Alengrin
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Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
Quadrupel by still independent Gulpener in the southern Netherlands, thanks Hinke for sharing! Frothy and moussy, pale yellowish beige, bit irregular head on a misty deep bronze-caramel brown beer with copper-red glow. Aroma of hard caramel, indeed noticeable apple brandy, toffee, vanilla-scenting oak wood, sirop de Liège, almond, butterscotch, hazelnut, ripe pear, brown bread, white port. Sweet onset, candied dates and yellow raisins, vague sourish blackberry undertone, moderately carbonated with rounded mouthfeel; caramelly, lightly hazelnutty and brown-bready malts sprinkled with brown (candi) sugar, gradually warmed by the calvados, the flavour of which is recognisable enough. Vanilla-exuding oak wood adds a bit of dryness along with the alcohol, and with a dash of leafy hops – but the overall flavour remains predominantly sweet. In its base, this is a rather straightforward quad for the masses, but the calvados has admittedly treated it well and fits in neatly – in all, very decent, but not quite the average quality level of other barrel aged quadruple series (like Straffe Hendrik Heritage or La Trappe Quadrupel Oak Aged). Ideal beer for cellaring too, I reckon.
Alengrin
added a new beer
Barrel Aged Calvados Quadrupel (2022)
by
Gulpener Bierbrouwerij
5 months ago
Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 7.5 | Flavor - 7.5 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
Bourbon-infused stout from this brewery in Purmerend in the Netherlands, thanks Craftmember and Hinke for sharing, as RIS22 which is apparently the same as RIS20. Pale greyish beige, moussy, quite stable head on a black beer with copper red edges. Aroma of bitter chocolate, bourbon, walnuts, coffee grounds, cigar tobacco leaves, polishing wax, green beech sprouts or even birch wood, caramel, ashes, bayleaf. Dryish onset, some restrained fig- and raisin-like sweetishness, dried blackcurrant perhaps, finely tingling carb, full and oily body; black-chocolatey, walnutty core, layered and mouth-filling, with very faint ashy and smoky edges, blending in with a leafy hop note, a bayleaf-like retronasal note and bourbon bittersweetness, the latter remaining relatively subtle in comparison with other liquor-infused beers I had before. Some warming bourbon alcohol for sure, but nothing too wry or sharp – in fact, this whole RIS22 knows how to restrain itself, in a kind of old-fashioned way (for a stout) and in that sense less outspoken than its U.S. counterparts. Very solid beer, if only liquor infusion was always this delicately done.
Alengrin (10989) reviewed Zeus from Walhalla Craft Beer 5 months ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7.5 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7
Double IPA in New England idiom by this Amsterdam brewery; can at De Koffer in Groningen. Egg-white, moussy, largely stable and frothy head on a misty yellow blonde beer with pale apricot tinge. Aroma of lime zest, ripe apricot, some stale armpit sweat dankness, dry biscuit, green mango, red onion, unripe pear, toasted garlic, volatile hint of tomato soup. Cleanly juicy onset, hints of pepino, guava and apricot but not overly fruity, sweetish with sharp and minerally effervescence; full, somewhat creamy mouthfeel, sweetish dry biscuit- and cracker-like malts under growing tropical hoppiness – mango again, some granadilla, orange zest and toasted onion but nothing becoming too dominant. Orange pith-like bitterness ensues along with grassy notes and a light calvados-like alcohol warmth, with citrusiness remaining the main factor. Very solid, tasty IPA of high drinkability, combining old school bitterness with sufficient, yet not too overwhelming New England sultriness and fruitiness. One of the better Walhalla creations I had to date.
