Bottle shared in Kertzfeld. Gusher. Bit hazy golden with big white head and a bunch of yeast happily floating around. Sour grains, soft funk, white wine, apple, quince, strawberries, sugary mirabelles, dry oak, juniper. Solid medium sweet, light sour and very light bitter. Full bodied. Lots of things going on here, too bad it's so alive.

"Land van Mortagne", Fläschchen (MHD: 08/2027) von Belgoshop.de, 2.82026. - Fast schwarz, sehr rasch schaumlos. - In der Nase schwerstes dunkles Malz, starker Espresso, Rübenkraut, Trockenpflaumen, holzige Herbe, weinige Noten. - Antrunk fett dunkelmalzig mit massivem Röstmalz, Mokkabohnen, Lakritz, aufgelockert durch feine dunkle Frucht. Die auch vorhandene Malzsüße kommt gegen die heftige Malzbittere nicht an, eine leise Kaffeesäure rundet alles ab. Milder rezent, ölig schwer, dezenter Alkohol. Im Abgang gesellt sich zur massiven Malzbittere erdige, krautige Hopfenherbe. - Enorm reiches, malzschweres, röstmalzbitteres, erdig-weiniges Starkbier, selbst mir etwas zu heftig. Gewöhnungsbedürftig.

Theo - Alvinne's four-grain tripel best known for its barrel variants - became Théoden in Margaux red wine barrels, and thus made it into the one but last Fellowship series. Two year old 75 cl bottle shared on Proevertjesdag. Egg-white, moussey, thick and dense head over a hazy peach blonde robe with pale orangey tinge - clearly from the red wine. Aroma of ripe peach, green beech leaves or even garden nettles (oddly and unexpectedly), cream cheese, yellow onion turning sweet after prolonged stewing, vanilla from the oak, grape seed oil, apricot, unripe pineapple, vine leaf, lingonberry jam. Fruity onset, sweetish as in ripe blueberries, nectarine and white grape, the latter of course primarily from the Margaux and acting quite strong; softish carb, rounded and smooth body. Fluffy-bready malt core soaked in lovely Margaux wine flavours, adding further fruitiness, but lacking the typical cedar-like aspects this wine often exhibits - but then this green leaf-like element does return retronasally and must have something to do with it. Yellow plum and ripe purple gooseberry effects add light tartness - all coming from the wine barrel treatment of course - before drying tannins set in, matching with a leafy hop bitter note and warming, yet overall very well hidden alcohol. Complex in a way only Alvinne could have achieved with the old tripel genre, demonstrating that ageing tripels on wine barrels is something still not sufficiently done in Belgium (or beyond). A beer for a king indeed. I could kick myself for not having followed this Fellowship project anymore in the past few years, it is still full of wonders and surprises - just when Alvinne has announced that this project will not be continued anymore next year.

Creamy off-white good mostly lasting head. yellow colour. Moderate malty and light hopp and light yeasty nice acetic aroma. Moderate bitter flavor. Average moderate bitter finish. Oily palate.

Draught Small, reasonably persistent just off-white head over foxy amber beer. Acetic acid, vinegar, wine- or sherry vinegar with decaying grapes. Acetic acid, red winespill, overripe grapes, winevinegar. Agressive acidburn, bit slick nonetheless, medium carbonation. Guys, WAKE UP! You've always drifted on the oversour side, but this one really is over the top completely. Leave these etching combinations to the Danish and Yanks!