Kveik Your Black Anchor (Extra)
De Zwarte Bron in Sint-Pauwels, East Flanders, Belgium 🇧🇪
Barley Wine - Barley Regular|
Score
6.94
|
|
Sign up to add a tick or review
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 6.5 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8
The newest Zwarte Bron beer to date, thanks Jan (the brewer) for sharing at the Nieuwjaarsreceptie of the Gentse Biervereniging. Intended as an English style barleywine, this beer was nevertheless atypically fermented with kveik yeast and infused with bourbon (Four Roses to be precise), after which it was lagered for four months; like the Corbi-Art Fort Brûlée, it comes from a 50 cl bottle for more cellaring potential – the kind of bottle indeed typically used for classic English barleywines (and other traditional English style ales). Off-white, moussy and frothy but slowly opening, yet edge-retaining head over a clouded, pale brownish-tinged peach blonde beer. Aroma of red apple, hard caramel candy, dried blueberries, clear bourbon indeed, soggy biscuit, baked banana slices, ripe pear, cream cheese. Sweet-fruity onset, ripe pear, fig and slight banana, soft carbonation with soft, fluffy mouthfeel – feeling remarkably light for its ABV (and for barleywine); soft brioche-bready, bit caramelly and very faintly biscuity malt sweet middle paired with a dash of mild floral hops adding only subtle bitterness, and obvious, warming, bittersweet bourbon. Some of that sweet ‘yellow’ fruitiness lingers at the back but in a clean way. Oddly light-bodied for such a strong beer – could do with more vinosity and a more malt-forward character I think, and it would also be interesting to see what this would be like with a yeast strain more traditionally fit for barleywine than a kveik strain. If I had not known and had to taste this blind, I would have guessed its ABV at 7% at most so this in itself is a technical ‘tour de force’, but I think the ‘barleywine’ moniker automatically creates expectations of something more malty and ‘full’. Other than that, a very pleasant and well-made ale without any doubt – and like Corbi-Art Fort Brûlée, one with a remarkably and dangerously high level of drinkability for its category.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5
4/II/23 - 50cl bottle @ Nieuwjaarsreceptie Gentse Biervereniging, BB: 31/XII/24 (2023-124) Thanks to Alengrin for sharing the bottle! (I think)
Clear orange to amber beer, small creamy off-white head, unstable, non adhesive. Aroma: malty, yeast, lots of banana, a bit funky, yeast, caramel notes. MF: soft carbon, medium to full body. Taste: caramel, yeasty, a bit sweet, malty, slightly sourish, some dried fruits. Not bad at all! Would probably profit from some ageing. Didn’t taste the bourbon though?
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
Thick yellow head, over reddish hazy beer. Rather neutral nose, rainwater. Other grains and sweet dough. Alcohol, caramel, even toffee in the mouth. Finish is a bit empty, certainly for such a big beer, and it feels light for this 11.3% as well. A bit... low profile for calling this a barley wine. An explanation might well be the Kveik, that might not be up to this alcoholwall.