Tag Archives: belgium

Hoegaarden Rosée

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.

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Dupont x Lost Abbey Deux Amis

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.

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d’Achouffe Houblon Dobbelen IPA Tripel

Brewery: Brasserie d’Achouffe
Country: Belgium
ABV: 9%
Style: Belgian IPA

Brewer Description: (from website) Houblon Chouffe was brewed for the first time in 2006. It is an Indian Pale Ale, characterised by a harmonious balance between a pleasant fruitiness and pronounced bitterness by using three types of hops. Houblon Chouffe is an unfiltered beer which is refermented both in the bottle and in barrels.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.88
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.7

Intro: A 330ml bottle with a best before end date of November 2016 and poured into a d’Achouffe tulip glass.
Appearance: It poured a cloudy pale blonde colour with a big three finger white head that had great retention and left nice lacing.
Aroma: Belgian yeast and banana along with pear, apple and a hint of pine.
Taste: Pine, bitterness and lightly spicy followed by light banana and honey sweetness.
Mouthfeel: Dry, crisp, medium bodied with moderate tingly carbonation.
Overall: A nice solid brew that hides the alcohol well.

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Timmermans Tradition Blanche Lambicus

Brewery: Brouwerij Timmermans-John Martin N.V.
Country: Belgium
ABV: 4.5%
Style: Belgian Witbier

Brewer Description: (from website) There is no other beer like Timmermans Tradition Blanche Lambicus anywhere in the world because it is the only white lambic beer. By adding spices such as coriander and dried orange zest, a light, fruity beer is created. It is subtly spicy and deliberately made cloudy. Should ideally be drunk from an authentic stoneware pot.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.71
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.6

Intro: A 375ml corked and caged bottle with a cork date of 2015 and best before date of 10th May 2017. Poured into a d’Achouffe tulip glass.
Appearance: It poured a cloudy golden yellow colour with a two finger bubbly white head that dissipated quickly but left great lacing.
Aroma: Lightly funky, candy sweetness, orange, orange peel, lemon and hints of mango and pineapple.
Taste: Orange peel and honey sweetness is surrounded by a touch of lemon, light sourness and light funkiness.
Mouthfeel: Crisp, light bodied with moderate to high carbonation.
Overall: It’s overly sweet in my opinion, but has a nice aroma. The taste is actually fine but I would have preferred it if the sweetness was toned down or even soured.

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Hanssens Experimental Raspberry

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

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Ale fermented with raspberries and matured in oak barrels.

My rating: 1
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.02
My ratebeer.com rating: 2.7

Intro: A 12.7 fl.oz. bottle bottled in April 2016 (notched in label) and poured into a Cantillon ballon glass.
Appearance: It poured a clear cherry red colour with an orange pinkish hue, with no head and no lacing.
Aroma: Raspberry, strawberry, berry gummy candies, grape jelly and some light funkiness.
Taste: Sour, extremely sour, overly and harsh acidity, vinegar, funkiness and light fruity raspberry that is largely hidden in the background.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, no carbonation and a short but sharp harsh acidic burn.
Overall: It smells great but beer with no carbonation is not my thing. In addition, it was harsh and overly acidic such that it was almost undrinkable.

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