Alengrin (10989) reviewed Enter the Night from Folkingebrew 5 months ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7.5 | Flavor - 7.5 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
Imperial stout from this craft brewery in Groningen, tasted from tap at Wild Fest Groningen 2023. Dense, pale greyish beige, opening and shred-lacing head, jet black robe. Aroma of granola, hazelnut purée (Nutella even), cocoa nibs, bitter chocolate bars, peanut ‘rocks’, hard caramel, hints of brown rum, coffee grounds, nougat, gin, cinnamon. Sweet onset but far less so than expected based on the granola- and cocoa-dominated nose, not cloying at all, raisin, dried fig, some very light porcini-like umami; very full, oily mouthfeel, almost syrupy in fact – perhaps a bit much so even for a big stout, but still remaining more or less ‘quaffable’. Black-chocolatey malt base enriched with added cocoa flavours, strong hazelnut purée and granola- and peanut candy-like effects, with a toasty coffeeish edge successfully balancing the sweetness. Leafy hops and a strong, peppery, gin-like alcohol warmth join in at the end, the latter on the verge of becoming unpleasantly burning. A tad too boozy and one-dimensional perhaps, but in its basic make-up a very decent flavoured stout, conveying the cocoa and hazelnut very convincingly.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
NEDIPA containing wheat and oats (next to barley of course) by what is likely Europe’s foremost hazy IPA producer – sampled from tap at Wild Fest Groningen 2023. Thick and frothy, foamy, egg-white, cobweb-lacing head on a cloudy (sic) yellow blonde beer with pale apricot tinge. Sultry aroma of pomelo flesh, prickly pear, lychee, green mango, pink grapefruit zest, diesel-like dankness, onions sweating in hot peanut oil, lemongrass, lime orchard, touch coconut. Utterly fruity, juicy onset, a wave of kiwi, mango, lychee, starfruit and citric pomelo, sweet-sourish but not too sweet as is all too often the case in this genre nowadays; sharpish carbonation, full and slightly creamy, also somewhat powdery mouthfeel. Doughy, white-bready pale malt core deeply soaked in a long, powerful, radiant New World hoppiness, with strong retronasal perfumes varying between grapefruit zest and lemongrass over unripe mango and lychee to diesel, hot olive oil and stale sweat – but also adding a pleasant, lingering, spicy bitterness. Some warming alcohol is noticeable in the distance but never disturbs. Classic Cloudwater top level NEDIPA.
Alengrin
added a new beer
Know People Who No People
by
Cloudwater Brew Co
5 months ago
Appearance - 9 | Aroma - 8.5 | Flavor - 8.5 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5
With a tradition of releasing multiple vintages each year since 2007, there must have been many dozens of Eclipse vintages (barrel aged Totality stout by FiftyFifty in California) so far – and the few of those that I had, have been really beautiful, so I was looking forward to this 2019 bourbon vintage with golden label, generously shared by Craftmember. Medium thick, dense, greyish beige, open head, slowly dissolving over a jet black beer, not letting any light pass through except for a thin edge of copper around the edge. Intense and beguiling bouquet of mocha ice cream, vanilla-scenting oak wood, bourbon but refined and not overpowering, both milk and black chocolate bars, roasted brown bread, old furniture, dried blackcurrants, cassis, pecan nuts, pipe tobacco, beef stock, tawny port, soy sauce, apple blossoms, old brown honey. Densely sweet onset yet not sticky, raisins and dried figs, balanced with shades of teriyaki and slightly beef stock-like umami even though sweet remains the main factor at this stage; finely tingling carbonation, very full mouthfeel without being overly syrupy. Thoroughly dark-chocolatey core with layers of pecan nut and toffee, alongside hints of pipe tobacco, vague cassis and bayleaf, merging into a vanilla-oaky finish with softly drying tannins from the wood, a somewhat more outspoken roasty bitter element and warming bittersweet bourbon; spicy hops in an oldskool ‘American’ dosage pierce through, but they too blend in perfectly with the bittersweet malts, oak and bourbon. Richly flavoured and textured, highly sophisticated U.S. style ‘BBA’ stout – as good as any of the great legends in this style. Absolutely delicious and motivating to buy more of this series.
Alengrin (10989) reviewed Etera - Tomo 6 from Spartacus Brewing 5 months ago
Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7.5 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
Superstrong barrel aged imperial stout by this Brazilian craft brewery (actually brewing at Baxbier in Groningen from what I heard), sampled at Wild Festival Groningen 2023. Waferthin and interrupted, minute greyish beige bubbles around the edge but no head worth mentioning, very dark chocolate brown robe, as good as black but with hazy burgundy edges. Intense aroma of dusty old black chocolate bars, whisky, lots of vanilla-scenting oak, toffee, walnut liqueur, treacle, hazelnut paste, nougat, gin, varnish, raisins, dried chili peppers, hint tobacco. Sweet, chocolatey onset, raisins and strong candied dates effect, softly carbonated with extremely thick, viscous, syrupy body – in fact one of the thickest I came across so far in beer, with a few even more extreme exceptions, hindering drinkability: layer upon layer of molten dark chocolate, toffee, nougat and caramel, yet nowhere extremely sweet, balanced with a toasty edge. True roasted coffee-like bitterness never really develops, instead a lovely vanillin scent from oak wood comes up, paired with heating, peppery, whisky-like alcohol (as expected at this strength), piercing through the thick layers of malts and sugars – but those layers are thick enough to withstand a large part of it, which is why I am rating this stout higher than its equally strong barleywine equivalent (Kairo Tomo 1); one of the thickest stouts I ever had – but certainly not the most balanced, if the flavour structure here is altogether pleasant enough.
Alengrin has a new country beer tick achievement
Level 2 for Brazil ticks with a total of 10 from this country.
Etera - Tomo 6 from Spartacus Brewing was the one that did it!
5 months ago