7.8

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

75cl bottle (aged in Bourgogne wine barrel, vintage 2020; BBF: Dec, 2025) from Cora in Brussels. F: huge, tanned, long lasting. C: dark brown, hazy, opaque A: woody, red wine blackcurrants, sherry, bit caramel, chocolate touch, black berries, dried plums. T: full malty base, oud bruin feeling, red wine, sherry, woody, bit caramel, black berries, dried plums, nice balanced bitterness, bit spicy, herbal touch, medium to high carbonation, I had base beer for this OWA Kuro in 2017 but his is much better, enjoyed for sure.

8

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7

OWA, the Brussels company lead by a Japanese entrepreneur, is primarily known for Japanese-themed lambics, but has done some top-fermenting beers in the past as well. This one was created in 2017 and is actually their Kuro, a strong Belgian dark (a ‘massieve ale’ as the old OBP used to say), aged on red wine barrels; rating from a four year old vintage bottle. Releases a lot of pressure upon opening, but no sign of gushing. Towering high, rocky, thickly plastery lacing, pale yellowish beige, indeed cauliflower-like head, thinning only slowly over a misty, dark chestnut brown beer with vermillion red tinge. Complex and very ‘oud bruin’-like aroma, passionfruit, wet old wood (including ‘oaky vanilla’), dry red wine, dry sherry, a touch of sweat, medlar, dry forest floor and autumn leaves, blackcurrant, fig juice, almond, tea, blue grapes, black cherries or ripe blackberries, brown bread. Sweet onset though not cloying and mitigated by underlying sourness from the wine barreling; blackberries, dark plums, figs and some cherry spring to mind, fizzy carbonation (initially too sharp but calming down further on); full brown-bready malt body with a caramelly core, carrying the sweet-and-tart fruitiness along as well as supporting spicy elements and a herbal, tea-ish hop touch, before the tart aspect and thus the wine barrel treatment decides to take over, adding a vinous quality, lots of ‘old’ woodiness, a certain charming ‘dustiness’ and a clear dry red wine flavour, also reminiscent of actual blue grapes and dry sherry. Complex, fruity, ‘dark’, soothing, vinous finish – a lot goes on in this beer, and not only physically with the high pressure and all, but much more importantly so in terms of flavour. I never had this one young, but I can assess that this is a top quality vintage beer, very ‘Belgian’ in a noble, complex way; as usual with wine barrel aged dubbels and quads, it has become a bit ‘oud bruin’-like and I can only assume that my sample has aged very well. Much better than expected even.

6.5

@ 2018

8.3

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 9

Aroma is great, gaffer tape, gherkins and cheese. Taste is nice, funkiness, bit cheesy, Belgian, bit of white wine, fruity. Really easy drinking.

7.1

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5

6 October 2018. At Modeste Bierfestival, Antwerp. Cheers to Anke & Elke!
Clear black with a lasting, thin, frothy, tan head; little lacing; some sediment. Aroma of port, red wine, vinegar, coffee roast, marzipan, walnut, black tea. Taste is light to medium fruity sour, hints of port & vinegar, faint sweetish powdery chocolate effect before turning light roasted bitter, coffee with a note of black grape, blackcurrant too. Dryish, peppery & earthy hoppy finish, warming port alcohol, lingering dark fruit, faint toast. Medium body, oily texture, lively carbonation. Oud Bruin-ish 'Belgian' Stout, or something like that. Good.

6.9

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5

Bottle - pours dark brown tan head - nose and taste of red wine, chocolate, oak and toffee - medium body

7.5

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8

Sample is OWA Merry Christmas 2011, 8% ABV, 6 yrs old Thick cream-beige head over reddish dark-brown beer. Portwine, Madeirisation, red wine, biscuit, old cookies, brown sugar, sweetened nuts. Sweet, old sugared nuts, madeirisated old wine, red grapes. Bit thinnish MF, accusing its age; slick. Sweet - but good after these years. Not a big beer. 8/4/7/3/15 Txs to Stef!

Kuro OWA Grand Cru 2020 Bourgogne Barrel aged Gushing to enormous beige, dense head over deep dark brown beer with red highlights. Fruity, red fruit, lactic acid and the aromas from "instant made" oud bruin - thought those had gone. Sweet, brown candi sugar, lactic acid, old wood, preserved red fruit. Not very vinous, this one. Chocolate with cherry liqueur. Very slick, oily, good body & good carbonation. Not convincing. 3/7/6.5/4/13 Txs to Stef!

6.6

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5

How: Draught.
Where: All in Beerfest 2016.
Appearance: Dark brown colour with a small tan head.
Aroma: Fruit, berries, vinous, caramel.
Body: Medium body and carbonation.
Flavour: Raisin, fruit, vinous, caramel.

6.6

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 4 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5

Vita Valen 2018-12-14 Göteborg Bourbon, soya, keep rating - 2015 Bottle at All In Beer Fest 2016, 2016-11-04 Göteborg AR: raisins, prune, yeastiness AP: dark brown, wee head F: fizzy, dry, raisins, figs, prunes

7

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7

Bottle 750ml. corked. [ As OWA Grand Cru ]. [ Vintage 2013 ].Clear dark red brown color with a average, frothy - creamy, good - fair lacing, fully lasting, off-white head. Aroma is moderate to heavy malty, caramelized malt, brown sugar, dark malt, light to moderate roasted - toasted, moderate yeasty, fruity yeast, belgium yeast, red wine. Flavor is moderate sweet and light bitter with a long duration, caramelized malt - sugar, fruity yeast, dark malt, belgium yeast, wine - red wine. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft. [20160625]