
Taste: Very lightly sour and tart, oak, vanilla, lemon zest, lime, candied orange, damp wood, and light funk.
Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: An enjoyable sipper with strong barrel character and good complexities in both aroma and flavour.

4 - Good (buy), American Strong Ale, Beer Reviews, Firestone Walker Brewing Co., USA

Firestone Walker 25 (XXV Anniversary Ale)

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Brewery: Firestone Walker Brewing Co.
Country: USA
ABV: 11.5%
Style: Strong Ale – American
Other Notes: 2021 vintage. 25th Anniversary. Special Reserve Barrel-Aged Blend

Brewer Description: (from sheet notes in box) Final blend was:
41% Parabola (14% ABV) Aged in Bourbon Barrels
10% Stickee Monkee (12.3% ABV) Aged in Bourbon Barrels
28% Tequila Barrel Merkin (7% ABV) Aged in Tequila Barrels
13% Brandy Barrel Barley Wine (13.8% ABV) Aged in Brandy Barrels
8% Whiskey Barrel Wheat Wine (11.7% ABV) Aged in Bourbon Barrels

(from box) In the fall of 2006, Brewmaster Matt Brynildson asked a handful of his winemaker friends for their input on blending a diverse stash of barrel-aged strong ales. Together, they came up with “10” – a trailblazing beer commemorating our 10th anniversary. And so began an annual autumn rite that now continues into our 25th year. This year was different, however. When our brewers convened with their winemaker friends on July 15, 2021, it marked a return to in-person blending after conducting it all remotely the previous year. The significance of this moment was not lost on anyone, and it was made all the more special by the occasion of our 25th anniversary. The beer you are holding in your hands – 25 – was created on that day. It is a work of talent and togetherness that we are now privileged to share with you. Thank you for being a part of our journey as we conclude this milestone year for Firestone Walker.

My rating: 4+
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.49
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.4

Intro: A boxed 355ml bottle, 2021 vintage, 25th anniversary, bottled on 14th September 2021. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: A clear dark cola brown in colour with a thin tanned head that had pretty good retention but left only sparse lacing.
Aroma: Light roast, chocolate fudge, oak, caramel, bourbon, tequila, dried dark fruit, and notes of vanilla.
Taste: Light roast, chocolate, oak, a touch sweet, dried dark fruit, raisin, dates, caramel, toffee, vanilla, bourbon, and tequila.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: An enjoyable sipper with balanced and complex aromas and flavours.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Denmark, Insight Cellars, Wild Ale

Insight Cellars Maturation: Bocoy

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Brewery: Insight Cellars
Country: Denmark
ABV: 7.2%
Style: Wild Ale
Other Notes: Danish Wild Ale aged in a very old oloroso barrel. 2021 vintage. 1471 btls

Brewer Description: (from bottle) For our Maturation series, we select beers aged in a single type of barrel to showcase how different casks affect the final character of a beer. We aged our Danish Wild Ale in a large, very old Oloroso Sherry Bocoy cask made of chestnut wood for two years, and blended this with a smaller amount of two-year-old Danish Wild Ale aged in a traditional oak Oloroso barrel. The Oloroso casks enhanced the beer with flavors of toasted walnuts, caramelized fruit and spices.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.24
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 750ml corked and caged bottle, 2021 vintage, bottled on 15th June 2023. Poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A nice lightly hazy golden orange colour, with a one finger white head that had good retention and left some nice lacing.
Aroma: Light funk, dusty, wood shavings, lemon, and sherry notes.
Taste: Grapefruit, lime zest, sherry, wood, with a lasting citrus peel bitter finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate to soft carbonation.
Overall: Enjoyable, nice balanced aroma and flavours.