Alengrin
Ghent, Belgium 🇧🇪 MemberOptions
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Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 7.5 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 8
Apparently the third version so far of a barleywine created by HopHemel in Hasselt aged on calvados barrels - and one of the two components of the "American Heaven" I had at a private tasting last week, so I was really happy to find this in my home collection, for comparison and for enabling me to reminisce about that lovely day in the outskirts of Ostend. Thinnish but stable and regular, off-white, beautifully 'Brugse kant'-like lacing, breaking yet generally well-retaining head on a clear(ish) deep and pure orangey-amber robe with coppery glow and a suspension of minute yeast particles floating around everywhere - generally, the most classic looks one can associate with the intended genre. Aroma of dry caramel, (real) pecan nuts, bubblegum, green banana, calvados indeed but in a somewhat generic kind of way, quince, red apple peel, unripe pear, biscuit, subtler notes of yellow raisins, cognac, vanilla (oak wood of course - more clear warming up), clove, hard-boiled egg (still warm), dried basil, honey, very vague chicken soup somehow (but so faint that most consumers will probably miss it). Dried-fruity, yet only subduedly sweet onset, hints of dried fig, medlar, raisin but more green banana and green pear to be fair, sweet but less so than usual for this style; medium carb in a slick, vinous, 'full' body consisting of layers of hard-caramelly, hard pecan-nutty and dry-biscuity malts, again perhaps even lacking a touch of 'candied' sweetness but showcasing the calvados effect convincingly, with an impression of slick, hard apple peel left behind along with a peppery, warming alcohol glow, becoming a tad tiring and wry in the end. Notes of woody tannins become stronger after swallowing, even a tad astringent; phenolic clove and ginger effects appear too, almost adding a slight 'Christmassy' feel. Not sure if I should have kept this can any longer - I normally prefer my barleywines at a certain age (one year or more) but I doubt if this one would benefit from such a treatment. Lacks a bit in structure and content for what was intended - but for a 'Belgian barleywine', something I keep standing behind as a (sub)style concept with Bush and Stille Nacht in mind, this one certainly qualifies. Not bad at all, but I miss the depths of flavour a truly successful barleywine can offer - once again I must applaud Bart Vanpoucke for combining this with De Meester's barleywine, because the blend was more than the sum of its two parts, that much is clear now that I had both parts separately.
Alengrin
added a new beer
Obsquur Whisky Barrel Aged (French whisky)
by
Brouwerij Ruimtegist
2 months ago
Alengrin
updated a beer:
Obsquur Whisky Barrel Aged (Bunnahabhain)
brewed by Brouwerij Ruimtegist
2 months ago
Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 7.5 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7
German - or better still: Bavarian - Pilsener hopped with the hops they grow themselves, always a plus I guess. Shared by Martijn on Proevertjesdag, zum Wohl! Thick and firm, snow white, frothy and stable head on a pale yellow blonde robe with pale greenish tinge, showing a bit of chill haze but essentially clear. Aroma of freshly cut grass, even subtle hints of lemon blossom and lime zest, white bread, sorrel leaf, raw parsnip, bread crumbs, raw but fresh cereals, minerals. Crisp onset, very pure and to the point just the way I like it in any Lager: white-bready, cereally pale maltiness in pure and undiluted form, brightened by crystalline carbonation with a lovely minerality running underneath, and most of all: delightfully hopped in a most measured, sophisticated way, grassy and slightly lime-zesty, drying and utterly quenching, convincing while at the same time behaving sufficiently restrained to keep this beer firmly in southern German Pilsener territory. Even to German standards, this is very refined, sophisticated example of its style, a bit 'green', crisp and refreshing - the kind of Pilsener one would want to drink all day on the first warm spring Sunday. I have not had a better German Lager since I was in actual Bavaria more than two years ago.
