Alengrin
Ghent, Belgium 🇧🇪 MemberOptions
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Alengrin (11609) reviewed Lutgarde IPA from Abbaye d'Aywiers 8 months ago
Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 7
Even this old-fashioned brand added this IPA to its range, formerly executed at Van Steenberge, but now apparently at Anders (?)... Found this at the Delhaize in Lokeren, steinie bottle with the deliberately sexy young nun used throughout this brand on front label and crown cap. Thick and frothy, snow white, tightly membrane-lacing, somewhat coarse and large-bubbled, stable head on a hazy apricot blonde robe with pale orangey tinge. Aroma of dried orange zest, green banana, lemonbalm from a herbarium rather than the garden, raw parsnip, leftover dough, fresh chamomile, cilantro, freshly ironed cloth somewhere, green pear, southernwood, old asphalt, cold clarified butter. Fruity onset, some 'Belgian' banana ester mingled with green pear, unripe kiwi and unripe peach notes, restrained in sweetness and fizzily carbonated with minerally effects; ferrous undertone, as in spring water high in natural metals, bridged by a smooth, malt-sweetish core, bready but in a sleek kind of way with a touch of sandwich, gradually bittered by earthy, leafy hops, while retronasally a touch of 'brightening' citrus blossom or mandarin zest admittedly appears - along with a soapy cilantro effect and traces of banana ester. Quite a long-lasting bitterness, but 'impure' as usual with these Belgian IPAs, muffled in aroma and constantly disturbed by esters, phenols (clove!) and other irrelevant elements. An annoying 'chemical' touch, somewhat wry, seems to linger alongside the bitterness of the hops, but fortunately in a very faint way. The minerality and that metallic aspect continue throughout. Another typical Belgian IPA - and I do not mean an Anglo-Saxon IPA deliberately playing Belgian by adding a Belgian style yeast, I mean an attempt by a hopelessly old-fashioned company to 'hop up' the old familiar Belgian blonde or tripel by throwing in more hops - sometimes even New World ones - and hoping that magically, an IPA will be the result. Drinkable, sure.
Alengrin (11609) reviewed Del Rio from Aldi (Nord / Süd / Hofer) 8 months ago
Appearance - 5 | Aroma - 2 | Flavor - 2 | Texture - 2 | Overall - 1
Fairly new addition to the dreary beer selection of the Aldi supermarket chain - one created for them alone, very likely by Martens indeed, though this is not mentioned anywhere (not on my can anyway). Comes in both canned and bottled form and is seemingly a plain pale lager (Buval, I guess) heavily sugared and flavoured with extracts of lemon and agave - so, considering tequila is made from agave and often drunk with a wedge of lemon, this is Aldi's way of competing with that terrible Desperados, which for some reason still seems to enjoy widespread popularity. Thick, frothy, snow white, tightly cobweb-lacing, stable head on a crystal clear, pale 'metallic' platinum blonde robe with 'old golden' tinge and some disparate sparkling. Aroma of melting white sugar, aloe vera gel (this is the agave, I assume), lemon-scented hand soap, a whiff of honey, something - excusez le mot - 'fart-like' further on (oddly), dried glue, wet white paper, cheap industrial lemonade or lemonade candy. Sugary sweet in the mouth, very lemonade-like, cloying, with moderately strong sparkling adding some relieving minerality - but then the sugars returns in full force, sticking to everything that follows, which is not a lot: a slender malt-syrupy undertone perhaps but nothing really malty, and fake, added flavours from a plastic tube or something, indeed reminiscent of lemon and agave but both in the same way you would expect them to smell in bath soap or something alike. No natural lemon or agave is to be detected, of course, and especially the latter bothered me throughout with that 'hand gel'-like scent and flavour. Oddly, a bitterish note is present in the very end (almost after swallowing), but I dare not say it comes from hops - it feels very artificial and a bit 'chemical' and is likely derived from those horrible extracts. Artificial to the point where it becomes sad rather than funny, this one comes from the very bleakest regions of the realm of beer. It does not taste like beer, but it does not really taste like lemon or agave either - I never thought I would say this, but if that damn Desperados was the source of inspiration here (as it was for quite a series of similar products, think Salitos or Amigo), then this one does not even manage to reach the original's 'quality' level. Feels like someone took a cheap pale lager and poured both lemon- and agave-scented soap in it, along with a heap of granulated sugar. Need I say more?
