Category: Reviews

De Dolle Brouwers Oerbier Belgian Strong Dark Ale at 9% ABV (€5.20 at Belgian Beer Tradition Rue au Buerre Bruxelles, 330 ml, best before Dec 2016)

Pours clear medium amber with two fingers plus of fluffy light tan head, good retention and lacing. (4/5) Nose is dark boozy fruit (dates and raisins), caramel malt, brown sugar, green apple, other stone fruits. (8/10) Taste is moderate sweet, mild tart, very light bitter. (8/10) Medium body, prickly carbonation, medium duration finish with a little lingering alcohol warming. (4/5)

Quite a nice BSDA, if a bit on the pricey side for where I got it. Very mild considering the beefy ABV, almost sherry-like and quite good for sipping. Almost feels like there’s a little brett in there contributing to the mild tartness, but it’s quite restrained. Sweetness is similarly restrained, and kept well in check by the pleasantly prickly carbonation. Certainly much better than the amateurish label might have you expecting, and having read their writeup, I’d like to cellar some for future experimentation. (16/20)

My 169th from the 2010 Edition (160th from the 2013 edition), and 179th combining both editions.

8/10 #1001beers #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Brouwerij Lindemans Lindemans Apple (Pomme) Lambic Style – Fruit at 3.5% ABV (€2.00 at Carrefour Express Grand Place, 375 ml, best before 4-Feb-2017)

Pours hazy pale straw with a fat finger of white head, good retention and lacing. (4/5) Nose is strongly dominated by slightly artificial apple juice, with faint yeast and caramel. (5/10) Taste is moderately strong sweet, moderate tart, mild bitter. (5/10) Light bodied, moderate carbonation, lingering tart finish. (3/5)

Jolly ranchers. Want to slag it, but really, it’s not that bad. Sweet, sure – but tart enough to stop it from being sickly. Kind of enjoyed it. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Brasserie St-Feuillien / Friart St Feuillien Triple Abbey Tripel at 8.5% ABV (€1.85 at Carrefour Express Grand Place, 330 ml, best before 16-Mar-2017)

Pours hazy pale gold with two fingers of fluffy white head, good retention and lacing. (4/5) Nose is coriander, banana, lemon zest, Belgian yeast, honey. (8/10) Taste is moderate sweet, mild bitter. (8/10) Medium to light bodied, prickly carbonation, dry crisp finish. (4/5)

Another really good abbey triple, complete with the with nice Belgian character and crisp dry mouthfeel I look for. Hard to clearly prefer this over the Corsendonk I tried earlier tonight, but it definitely has a more pronounced ABV – which is not necessarily a negative. And under €2 at a corner grocery store. I think I need to live in Belgium for a bit… (16/20)

My 167th from the 2010 Edition (158th from the 2013 edition), and 177th combining both editions.

8/10 #1001beers #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Brouwerij Corsendonk Corsendonk Agnus Abbey Tripel at 7.5% ABV (€1.53 at Carrefour Express Grand Place, 330 ml, best before 9-Apr-2018)

Pours hazy pale gold with two fingers of fluffy white head, good retention and lacing. (4/5) Nose is coriander, banana, lemon zest, Belgian yeast, honey. (8/10) Taste is moderate sweet, mild bitter. (8/10) Medium to light bodied, prickly carbonation, dry crisp finish. (4/5)

Really good abbey triple, with nice Belgian character and a crisp dry mouthfeel, and absolutely no indication of the fairly beefy ABV coming through in the nose or on the tongue – this really is the way I like my tripels. And it cost a euro and a half, in a grocery store. Why is it that I don’t I live in Belgium, again? (16/20)

My 166th from the 2010 Edition (157th from the 2013 edition), and 176th combining both editions.