Alengrin (11609) reviewed Pension Blend from Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen 2 months ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 9 | Overall - 9
At last I had the chance to sample this peculiar 3 Fonteinen blend: a tribute to the late Armand Debelder, a man I had several lengthy conversations with in my earlier days of beer exploring: one of the men justly credited with keeping traditional lambic alive during its darkest times, a man of wisdom and kindness, and an eternal source of inspiration. His "Zotte Kadeeën", the new generation operating the Lambik-O-Droom and the rest of the 3 Fonteinen business, wanted to surprise this lambic legend on his 65th birthday by - in a way - reassuring him that the future of the brand is safe in their hands, and of course honouring him as the engaging and inspiring person he was. Especially in hindsight, considering his passing five years after this blend was made in his honour, it is difficult to find a more emotionally charged beer in this country (and beyond) so I was very happy to get the chance to taste it - cheers to Bart and Daniel. Off-white, moussey, medium thick but opening and thinning head, hazy peachy orange blonde robe with lively sparkling. Aroma of dried grapefruit peel, orange pith, young mugwort leaves, rhubarb, unripe peach, dry oak wood, crabapple peel, green gooseberry, lively minerals, dry hay, old cracked dry leather, scorched farmland in high summer, southernwood, gentian leaf. Utterly crisp, full onset, lively and very minerally carbonation that will continue until the end, through impressions of green gooseberry, Granny Smith apple, redcurrant and wood sorrel, moving into a smooth, 'juicy' stage of bread-crusty graininess upon which a drying-fruity lactic acidity, astringent tannic woodiness and restrained yet characterful leathery funkiness are built. Lemon juice- and green apple-like flavours keep refreshing everything even when the layers of flavour are at their deepest - so that in spite of all the 'fullness' and richness this geuze offers, it also remains remarkably juicy (especially in view of its age as well, of course). On a more subtle, detailed level, there is a jasmin tea-like floral or herbal aroma lingering somewhere at the back - adding only elegance and lightness. Technically an obvious masterpiece in that wonderful art of geuze blending: juicy, aromatic, powerful and elegant all at the same time, citric and funky, crisp and radiant - if the intention of the new generation at 3 Fonteinen was to prove to then-retiring Armand that he could 'sleep on his two ears', as the Flemish saying goes, then I think the mission was convincingly accomplished (and one of those young staff members vividly described to me how satisfied and fulfilled Armand reacted to this blend when he was first presented with it). Above all, however, this blend, actually not intended for sale but originally shared by Armand himself with those worthy sharing it with, is a noble and lasting tribute to one of the giants in lambic culture. It brought me back to pre-craft-hype times when he told me how he had created a grape lambic (the famed Malvassia Rosso) but did not really believe in the idea and abandoned it - or to that other time, many years later, when he guided me in private trough his (then) new Lambik-O-Droom, pondering about geuze bottles still lurking around there that were made by his famous father Gaston, describing how young lambic behaves after brewing or giving me his unvarnished opinion on the exorbitant prices one encountered for rare bottles back then (prompting me to admit I had bought a bottle of Millennium Geuze from a private collector in Halle that very same day)... Those moments belong to my most cherished memories in the three decades during which 'beer' has been my hobby, so to speak, so I am sincerely happy that I finally had the chance to taste this formidable tribute.
gave a cheers!