Alengrin (11609) reviewed T42 from Brasserie Cantillon 8 months ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
Had this one years ago as a sample during a tasting hosted by Jean Van Roy himself as a side event of a BXL Beerfest edition - but apparently my review was not registered here, possibly because Ratebeer did not consider it an independent entry, and perhaps justly so: this is, or was, nothing else but a four year old lambic bottled in very limited quantities back in 2021, as a kind of special variant on their staple Bruocsella Grand Cru. Anyway, I stumbled upon my original rating from the event and given that Brewver apparently does consider this a distinct entry, here we go... No head of course and none expected; hazy orange peach blonde robe with 'dust' floating throughout. Aroma of old dry sherry, very old lumber, dry old walnut shells, figs soaked in 'graanjenever', madera, oxidized green apple flesh, dusty book shelves, dry lemon zest and an odd, but very distinct note of canned tuna (oddly!) which persisted all the way through the tasting. Bone dry onset, notes of hard green pear and oxidized green apple but generally mild in acidity and relatively 'clean' in esters, with a dry, deep lactic acidity piercing through it all, a bit yoghurt-like in the most tangy way possible - carried by a supple underbuilt of dry old bread and a smooth, vinous mouthfeel. Old dry sherry accents in the end paired with very pronounced, astringent woody tannins accentuating a kind of deep bitterishness too - becoming almost grapefruit peel- and dandelion leaf-like in the end, about the same time when this weird but fascinating fishy note pops up retronasally, again reminiscent of canned tuna, and a bit of smoked mackerel perhaps. Quite a complex affair, with this tuna accent probably caused by aged proteins - but who can tell, this only contributes to the mystery that lambic is... Very dry, noble and taut, in a way, this was an interesting peek into how Cantillon lambic ages nowadays.
Alengrin (11609) reviewed 1871 from Het Boerenerf 8 months ago
Appearance - 9 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 9 | Overall - 8.5
Traditional geuze recently released by Boerenerf as a new variant, but what exactly distinguishes it from the regular and the Cuvée Héritage variants remains undisclosed - another proportion of lambic vintages no doubt, but it would have been interesting to know the details. Anyway, this one celebrates the old barn dominating the estate, built in 1871 and now apparently housing a barn owl, which is depicted on the label; being a great lover of birds (and living nature in general), this is one I just had to taste. Bottle (75 cl) under high pressure, opening with a loud 'bang' and gun smoke - as well as an ominous crackling sound, which continues into the head when poured, a very firm, stable, intricately 'Brugse kant'-like lacing, egg-white, fluffy head resting atop a hazy, warm peach blonde robe with orange-yellow glow and a whirlwind of fizz raging through the haze - a true storm and a beautiful sight to behold. Mouthwatering aroma of unripe apricot, lemon juice, grapefruit zest, barnyard (even a whiff of manure further on but volatile), bilimbi, damp earth (stronger as the bottled is emptied further), very old newspapers, dusty old wood, cava, cucumber flesh, wild apples, cobwebbed wooden attic, green plum peel. Very crisp onset, acidic in a very lemony way right from the start, but nowhere vinegary and remaining very fruity and juicy, with impressions of unripe apricot, green apple, gooseberry and bilimbi setting in quickly, further colouring the 'lemoniness' - there is even a volatile, very faint whiff of peachy sweetishness underneath it all, providing some balance. Very high effervescence as expected - champagne-like and amplifying the crispness and juicy, zingy sourness. A soft bready base fills the background, with lots of