Tag Archives: must buy

5 - Excellent (must buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen, Lambic - Fruit

3 Fonteinen Speling van het Lot XVI.v: Intense Schaarbeekse

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Brewery: Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6.8%
Style: Lambic – Fruit
Other Notes: Blend°23, Season 20/21. Number of bottles – 1306

Brewer Description: (from bottle) This Speling van het Lot features an intense version of Schaarbeekse Kriek. In the summer of 2020, we had a good yield from the harvest with more than 70 local families. We split the maceration over different larger and smaller barrels and tanks. This maceration is the same as the 22nd blend, but we only added a small portion of young lambik prior to bottling. This way, the final fruit intensity clocks at 545 grams of Schaarbeekse sour cherries per litre of finished Intense Schaarbeekse. 100% 3 Fonteinen brewed lambik.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.94
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.9

Intro: A 750ml corked and caged bottle, blend°23, season 20/21, bottle 658/1306, bottled on 28th January 2021. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A very attractive dark ruby red colour with a two finger pinkish head that had good retention and eventually settled to a thin replenishing cap, while leaving nice lacing.
Aroma: Juicy, cherry, marzipan, almond, vanilla, oak, lemon zest, with a touch of funk.
Taste: Lightly sour, tart, cherry, marzipan, almond, oak, lemon zest.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with moderate to soft carbonation.
Overall: Wow, this really works for me, and reminded me a bit of SVHL II.ii: Robijn Blended & Alive, which I think was my favourite 3F, but this might just take the cake. Really intense cherry and marzipan flavours, which I enjoy, and just balanced and really great to drink.

5 - Excellent (must buy), Beer Reviews, Lervig Aktiebryggeri, Norway, Stout - Imperial

Lervig Rackhouse Blue Plate Special

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Brewery: Lervig Aktiebryggeri
Country: Norway
ABV: 13.5%
Style: Stout – Imperial
Other Notes: Rackhouse. 2020 vintage. Bourbon barrel aged imperial stout with vanilla

Brewer Description: (from bottle) This beer is nostalgic. Growing up in 80s America I used to go to the local diners for their “blue plate special”. Pancakes, 2 bacon strips, toast and coffee. Nothing beats that bacon when it mixed with the maple syrup on the plate… This Maple Bourbon barrel aged Breakfast stout reminds me of the great diners of yesterday; may they reemerge in our world again!

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.64
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.5

Intro: A gold waxed 375ml bottle, 2020 vintage, with a best before date of 29th July 2026. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Black in colour with a half finger brown head that dissipated fairly quickly to a ring around the glass, while leaving sparse lacing.
Aroma: Roasty, coffee, chocolate, vanilla, maple syrup, and bourbon.
Taste: Light to moderately sweet, maple syrup, vanilla, caramel, light roast, coffee, chocolate, bourbon, with a light lasting bitterness.
Mouthfeel: Rich, smooth, creamy, full bodied, with soft carbonation.
Overall: A very enjoyable sipper, with very good sweet and bitter balance, and great aroma and flavours to top it off.

5 - Excellent (must buy), Barleywine - English, Beer Reviews, Birra Baladin, Italy

Baladin Xyauyù Fumé (Islay Whisky)

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Brewery: Birra Baladin
Country: Italy
ABV: 14%
Style: Barleywine – English
Other Notes: 2014 vintage, bottle #1762

Brewer Description: (from Untappd) It represents the complex expression of Teo’s mind in the creation of his couch beers. An high fermented beer after a macro oxidation process and 12 month aging in Scottish whisky barrels from Islay, which give a natural and turbid aroma. The color is deep dark brown with copper notes, in the glass is without cream and gas.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.68
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.5

Intro: A 500ml waxed and corked bottle, 2014 vintage, bottle #1762. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: A copper bronze colour, almost syrupy with no head and no lacing.
Aroma: Peat, leather, dark fruit, whisky.
Taste: Moderately sweet, dark fruit, brown sugar, toffee, caramel, light peat, and smoky notes.
Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied, a touch syrupy, and no carbonation.
Overall: An excellent sipper with good balanced sweetness. Admittedly, there was a worry on my part that this would be overly sweet like the Xyauyù Barrel, but no, it was really enjoyable.

5 - Excellent (must buy), Beer Reviews, Funky Fluid, Poland, Sour Ale - Smoothie / Soda / Pastry

Funky Fluid Triple Gelato Ice Cream Sour Nero

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Brewery: Funky Fluid
Country: Poland
ABV: 8%
Style: Sour Ale – Smoothie / Soda / Pastry
Other Notes: Raspberry, blackberry, blueberry, blackcurrant, plum, marshmallow, vanilla

Brewer Description: (from can) In this Gelato we decided on a mix of dark fruit – raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, blackcurrants & plums. We added marshmallow & vanilla to round it up. A fruit bomb!

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.65
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.5

Intro: A 500ml can, with a best before date of 21st April 2023. Poured into a winebar glass.
Appearance: A dark maroon colour with a one finger pinkish purple head that had pretty good retention, while leaving some nice lacing.
Aroma: Sweet, candy like, raspberry, blackcurrant, blackberry, blueberry, vanilla, and cream.
Taste: Sweet, mixed dark berries, blackcurrant, raspberry, blueberry, blackberry, and vanilla.
Mouthfeel: Creamy, full bodied with moderate to soft carbonation.
Overall: The flavours are exactly what I enjoy. Vanilla mixed with a whole bunch of dark berries. Just yum.

5 - Excellent (must buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Geuzestekerij De Cam, Lambic - Fruit

De Cam Lambiek Special

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Brewery: Geuzestekerij De Cam
Country: Belgium
ABV: 7%
Style: Lambic – Fruit
Other Notes: 2018 vintage

Brewer Description: (from bottle in Dutch) De gele kruisbes, braambes en krieken werden in hun geheel aan de lambik toegevoegd. Fruit: 45kg per liter spontane gisting lambik.

(translated to English) The yellow gooseberry, blackberry and cherries were added in their entirety to the lambic. Fruit: 45kg per liter spontaneous fermentation lambic.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.6
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.5

Intro: A 750ml corked and caged bottle, 2018 vintage, with a best before date of 15th November 2039. Poured into a De Cam stemmed glass.
Appearance: A slightly hazy orange pink colour with a big two finger white head that had pretty good retention while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Fruity, tart, cherry candy, mixed berries, oak, vinegar, with light citrus zest notes.
Taste: Fruity, tart, a touch sour, gooseberry, cherry, oak, a splash of citrus, and a touch of vinegar.
Mouthfeel: Dry, prickly, medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: A good mix of fruit creating a fruit punchy like aroma and flavours that was really enjoyable and easy to drink.