Alengrin (11609) reviewed Jingle & Wild Noëlle from Lambiek Fabriek 2 months ago
Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5
Lambiek Fabriek returning to that odd tradition of Christmas geuzes pioneered by De Troch (Chapeau Xmas) in times that were very different for lambic - but doing so in their own brilliant way, namely by blending a dark lambic with a 'normal' one aged on whisky barrels... I recall examples of both dark lambic (a novelty of the 21st century with very few credible representatives, Bogaerden's version being the only one in regular production now) and whisky barrel aged lambic (some of which were delicious, others rather too sweet - but again a very small and very new subgroup), but never the combination, so I think were are in for a ride here... From a 75 cl bottle with cork and crown cap. Medium thick, pale greyish-tinged white, partially opening, bubbly and eventually strongly receding head, misty amber colour with pure and deep orange glow - which is what you get when you blend a dark beer with a blonde one; thin strings of refined sparkling rise up from the middle. Complex and refined bouquet of old-fashioned autumny storage apples, grape skin, oaky vanillin with even actual whisky sweetishness piercing through, sourdough bread, redcurrant, red wine vinegar, Cabernet pomace, ripe red plum, a whiff of pomegranate somewhere (very volatile), gingerbread fleetingly passing by here and there (probably just the sweetness of the whisky again), forest floor, old dusty attic, dried orange peel, medium dry to dry sherry, purple gooseberries, rhubarb, background funkiness ('putteke') and damp hay. Spritzy onset, sharpish carb but still fit for a 'geuze' of sorts - stretching the term to its extremes in this case - with notes of red plum, sour grape (strong), wild apple, redcurrant and unripe medlar, even a touch of unripe persimmon; strong minerality running through this tart autumn-fruity onset and through a smooth bread-crusty base, with lemony and lactic acidity at the edges but also a somewhat 'thickening' toasty element at its core due to the dark malts that went in here. The finish is long and layered, with ongoing lactic sourness (in a red-fruity kind of way) and maltiness, superseded by tannic woodiness and a clear presence of sweetening whisky - somehow whisky always tastes sweet when plunged into the sour depths of lambic. The combination, also including Bretty funkiness (though not too overwhelmingly here), wood and a deep presence of earthy hops, works wonderfully well, with a warming and - more importantly - very vinous character too, as in dry sherry, brandy and pomace; somehow Lambiek Fabriek managed to tie all these knots together and created this lambic with barleywine-esque features, one to indeed sip gently on a chilly night like this one. I reckon the whisky barrel aged lambic is Colon-Elle or its 'unrefined' lambic form, but I have yet to see a 'dark malt lambic' from these guys so I wonder if that other component of this amazing blend is out there somewhere as well - maybe for one of those top restaurants they create exclusive novelties for... In any case, Lambiek Fabriek presents a great piece of work here, refraining from clichés like adding Christmas spicing (the horror) but still managing to create a somehow very Christmassy lambic of doubtlessly huge ageing potential, great complexity and sophisticated taste. I am sincerely impressed.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 6.5 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5
De Leite, owners of Mathias Van den Poel's Paljas brand since 2021, has made the expected efforts to keep the brand alive by adding a few new variants, and this is one of the latest to my knowledge: the blonde one infused with a liquor distilled from... the blonde one (hence 'self infused'). I am not the greatest fan of all these liquor-infused beers making a shortcut for barrel ageing, but I must admit that infusing a beer with a 'liquorised' (i.e. distilled) version of itself is new to me, so points for originality in a time when literally everything seems to have been done with beer (and to beer) already. Thanks Bart for sharing! Snow white, medium thick, moussey, stable head on a hazy yellow blonde robe with vaguely greenish tinge. Aroma of banana peel, dried apple slices, cheap 'jenever' rather than brandy, dry straw, white bread crust, DMS (overcooked cauliflower - long time since I had that, now that I come to think of it), wodka, moist white pepper, cooked turnip. Fruity onset with clear banana ester next to hints of apple peel and perhaps vague pineapple, sharpish carb (but not exaggerated for a Belgian style blonde ale); smooth white-bready maltiness with residual sugars on top but not too sweet at all, bittering straw- and white pepper-ish hops and of course the 'brandy' effect, again reminding me more of some cheap, wry jenever than actual brandy - logically so, since brandy is made from grapes and jenever from grains just like the Paljas beer that spawned this particular liquor... Retronasally, my old friend DMS makes its return. An original idea resulting in something with a remarkably banal taste, like the umpteenth crude and unrefined strong(ish) blonde... Then again, I have no clue what they could have done to make this idea into something great - failing is, whether you like it or not, part of experimenting, of course, though stating this particular experiment has failed would also take things a bridge too far. I think, however, that I even prefer the regular Paljas Blond over this limited edition.
