Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 9
(Draught at the brewpub, Oct 31 2013) Pours pitch black with a small bubbly pale brown head. Aroma fruity cognac, woody, boozy with roast and chocolate malts. Palate initially contains tons of cognac and that doesn’t really dissipate. Underneath that is sweetish chocolate and a bit of wood at first. Mid-palate the wood comes a bit more to the fore but cognac and malts predominate. In the finish alcohol is quite noticeable along with normal Hellwoods bittering hops, dry and slightly roasted. Mouthfeel full, not too syrupy, very soft carb, lots of alcohol heat. Barrel owns this one, but it’s a lovely barrel. One feels as though one is drinking a good brandy hybridized with a good RIS. Lush.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8.5
(Draught at the brewpub, Oct 31 2013) Pours black with a big off-white bubbly head leaving spots of lace. Aroma sour-tart, some dried red berries, ashy roast malt, bit of Brett, sour undertones seem to linger. Flavour is tart berries over lightly roasted malts, leathery, Brett character in the middle. Soft impression of wood, bit of hay later on, sour notes atop it all. Finish is dry, sourness persisting in the background. Body medium, silky, carb moderate, alcohol hidden. A good dark sour with Brett forward, barrel in support. Nice stuff, quite drinkable, like it better than the regular Baltic porter but I think I prefer their sour stout for its bigger malt backbone.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5
Nice light bretta beer. Like a session bretta if such a thing exists. Hops and bretta find the perfect balance here. Pours orange cloudy with decent and lacing. Some kind of herbal, rosemary tinge as well as some grapefruit. Finishes a little bitter. Lively carbonation. Tap at brewpub.
solidfunk (21946) reviewed Sails of Charon from Bellwoods Brewery 12 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
A little disappointed because I love weizen bocks and I was hoping for something a little better, especially from Bellwoods. Flavour of barrel, some booze. Pours dark brown with some head and lacing. The finish is a little astringent with sweetness. Has some dark raisin and nice yeast. A little too wooden though. Tap at brewpub.
solidfunk (21946) reviewed Monogamy - Kohatu from Bellwoods Brewery 12 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5
Not the most remarkable of the single hop series. Pours cloudy blonde. Not a whole lot going on here. A little piney but the hops presence isn’t huge. Maybe the weakest hops variety I’ve had - not familiar with it but won’t be chasing it down again soon. Some very light citrus, and light palate. Some malt. Tap at brewpub.
Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 10 | Overall - 7.5
This comes together amazingly. Cherry is super well-integrated. Pours pitch black with mocha head and lacing. The cherry is sour and beautifully integrated with just the right note of sourness. Very bitter, coffee-like smell with some chocolate. Nice smoked barley. Palate is thick. The barrel is well-integrated with a faint cognac taste. Finishes bitter with a light sour tang that makes for a beast of a beer. Smokiness stays with you for a while as well as the cherry - for a good minute or longer after a sip. Tap at brewpub.
solidfunk (21946) reviewed Lambda from Bellwoods Brewery 12 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 10 | Overall - 7.5
This is amazing. The brettamonyces is there, the barrel is there, quad elements are there and it’s all perfectly balanced. Pours cloudy brown with some mocha bubbles. You can taste the wood in the barrel, but only subtly. Some raisins, some well-integrated light candy cane. Everything extremely well-integrated and amazing. Sweet with just the right sourness to balance it out. Cask Days 2013.
Earlier Rating: 8/31/2013 Total Score: 4.2
Ranks among the best Bellwoods. Makes me more excited to open my bottle of Motley Cru. Barrel evident but meshes well with quadrupel elements. Aroma of wine, prune, raisins and some dark malt. Pours dark reddish brown with great head and lacing. Finishes with medium sweetness. Soft carbonation. Wonderful. Tap at volos.
Lubiere (24459) reviewed Brettal Head (2013-2019) from Bellwoods Brewery 12 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7
A hazed golden ale with a thin white head. In aroma, a rather nice and sweet mix of lemonade and musty Brett, honey, quite nice. In mouth, a nice sweet fruity malt with citrus pulp, honey, Brett, clover field, quite nice but the Brett doesn’t come out that much. Cask Days 2013.
Lubiere (24459) reviewed Lambda from Bellwoods Brewery 12 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5
A dark hazed brown ale with a thin mocha head. In aroma, sweet fruity malt with sour cherry, cork, Brett, a bit raspy. In mouth, superb oily sweet cooked caramel and apple sauce with light soy sauce, Brett, vanilla beans, and cork notes, silky and nice. Cask Days 2013.
Lubiere (24459) reviewed Blitzen 2012 from Bellwoods Brewery 12 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
A hazed amber ale with a thin off white head. In aroma, sweet fruity malt with smooth butterscotch notes, tropical fruits, nice. In mouth, a sweet smooth lemony malt with kiwi, leechee, nice and smooth. Cask Days 2013.