Gerbeer (8214) reviewed Woesten - Cognac BA from Holy Beer House 9 months ago
Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 7.5 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 8
500 ml bottle. Limited edition, 444 bottles. Bottled17/06/2022. Pours a muddy dark mahogany color with lots of initial carbonation, but no head. Aromas of oaky cognac, raisins, figs, and soft toasted malts with some vinous notes. Flavors of caramel, fruity cognac, raisins, and more soft toasty malts. Warm finish. Very nice.
Bierridder (4318) ticked Bim Bam - Armagnac from Holy Beer House 1 year ago
Bierridder (4318) ticked Bim Bam Calvados BA from Holy Beer House 1 year ago
Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 7.5
One of a meanwhile endless series of strong barrel aged ales under the HBH label, first produced at Alvinne, nowadays at Deca Services for David Rogiers in Lokeren, also locally known as a collector of Belgian beers. In this particular case, Linkwood barrels were used, from a somewhat lesser known northern Speyside whisky brand primarily producing for blended whiskies (including e.g. Johnnie Walker). Bottle of 50 cl (as usual) with cork and crown cap, one of 452 made (lot number 2022089); the beer itself was already brewed in July 2022, the bottling took place in December 2023 so almost a year ago now. Waferthin but at least initially retaining, completely open, tiny-bubbled, pale greyish beige ring of foam over a lightly misty, dark mahogany-hued bronze robe with copper red glow, turning into a more murky brown (with dark protein bits) in the end. Strong aroma of whisky with more peat upfront than I was expecting (even iodine-like), wet oak wood, caramel, dried fig, varnish, autumn fruit like pear and ripe red plum, dry earth, hints of rum cake, nutmeg, chestnut, old raisins, something sulfuric but faint and volatile, farmland hint even. Sweetish onset, actually less sweet than anticipated, with pear, dried fig, plum and vague (dried) banana notes, very subtle mushroom-ish umami accent somewhere but quickly gone, very softly carbonated (undercarbonated in fact) with thickly oily, 'heavy' mouthfeel. Smooth-edged caramelly malt core with cake- and biscuit-like accents, carrying dried and autumn fruit onwards to a drying woody finish which unsurprisingly is drenched in booze, with this oily, heating whisky effect all over the place - pushing up a whiff of retronasal iodine-like peat again, accentuating a more general, headache-inducing solventiness. Finishes very whisky-forward, even in mouthfeel, with the beer being almost completely drowning in it; still a 'dark' kind of caramelliness lingers in the end, almost with a vaguely chocolatey touch to it, but this effect too is probably at least partially due to the whisky. The basic beer is likely an interesting Belgian barley wine of sorts, but sadly its features are largely wiped away by all that whisky, so that in the end, this creation lacks a bit in complexity, subtlety and elegance, though I must admit that the whisky does behave rather decently and does not agressively 'scorch' the throat - though a good quality whisky as such does not do that either, of course. A bit crude and straightforward for me, too boozy and unrefined - sorry David, but this is not the best one in this ongoing project, there have been more successful and refined editions. I would rather have seen a more subtle whisky accent - but that said, I would recommend this one to a whisky lover who is open to trying something deviating from his usual dram.
Bierridder (4318) ticked Bim Bam Jenever-Rum DBA from Holy Beer House 1 year ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
6/VI/24 - 50cl bottle @ Didier’s mansion, BB: n/a (2024-373) Thanks to Didier for sharing the bottle!
Pretty clear red amber beer, big creamy off-white head, stable, a bit adhesive. Aroma: lots and lots of peated malts, very smoky. MF: ok carbon, medium to full body. Taste: sweet and sugary start, alcohol, smoky, lots of caramel, nice! Aftertaste: smoky, alcohol, sweet malts, alcohol, sugary, very peated, whisky.