lactic, lemony, sorrel- and nettle-like sour flavours, drying but retaining this high level of crispness and juiciness all the way through. Pronounced tannic wood effects further dry the finish but that lemony, green-fruity crispness remains the key factor here; meanwhile, retronasal funk builds up, not as 'animalistic' as is often the case with Brett, but more along the lines of old dusty attics, dry haystacks and old books, adding a layer of extra complexity - and I could swear this sweetish peach element from the onset reappears retronasally as well, albeit in the most volatile, ephemeral way possible. At the back, a bitter note from old hops brings everything down to earth - but even then, this bright lemony sour-crispness prevails. Seems more vibrant and tangy than Cuvée Héritage or even the classic Oude Geuze, whilst very much retaining that typical Boerenerf character: enthusiastic, bright, edgy and earthy all at once. My kind of geuze entirely.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 8
Dok had the honour of receiving the Siren crew recently - living proof of the respect Dok gets from established craft breweries - so needless to say, a collaboration brew came out of that, in the form of this West Coast IPA, boasting 120 IBUs in hop bitterness and using such classic New World hop varieties as Centennial, Simcoe, Amarillo and Citra (some of which in 'updated' or adapted form). There was a time when West Coast IPA was about the only type of IPA available anywhere apart from the scarce remainders of historical English IPA and I myself have learned (gradually) to appreciate 'American hoppiness' two decades ago by West Coast IPAs and DIPAs, when NEIPA and its offspring simply did not exist yet, so I am very curious to find out how two fine breweries like Dok and Siren interpret this pioneering style. Can from Delhaize Gent Ster. Medium thick, very stable, egg-white, tiny-bubbled and densely structured, shred-lacing head, slowly showing a few gaps over a misty yellow blonde robe with vaguely khaki tinge. Aroma of pomelo, some guava, green mango, freshly mown lawn, dried out bread crumbs, sweet red onion stewed for six hours, olive oil, stale (or even bacterially infected) orange juice, something 'deeply' sweaty, overripe shallot, hints of paraffin, clarified butter and potato juice. Sweetish but refreshing onset, citrusy in a sweet-sultry-ish way (pomelo), hints of guava and mango with a dash of pineapple, minerally carb but nothing too harsh, smooth and slick mouthfeel; cereally pale maltiness, sweetish again, with this - mainly 'hoppy' - fruitiness continuing, very faint biscuity note somewhere, all moving into a confident, grapefruity, peppery, bit rooty hop bitterness which lasts for a long time, but not as long as the more expressive examples of oldskool West Coast IPA, and not nearly as sharply and thoroughly so. Instead, lots of this hazy IPA fruitiness lasts, with mango, pomelo and even a whiff of lychee still hanging around minutes later. A notably powdery mouthfeel persists as well. Pleasant enough to drink, very pleasant even (hence my high score here), but this is no West Coast IPA to me, in spite of the line-up of oldskool US hops: this is again one of those present-day would-be West Coasts, essentially still 'genetically' hazy IPAs in the New England idiom but made more bitter. Strange how West Coast IPA is making a certain return these days, out of nostalgia perhaps, and how most contemporary attempts end up being essentially above-average-hop-bitter NEIPAs... After all, this is not the seventeenth century we are talking about: West Coast IPA in its original form was the dominant IPA style until only a decade ago... I do not get it, am I really the only one longing for one of those ultra-bitter, non-hazy, grapefruit peel- and wormwood-like, clean, oily 'original' American style IPAs? Anyone else out there who remembers and misses them?...