8/10 #1001beers #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

S.A. Damm Voll Damm Doble Malta Märzen at 7.2% ABV (€3.00 at Varadero Palma, 330 ml, best before 03/16)

Pours clear pale amber with a fat finger of fluffy white head, good retention and moderate patchy lacing. (3/5) Nose is corn flakes, caramel malt, faint grassy hops, slight alcohol edge. (5/10) Taste is moderate sweet, mild bitter. (5/10) Medium bodied, off dry medium duration finish. (3/5)

An interesting take on Märzens, with the “double malt” making this in essence an Imperial Pale Lager. Malt definitely dominates the character, but there is some significant hop contribution to at least start to balance that out. The alcohol presence is definite, making it tend a little to the harsh side, but all in all it’ll do on a 30° day on the coast of Mallorca. (10/20)

My 165th from the 2010 Edition (156th from the 2013 edition), and 175th combining both editions.

5/10 #1001beers #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Kaiserdom Privatbrauerei Bürgerbräu Bamberg Dunkel Dunkel at 5.0% ABV (€0.95 at Todis Trastavere, 500 ml, best before 20-Apr-2016)

Pours opaque ruby brown with a short tan head diminishing quickly to a thin skim, moderate patchy lacing. (3/5) Nose is coffee and dark chocolate, roasty malts, liquorice, hint of smoke. (6/10) Taste is moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (6/10) Medium bodied tending to the watery, low carbonation, mildly bitter finish. (3/5)

Yet another sub-€1 supermarket deal. I might be being just a little too low on the rating here (or maybe I was too generous with its Hefeweizen brother) but I think it’s if anything a little nicer than the Hefe. Definitely worth drinking, and one helluva deal at the price. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Kaiserdom Privatbrauerei Bürgerbräu Bamberg Weissbier Hefeweizen at 5.0% ABV (€0.95 at Todis Trastavere, 500 ml, best before 16-Oct-2016)

Pours cloudy straw with one finger of dense white head, excellent retention and moderate patchy lacing. (3/5) Nose is banana, cloves, bubblegum, wheat, light caramel malt. (6/10) Taste is moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (6/10) Light bodied, moderate carbonation, slightly sticky off-dry finish. (3/5)

Another sub-€1 supermarket beer, and a helluva deal. Fairly decent body and flavour profile – a bit too sweet and yeasty, perhaps, but really not bad at all. Quite drinkable, and hard to beat for the price. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Birra Flea Serra Santa Birra Cruda Belgian Strong Pale Ale at 5.9% ABV (€3.89 at Todis Trastavere, 750 ml, best before 25-Aug-2016)

Pours hazy pale gold with a fat finger of rocky white head, good retention and lacing. (4/5) Nose is stewed apples, caramel and toffee, a little Belgian yeast and spice. (5/10) Taste is moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (4/10) Medium bodied, soft carbonation, lingering bitter finish. (3/5)

Not terrible, for a cheap supermarket beer. I mean, not good, either – but not terrible. The finish in particular is not particularly well done, and the lingering bitterness turns a little astringent. The fruit is also a bit brown apple-ish. All in all, though, I’ve had much worse. (10/20)

5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Heineken Italia Birra Moretti Baffo d’Oro Pale Lager at 4.8% ABV (€8.00 at Ristorante Venerina, 650 ml, best before 11/16)

Pours clear pale straw with two fingers of fluffy white head, good retention and moderate patchy lacing. (3/5) Nose is sweet pale malt, doughy yeast, faint grassy hops and honey. (4/10) Taste is moderate sweet, mild bitter. (4/10) Light bodied, off dry crisp finish. (3/5)

Pleasant thirst quencher on a hot day, and yes, it does pair well with Italian food and pizza. Decent enough example of the style, but ultimately pretty boring. (10/20)

My 164th from the 2010 Edition (155th from the 2013 edition), and 174th combining both editions.

4.5/10 #1001beers #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Martens Willianbräu Pils Pilsener at 4.6% ABV (€0.59 at Todis Trastavere, 500 ml, best before 20-Feb-2016)

Pours clear pale hold with no head or lacing. (2/5) Nose is grainy pale malt, corn, apple, faint weedy hops. (4/10) Taste is moderate sweet, mild bitter. (4/10) Light bodied, moderate carbonation, crisp off dry finish. (3/5)

OK, to be honest, I just bought this out of morbid curiosity, to see how terrible a fifty nine (euro) cent beer could be. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t do anything crazy like drink the whole thing – but the fact is, if I were thirsty, I’d take this over Bud Light any day. (8/20)

4/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com