6.8/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
Hazy blond colour, white foam, some yeast flakes. Lots of carbonation. Rather sweet and malty, light bitter, minerally. Not bad but too much carbonation.
Tried
on 25 Apr 2019
at 06:58
8.6/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 9
Flavor 9
Texture 10
Overall 8.5
After the success of Préaris Marius, Andy Dewilde started a series of barrel aged versions, the sherry one being the first, later followed by an armagnac version and this red wine version. Despite having been produced in 2017 for the first time and despite being quite familiar with this brewery's range, I hadn't seen it before when I stumbled upon a bottle at Geers. Comes from a 37.5 cl bottle with crown cap. Mousy, medium thick, membranous-lacing, pale yellowish beige, slowly opening head on a black beer with thin hazy burgundy edges. Aroma of chocolate-coated raisins, old walnuts, dry red wine, dried prunes, vague liquorish and even salmiak, vanilla-scented oak wood as well as a 'dusty old furniture' effect, hazelnut shells, black cherries, old pipe tobacco, whisky, candied figs, black tea. Sweetish and lightly sourish onset, old raisins, dried figs and prunes, baked banana, medium carbonated with a thick, full body. Thick layers of walnutty and bitter-chocolatey, quite intense maltiness like the basic beer, oily at its sides with a quickly developing, powdery roasted coffee bitterness, mouth-filling and dark, paired with a leafy hop bitter tone underneath - but before that, the barrel treatment comes in, with drying, vanilla-ish oaky tannins as well as lightly tart and drying red wine, which in this case adds late, dark fruitiness (blue grapes, but also blackberries and mulberries). All these aspects are eventually tied together by a soothing glow of port-like alcohol, with light liquorish notes lingering at the back. Complex, old school in its roastedness, rich and well-mannered with all the different flavour elements welded very tightly and cleverly: this is a truly beautiful stout, much better than I remember the sherry version though admittedly that was years ago and I would have to revisit it. I absolutely need that armagnac version too now. Congrats Andy, this is a truly beautiful beer.
Tried
from Bottle
on 24 Apr 2019
at 18:54
8.1/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 9
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Bottle. Dark brown color, yellowish foam. Aroma: strong alcohol, apple, dried fruits, caramel. Taste: very soft, butterscotch, dried plum, caramel, whiskey, lightly and gently drunk, very warming, good
Tried
from Bottle
on 21 Apr 2019
at 09:48
5.2/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 5
Flavor 5
Texture 6
Overall 5
Bottle sample at a tasting at Tom L's place. Thanks zvikar. 2016 bottle. Amber-brown. Acetaldehyde, caramel, fruitiness, liqueur, wood, vanilla, alcohol, sweet, oxidation.
Tried
from Bottle
on 31 Mar 2019
at 18:25
6.8/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
Copper colour with light haze. Aroma and flavour have decent malt presence. Aftertaste gets pleasantly dry. Added body from the rye. Nice session beer.
Tried
on 31 Mar 2019
at 16:45
7.6/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 8.5
Collaboration of Vliegende Paard near Brugge with Totem near Ghent, apparently a red rye ale inspired by the American strong ale style (think Stone’s Arrogant Bastard and the like), tasted at Maldegems Bierfestival. Yellow-white, thick and mousy, bit irregularly-edged but stable head, misty deep peach blonde with rosy to pale orangey tinge – though not quite what I would interpret as ‘red’ in a beer. Indeed very ‘American’ aroma, with a strong New World hop streak: pink grapefruit, paprika, persimmon, Thai basil, biscuit, dried mango, pine resin, some soggy bread in the background, orange zest. Sweetish onset, mango and guava, with immediate citric ‘fraîcheur’, medium carbonated with some minerally ‘stings’ not interfering with a smooth, oily body. Lovely biscuity, bit peanutty maltiness, sweet with a very soft toasty edge, but quickly soaked in zesty, oily, citrusy and somewhat piney hoppiness, establishing a long, spicy, drying finish which also lets enough juicy ‘biscuitiness’ from the malts pass through. Refreshing, expressive, citrusy and vibrant, this is a kind of old school American amber ale much more than anything else, leaning towards red IPA perhaps, but certainly not a Irish red as announced above (inasmuch as Irish red can genuinely be considered a beer style in its own right…).
Tried
from Can
on 19 Mar 2019
at 10:44
6/10
Belgian quad with coffee beans. Sounded interesting. Maybe if another brewery tried it it'd be okay.
Tried
from Bottle
on 16 Mar 2019
at 22:54
7.8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Bottle. Color: Copper, beige head. Aroma: Dark fruit, nuts, bubblegum. Taste: Dark malt, coffee, hints of dark dried fruit, vanilla, almond. Moderate to medium sweet, moderate bitter. Over medium body, just below average carbonation. Creamy mouthfeel. Nice.
Tried
from Bottle
on 09 Mar 2019
at 19:58