Tag Archives: wine barrel aged

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Three Floyds Brewing Co., USA, Wild Ale

Three Floyds Chevalier Bertrand du Guesclin

Leave a comment

Brewery: Three Floyds Brewing Co.
Country: USA
ABV: Unsure as not on bottle (6.4% on RB and UT, 6.7% on BA)
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: American Sour Ale aged in wine barrels with blueberries

Brewer Description: (from bottle) In order to survive in the 14th century one needed to be a force to be reckoned with. In Brittany, Spain and France this knight proved his mettle in battle after battle. This tart blueberry ale was brewed in one of our 3000 gallon foeders in his honour.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.45
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.4

Intro: A 1 pint 9.4 fl. oz. blue-ish grey waxed bottle, with no clear bottled on or best before date (although I expect this to have been cellared 5 to 6 years maybe). Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy orange brown colour with a two fingered off white cream head that dissipated fairly quickly but settled to a thin continually replenishing layer, while leaving some nice lacing.
Aroma: Tart, blueberry skin, blueberry, mixed berries, cherry, plum, acetone, oak, with notes of citrus zest.
Taste: Light to moderate sweet and sour, tart, blueberry, cherry, blackcurrant, Ribena, plum, oak, lemon zest, with a sweet jammy finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate spritzy carbonation.
Overall: Enjoyable aroma and flavours that just worked for me. It was aged 5 or 6 years in my cellar, and actually, I can’t help but feel that it was better than I used to remember.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Denmark, Farmhouse Saison, To Øl

To Øl Simple Life

Leave a comment

Brewery: To Øl
Country: Denmark
ABV: 10%
Style: Belgian Saison
Other Notes: Brewed & bottled by To Øl at De Proef Brouwerij, Belgium

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Saison ale aged in wine oak barrels.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.65
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.5

Intro: A 750ml bottle with a best before date of 29th January 2025. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy rusty dark orange colour with a big two finger dull orange-y beige head that had good retention and left lots of sticky lacing.
Aroma: Funky, barnyard, mango, orange peel, oak and citrus.
Taste: Funky, barnyard, lightly sour, citrus, lemon peel, lime, light sweetness, dried apricots, oak, earthy, citrus zest and spices, some light bitterness on the finish when cool, while there is light sweetness as it warms.
Mouthfeel: Dry, medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: I preferred the sweetness that came out of it as it warmed over the bitterness I tasted while it was still cool. It definitely doesn’t feel like 10% at all, as it drinks easily, however I don’t get any of the wine barrel that its supposed to be aged in.

4 - Good (buy), 8 Wired Brewing Co., Beer Reviews, New Zealand, Stout - Imperial

8 Wired iStout Unchained Imperial Stout

Leave a comment

Brewery: 8 Wired Brewing Co.
Country: New Zealand
ABV: 12%
Style: American Imperial Stout
Other Notes: 3 year wine barrel aged. 2016 vintage

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Our highly rated imperial stout, iStout, aged for 3 years in Pinot Noir barrels with added brettanomyces. Roasty and boozy as the original but also funky, dry, wild and unchained.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.19
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 500ml bottle, 2016 vintage. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Dark dark brown to black in colour with a big two finger tanned head that had pretty good retention and eventually settled to a thin layer, while leaving some nice lacing.
Aroma: Light roast, cocoa, leather, brett, oak, lightly vinous and a touch herbal.
Taste: What you’d expect from the aroma, light roast, cocoa, funky, brett, tart, vinous, and oak.
Mouthfeel: Creamy, medium to full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Nice aroma and flavours although the Imperial Stout parts are probably overpowered by the brett and vinous aspects. This is really drinkable but I’m unsure I’d still call this an Imperial Stout.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, The Ale Apothecary, USA, Wild Ale

The Ale Apothecary Sahalie – Fresh Hop

Leave a comment

Brewery: The Ale Apothecary
Country: USA
ABV: 9.45%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: Fresh hop. Mixed fermentation ale brewed with honey, aged in wine barrels

Brewer Description: (from tag on bottle) our infamous shield maiden. (* wild & open fermented in the woods of OR. * Mecca Grade Estate Malt + wheat + Goschie Farms hops. * barrel-aged over a year & dry-hopped in oak. * OR honey + sour wort + our yeast = 100% natural carbonation from bottle fermentation.)

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.42
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.3

Intro: A 750ml corked bottle, batch bottled on 13th November 2017. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A lightly hazy golden orange colour with a two finger white head that had decent retention and left some nice lacing.
Aroma: Funk, brett, oak, pineapple, lightly tart, grapefruit zest and hints of apricot.
Taste: Lightly tart, lightly sour, oak, apricot, stone fruit, a touch herbal and a hint of pineapple.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Very nice. I liked this even more than the original base version.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, The Ale Apothecary, USA, Wild Ale

The Ale Apothecary Sahalie

Leave a comment

Brewery: The Ale Apothecary
Country: USA
ABV: 9.32%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: Mixed fermentation ale aged in wine barrels

Brewer Description: (from tag on bottle) our infamous shield maiden. (* wild & open fermented in the woods of OR. * Mecca Grade Estate Malt + wheat + Goschie Farms hops. * barrel-aged over a year & dry-hopped in oak. * OR honey + sour wort + our yeast = 100% natural carbonation from bottle fermentation.)

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.34
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.2

Intro: A 750ml corked bottle, batch bottled on 7th July 2017. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A lightly hazy golden orange colour with a big three finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly but left some nice lacing.
Aroma: Tart, funk, brett, grapefruit zest, lemon zest, orange and pineapple with hints of apricot.
Taste: Tart, sour, pineapple, apricot, grapefruit zest and a touch of oak.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Very nice aroma and taste. There was a light booze on the finish that was barely noticeable, which I guess shouldn’t be too surprising that it was there, given it was more than 9% ABV, but it’s these little things that knocked it down a fraction or two.