Alengrin
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Alengrin
added a new beer
't Spelt Es Espe
by
Dok Brewing Company
1 year ago
Alengrin (10989) reviewed Koduõlu (2022) from Dok Brewing Company 1 year ago
Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7.5 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 7.5
Dok has ventured into the still largely unknown realm of ancient northern and eastern European farmhouse brewing before and has even produced a koduõlu (a raw beer flavoured with juniper, native to the large Estonian islands, Saaremaa upfront) before, in the kettles of Estonian farmhouse brewer Pihtla two year ago; this is koduõlu brewed by Dok in their own kettles in Ghent, likely based on the same recipe as the Pihtla collab. Large-bubbled and notably loosely structured, snow white, medium sized head, opening and eventually dissolving on a pale yellowish-beige robe with opaque-milky look – looking a bit like home made pear juice rather than beer, but this opaque ‘muddiness’ is not unusual for the genre if done entirely traditionally so I take it as a good sign. Aroma of ripe banana, wet raw dough, fermenting pear, moist white pepper, green melon and a spicy note which I reckon represents the juniper, though it is much less obvious here than in the 2020 Pihtla version. Estery onset with spicy aspects, lots of banana ester again, cooked apple and green pear with a spicy-earthy parsnip-like undertone growing stronger further on; soft to almost flattish carb, full doughy maltiness, very doughy in this case, with grainy edges and something powdery in the end, as well as lingering raw potato and banana impressions. Ends very yeasty, liquid dough as it were, with peppery spiciness attributable to the juniper, and remaining low in bitterness (I assume this beer is even unhopped). Raw, rough and very yeasty indeed, much more than the Pihtla version of two years ago so that ironically perhaps, I am left with the impression that this Belgium-brewed interpretation stands closer to the ‘real thing’ than its Estonia-brewed predecessor… Very interesting brew, it is really exciting that the great Dok Brewing Company offers us a glimpse into the ancient world of koduõlu and its relatives this way!
Alengrin
added a new beer
Koduõlu (2022)
by
Dok Brewing Company
1 year ago
Alengrin (10989) reviewed Mugwort Kornøl from Dok Brewing Company 1 year ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7
Kornøl, an ancient Norwegian farmhouse beer style, as interpreted by Dok, which – in the person of head brewer Janos De Baets – has been paying special attention to these largely unknown remnants of ancient brewing in northern and eastern Europe in the past few years. This one was served at Brasserie de la Sambre’s international saison festival and to my knowledge has not been bottled (which in this case would not make much sense anyway, seen the very short shelf life of this kind of raw beers). Irregular, loose and opening, snow white head, murky yellowish blonde robe, looking even very ‘milky’ to the point of being opaque – not unusual in this type of ‘archaic’ ales I reckon. Very bready aroma of freshly baked wholegrain bread and fresh bread dough, fresh crackers even, wormwood leaf, yoghurt, apple peel, unripe pear, very spicy and sharp juniper (peppery juniper berry rather than resinous, ethereal juniper branch even). Estery onset, cooked apple and green pear with a dash of unripe melon, softish carb, full and ‘fluffy’ mouthfeel; utterly bready middle, as if drinking liquid bread in the most literal sense of the word, wholegrain bread dough gliding over the tongue, leaving behind a trail of restrainedly sweetish fruitiness, lots of doughiness and powderiness and, as expected, this peppery juniper spiciness, with a very ‘fresh’ character, quite distinctive and idiosyncratic and not nearly as resinous as I was expecting it to be (as with the koduõlu). Dried nettle, green peppercorn and clove impressions further complete the spicy character, along with of course the added wormwood, which adds a balancing end bitterness to the whole. Very interesting, I have never tasted a true Norwegian kornøl but I have read about it, and from the data I found, this one must be a very convincing and authentic example, again underscoring how well-versed Janos is in traditional beer styles. Quite unique.
Alengrin
added a new beer
Mugwort Kornøl
by
Dok Brewing Company
1 year ago
Alengrin (10989) reviewed Brettney's Megamix from Dok Brewing Company 1 year ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8.5 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
Elaboration on Dok’s ’versnijbier’ Brettney Spears, a blend of a top-fermented saison with lambic by De Troch; this special version was served on the international saison festival organized by Brasserie de la Sambre but I have not seen it elsewhere yet. Anyway: medium thick, egg-white, opening and loose head on a hazy yellow straw-golden beer. Aroma of sour grapes, candied lemon, damp hay, unripe pineapple, dry white wine, oloroso sherry, old oak wood with clear vanilla-like aspect, stewed green apples, ripe pear, gooseberry jam. Estery onset, lots of sweet-and-sour fruitiness of pineapple, yellow plum and white grape, medium carbonated with rounded cereally malt sweet core elegantly dried by a yoghurty lactic tartness from the lambic. Lovely vinous and woody finish, tannic and grape-juicy at the same time, with a very soft hayish hop bitter touch underneath; complex and layered. Stunningly beautiful sour blend, not sure how the already very tasty Brettney Spears was exactly improved here, but clearly it has improved quite significantly. I hope more of this special edition will be made available, and to a larger audience…
Alengrin
added a new beer
Brettney's Megamix
by
Dok Brewing Company
1 year ago
Alengrin
updated a beer:
THRIVE Recovery IPA
brewed by De Proefbrouwerij
1 year ago
Alengrin (10989) reviewed Prolegomena from Hill Farmstead Brewery 1 year ago
Appearance - 9 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 9
‘Oud bruin’ as interpreted by Hill Farmstead, aged for years at the time of tasting, thanks Craftmember for sharing. Membrane-lacing, pale greyish beige, quite thick and moussy head on a hazy burgundy ruddy-brown beer. Profound, complex bouquet of strong vanilla-scenting oak wood all around, old red wine, passionfruit, red apple slices, tawny port, chestnut, Japanese wineberries, caramel undertone. Crisp, tart onset, quite intense, purple gooseberries and red apples, medium carb, rounded and smooth body; lovely hazelnutty and caramelly malt core with brown-bready edges, deeply penetrated by estery, vinous tartness and tannic woodiness, leading to a long, very old dry red wine-like finish with lots of lingering tawny port-, vanilla- and passionfruit-like impressions. Deep, complex, very mature beer – incredibly good, worthy of this brewery’s reputation. Among the most refined Hill Farmstead beers I had so far – and among the most sophisticated American sour ales ‘tout court’.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 8.5 | Texture - 9 | Overall - 7.5
The 31st one in an ongoing series of barrel-aged blends of sour ales by Hill Farmstead, tasted at the Brasserie de la Sambre & Friends festival in Spy, Wallonia. Snow white, medium thick, moussy head, lacing sparsely and dissolving into some fine bubbles around the edge, misty deep orange-hued warm peach blonde robe. Aroma of sour apples, ripe pear, sourdough, kefir, white grapes, soaking wet wood, gooseberry juice, old dry white wine. Estery onset, tart with a sweetish core, hinting at green apple, pear and gooseberry with a streak of sour grape running through it all, medium carbonated with supple, vinous body; sourdoughy malt core soaked in white wine and dry cider, as it were, graced with elegant tannic woody notes; a lingering lime-juicy sourness keeps things fresh and gracious. Complex enough, cleverly blended and very elegant sour ale.