Alengrin
added a new beer
Paljas Self Infused With Paljas Brandy Limited Edition
by
De Leite
2 months ago
Alengrin (11609) reviewed American Heaven from De Meester 2 months ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7.5 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
Blend of two Belgian barleywines, one by De Meester which I feel is often overrated, and one by HopHemel in Limburg which may be, perhaps, underrated - apparently it was the one and only Bart Vanpoucke who brought them together in this collab, and indeed I recall him telling me about this at one occasion. Sample shared by Bart (not Vanpoucke but another one) at Proevertjesdag. Medium sized, yellowish pale beige, fairly stable head on an initially clear, deep coppery bronze robe, turning cloudy and more mahogany-brownish further on. Aroma of caramel, soggy brown bread, cinnamon rolls, vanillin (oak wood I guess), yellow raisins, brandy, plums soaked in calvados, ground hazelnuts. Sweet, quite 'candied' onset, yellow raisins, slight pear syrup and candied figs with a very thin sourish edge bringing balance to the sugariness, medium carb with vinous, smooth mouthfeel. Caramelly and brown-bready core, toffeeish and rounded, with a very light toasty-bitterish touch, sprinkled with a hint of cinnamon and vanilla - the latter of course connected to oak wood, providing a long, warm finish with a dash of (slightly too) herbal hops and warming, brandy-like alcohol. As a merging of two beers coming from almost opposite sides of Flanders, this blend does feel like one monolithic whole, packing the flavours one expects from a dark barleywine but with a strong Belgian twist - I guess it is fair to say that this beer is halfway between English barleywine and Belgian quadrupel. Cheers to the Barts: the Bart who offered me the sample (coming from Stacks apparently) and the Bart who conceived the idea (and is active as a lambic blender too nowadays).
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8.5 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
Recently released 'geuze' version of a lambic dry-hopped with Talus created earlier this year, with the Talus, a 'daughter' of Sabro, being a new hop variety released in 2020 and supposedly imparting citrusy and piney aromas. Egg-white, dense and stable, slightly irregular but firm, medium thick head lasting for a long time on an initially crystal clear, warm 'old golden' robe with apricot glow and a whirlwind of lively, champagne-like sparkling - a beauty, turning misty in the end, with some tiny 'flakes' of (probably) protein dancing around. Aroma of grapefruit pith, wet old leather, lemon juice, sawdust, freshly sawn timber, dry hay, lightly toasted pumpkin seeds, black tea, freshly cut dandelions, bergamot, 'horseblanket' and something a bit sulphurous to even H2S-like ('putteke', as we say in Flanders) but not to the extent that it bothers me, dried lemonbalm (strong), minerals, arid farmland in midsummer. Very crisp onset, sharp champagne-like effervescence jumbling impressions of raw rhubarb, green gooseberry, unripe plum and lime juice and throwing them at a smooth-edged bread-crusty core dried by lactic acidity and strong woody tannins, with a combined astringent effect, even if the basic character of this lambic blend is rather 'mals'. Lovely leathery Brett effects throughout, very pronounced retronasally, adding complexity and funk, while the Talus effect I have been waiting for finally reveals itself towards the finish, in the form of a citrus peel-like, herbal bittersourness which blends perfectly with the citric-tart character of the lambic and the woodiness rather than contrasting with them. It accentuates a vibrant minerality too, with a sharp 'crystalline' effect in the finish - the perfect accompaniment to a plate of fried fish or fresh seafood, I reckon. Very crisp and clear 'geuze' (note how the creators in this case avoid the legally encumbered 'oude') - basically the sparkling version of that Talus-dry-hopped lambic they made in preparation of this one. The fraîcheur, crispness and acuteness of the hops are seamlessly integrated into the whole, adding to it in a way that is both subtle and powerful at the same time. Oud Beersel still ranks as one of the most accomplished lambic producers of our day and age in my personal opinion.