Tag Archives: belgium

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Lambic - Fruit, OWA Brewery SPRL

OWA Sakura Lambic

Wednesday, 14 December 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: OWA Brewery SPRL
Country: Belgium
ABV: 5.5%
Style: Belgian Lambic (Fruit)
Other Notes: Brewed at Brouwerij De Troch

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Sakura is cherry blossoms in Japanese. The lambic which is matured in wooden barrel, and after matured with leaves of cherry blossom. Not added perfume, pigment, even yeast. Lambic brewed in Belgium by special wild yeast, and sakura is the Japanese national flower. Sakura lambic is the first marriage of Belgian proper beer and Japanese representative flower.

(from website) A perfect beer to enjoy before a meal. Sakura means cherry leaves in Japanese. The leaves are steeped in salt for several months producing a highly perfumed aroma. In Japan, Sakura are also enjoyed as special sweets during spring time.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.09
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 375ml corked, capped and paper wrapped bottle, 2015 vintage, with a best before end date of January 2018. Poured into a Cantillon ballon glass.
Appearance: A clear golden orange colour with a one finger white head that slowly settled to a thin layer with sparse lacing.
Aroma: Sweet fruity cherry, almond, apple and cinnamon. Also some wood with a light funk in the background.
Taste: No idea what cherry blossom is supposed to taste like but this is lightly sour with cherry, apple, wood, citrusy orange and a hint of cinnamon.
Mouthfeel: Light bodied with high to moderate carbonation.
Overall: Taste could be more sour, but its still nice. I definitely preferred this Sakura Lambic much more than its Yuzu counterpart. I’m also surprised that there is not more floral element in either the aroma or taste though considering that cherry blossom is used.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Lambic - Fruit, OWA Brewery SPRL

OWA Yuzu Lambic

Saturday, 10 December 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: OWA Brewery SPRL
Country: Belgium
ABV: 5.5%
Style: Belgian Lambic (Fruit)
Other Notes: Brewed at Brouwerij De Troch. Yuzu is from Wakayama Japan

Brewer Description: (from website) A very good choice for those who are not keen on a typical beer taste. Very easy to drink and very refreshing. Yuzu is a Japanese lemon. During brewing, only the peel is used to steep inside the Lambic.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.49
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.3

Intro: A 375ml corked, capped and paper wrapped bottle, 2015 vintage, with a best before end date of January 2020. Poured into a Cantillon ballon glass.
Appearance: It poured a clear golden copper colour with no head and no lacing.
Aroma: Funk, wood and mineral with lots of citrus orange, sour yuzu and lemon.
Taste: Tart and very sour yuzu plus lemon peel, with a hint of wood and vinegar.
Mouthfeel: Acidic, light to medium bodied with light to no carbonation.
Overall: It started out kind of rough for me, but definitely got better the more I drank it and tasted better than its aroma. Its worth a try if you enjoy sour and/or lambic beer. Love the artwork though!

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Hanssens Artisanaal, Lambic - Gueuze

Hanssens Oude Gueuze

Wednesday, 23 November 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Hanssens Artisanaal
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6%
Style: Belgian Lambic (Gueuze)

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Each bottle matured for over three years.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.35
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.3

Intro: A 375ml corked and caged bottle with a notched bottled on dating of November 2015, poured into a Cantillon gueuze glass.
Appearance: It poured a slightly hazy golden colour with an almost two finger white head that dissipated quickly to a thin layer while leaving no lacing.
Aroma: Sour, tart, funky and oaky with hints of apple and lemon.
Taste: Sour and tart to start followed by lemon, pear and sour apple fruitiness. The finish has some light funk, a touch of vinegar and nice oakiness.
Mouthfeel: Dry, acidic, medium to light bodied with moderate to high carbonation.
Overall: One of the more sour Gueuze’s out there, but still very nice and enjoyable.

2 - Maybe (likely wouldn't buy, might drink), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brouwerij van Hoegaarden, Fruit Beer

Hoegaarden Rosée

Tuesday, 15 November 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Brouwerij van Hoegaarden
Country: Belgium
ABV: 3%
Style: Fruit Beer

Brewer Description: (from website) The story of the jam jars gave us an idea. Hoegaarden Rosée. It might be pink but it is very much a wheat beer. It also features the soft taste and subtle colour of raspberries. And while it doesn’t feature a higher alcohol percentage, it does mean you can enjoy it even more in the sun.

My rating: 2
My beeradvocate.com rating: 2.73
My ratebeer.com rating: 2.5

Intro: A 250ml bottle with a best before date of 4th May 2017, poured into a Moonzen teku glass.
Appearance: It poured a cloudy reddish pinkish orange colour with a two finger off white head that dissipated quickly and left some lacing.
Aroma: Sweet candy raspberry and strawberry with perhaps a touch of grape juice.
Taste: Sweet candied raspberries followed by apple juice. The finish is somewhat watered down such that any taste becomes really weak.
Mouthfeel: Light bodied with moderate to high carbonation.
Overall: I’m actually fine with the artificial candy berry flavours, but that taste on the finish of being watered down is what disappoints me most.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brasserie Dupont x The Lost Abbey, Farmhouse Saison

Dupont x Lost Abbey Deux Amis

Monday, 7 November 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Brasserie Dupont x The Lost Abbey
Country: Belgium
ABV: 7%
Style: Belgian Saison
Other Notes: Hops – Amarillo and Simcoe

Brewer Description: (from bottle) French for “two friends,” Deux Amis commemorates the ground-breaking collaboration between Belgium’s Brasserie Dupont and America’s Lost Abbey Brewery. It brings together two brewers who have long shared a mutual reverence – Olivier Dedeycker, the fourth-generation Master Brewer at Dupont and Tomme Arthur, the acclaimed Brew Master of Lost Abbey. Deux Amis has been brewed at Brasserie Dupont in Belgium and crafted using traditional methods the brewery has perfected over the past century. It receives its decidedly stateside flavor from the addition of American Amarillo and Simcoe hops. The result of this kinship is a dry, refreshing Old World Saison full of New World flavors.

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

Intro: A corked and caged 750ml bottle, 2016 cork with a best before date of May 2018. Poured into a d’Achouffe tulip glass.
Appearance: It poured a cloudy golden orange colour with a huge three finger white head that had decent retention and left foamy sticky lacing.
Aroma: Strong Belgian yeast, clove, banana plus melon with a touch of lemon zest, orange and white pepper spice.
Taste: Lightly doughy, approaching overripe banana sweetness, clove, lemon zest, orange rind, honey, grass and pepper spice.
Mouthfeel: Crisp, medium to light bodied with lively moderate to high carbonation and a dry finish.
Overall: A good refreshing Saison that is easy to drink. Good stuff from two brewery/brewers that I like.

words of another dreamy traveller