1st July 2023
A distinct red wine tint on this mildly hazy deep amber brown beer, small bubbly tan head. Airy palate, mildly dry, reasonable fine carbonation. For an Imperial Porter kicking in at 12%, the dark malt character is quite astonishingly almost entirely absent! Some creamy malts, a very light touch of Malteasers. What gives? An easy answer, vin de rouge. This beer looks red winey, smells red winey and , big surprise, tastes red winey. I'm guessing the barrels were fresh and there was a fair amount of red wine still sloshing about inside. Rich red wine berries, good blackberry dominated darker berries. Obvious tannins. Finishes smooth and semi dry and very rich in red wine goodness. Whew! Tastes like a red wine with added malt more than a beer stuck in a red wine barrel. Definitely the most red wine barrel beer I can recall and I'm really digging it!

28 August 2021. At Bier van Ollier Festival, Sijsele. Cheers to Anke, mom, dad & Dirk!

Hazy dark brown-blackish, stable, beige head. Aroma of sweet cherry, strawberry, fruit-filled praline, mocha, chocolate powder, toast, wood, blue grape. Taste has sweet-sour cherry, grape & raspberry in a chocolatey & toasty malt body with woody backbone. Herbal hoppy finish, lingering dried red fruit & woody tannins, warming red wine-like alcohol. Medium body, oily texture, soft carbonation. Excellent blend of styles, very elegant.

Fast gone cream-red-pink froth over deep brown-black beer. Extremely vinous - a perfect nose with red grapes, red berries, red wine, and in the background soft roasted porter. Taste again greatly vinous. Red wine, red berries; sour, sweet, roasted in perfect balance. Complex as few. A nice tanninic-sourish flavour, tartaric acid. Full bodied, alcohol very hidden, slick-viscous. Medium carbonation. A squaring of the Liefmans Kriek of old. Absolutely superb, I want more of this.