Alengrin
added a new beer
You Better Be Home By 6
by
Dok Brewing Company
8 months ago
Alengrin (11609) reviewed Big Black Baltic from Dok Brewing Company 8 months ago
Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7
Baltic porter by Dok - considerably stronger than their previous take on this style, the Brugse Puurter. From a can bought at the Jumbo supermarket in the north of Ghent, at the edge of the harbour. Thick, greyish off-white, crackling, uneven-bubbled, irregularly cobweb-lacing, initially stable head later reduced to a waferthin ring, on a clear, dark mahogany brown robe (not as 'black' as I was expecting) with reddish burgundy glow. Aroma of moist dark grey rye bread, toffee, pipe tobacco, Lonka caramel 'drop' candy, cold espresso, teriyaki, roasted chicory, Koetjesreep, old raisins, dried prunes, something sugarfree chewing gum-like, wet young leather, clove, whisky. Dense onset, sweetish with a bitter streak, fruity in a 'dark' way with notes of dried prunes, dried figs and a wee bit of pear, quite lively carbonated for this style yet in a very fine-bubbled way (still delivering 'stings' on the tongue though); creamy, oily, full body, thick slabs of dry caramel, Ersatz chocolate, a touch of fondant and dark rye bread gliding over the tongue - sweetish and nutty initially, but moving to roasted bitterness in the end, albeit in a mellow kind of way: that typical coffee flavour is certainly there, but more bitterness is brought by the fine selection of hops, applied in a leafy, herbal, quite powerful manner. Their bitterness even extends a bit beyond the toastiness of the malts, but meanwhile the alcohol shows up as well, whisky- and gin-like, with a heating effect, though most of its wryness is luckily absorbed by the malts - most, but not all. All things considered, this is a fine example of a top-fermented Baltic porter, a genre which is predominantly bottom-fermented; it is clean, hefty, malty and smooth like a Baltic porter ought to be. The main thing in my mind that makes it deviate a bit from the real 'classics' in this style (Okocim, Zywiec, Carnegie, Baltika...) is that this one is notably sweeter and creamier - but then the new wind blowing through the old Baltic porter idiom springs to mind, because the global craft beer movement spared not one single genre in existence (and out of existence) and swept through Baltic porter as well, with Põhjala's masterpieces at its cutting edge. Those too are top-fermented and sweeter than the classics, in a kind of parallel evolution with imperial stout, intertwined with Baltic porter history from the beginning and difficult to separate from it perhaps even more so today. I assume Janos has been more inspired by Põhjala's interpretations than by the old ones that existed long before the craft beer movement arrived in Europe, and that is fine. So, to make a long story short: liked it.
Alengrin (11609) reviewed Sterke Oude Geuze from Brouwerij Kestemont 8 months ago
Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7.5 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 7
Stronger version of Kestemont's geuze - a relationship comparable with Boon's classic Oude Geuze versus Mariage Parfait, perhaps, with this Sterke version deliberately made stronger by using a higher original density, on top of ageing all lambics on casks that previously held wine (which contained some residual wine I suppose). Medium thick, off-white, loosely structured, large-bubbled head relatively quickly opening (especially for geuze) and dissolving, misty deep orangey 'old golden' robe with somewhat brownish tinge. Aroma seemingly dominated by old lambic with notes of very old dry sherry, preserved lemons, wet leather, old books, musty socks, Japanese pickled plums, old wooden planks, gari, dried orange peel, apple vinegar, persimmon, damp hay, cheese rind. Very estery onset, oxidized apple, tamarillo, unripe peach, gooseberry - tart but in a very soft way and indeed also carrying an unusual, somewhat 'out of place' sweetness reminiscent of sweet white grapes, dried apricots or persimmons; meanwhile the effervescence, though active, is much more mellow than in a typical geuze. Rounded, quite full mouthfeel, soft bready core under yoghurty lactic tartness but also these strong preserved fruit effects - and that sweeter apricot or persimmon flavour travelling along. Very oxidized finish in a 'noble' kind of way, as in dry fortified wine, medium dry sherry springing to mind (but a very old one) - an overall vinosity and grape-ish flavour no doubt coming from those casks. Woody tannins become fairly astringent in the end, the tartness becomes a bit more prominent but remains quite 'fruity' (again, preserved persimmons) and a very 'deeply buried' bitter note from old hops appears as well. The alcohol is palpable and warming in a sherry-like way, and indeed accentuates that odd sweet element that has been travelling along from the beginning. In the very end, moments after swallowing, a white wine-like flavour lingers, and keeps doing so for minutes on end, albeit subtly. Admittedly an interesting creation, but not at all comparable with the greatness that is Boon's Mariage Parfait geuze, to name one at the exact same alcohol level; the wine barrels add a notably sweet-grapey and sherry-like flavour but perhaps a bit too enthusiastically so, overly present from the beginning, so maybe not 'all' lambics should have been aged on wine barrels here - and as for that alcohol strength: high alcohol lambics never quite worked for me with the exception of the already mentioned Mariage Parfaits, so this one too, creative and fascinating as it may be, is not entirely my cup of tea, I fear. It tastes almost as if a big shot of white wine was poured into a glass of geuze - but I prefer my geuzes more crisp, pure, dry and tart. Clearly this is one that will divide opinions, so I am particularly curious about future ratings here.