Rest by The Bruery

August 11, 2017 by cloudx30 tagged aged in Bourbon Barrels, Belgian Dark Ale, Belgian Strong Dark Ale, dark ales, Nintendo, oak wine barrels, Princess Peach, Rest, Super Mario Bros, The Bruery | Leave a comment

Rating: 6/6

Rest by The Bruery is a 13.1% ABV Imperial Dark Ale aged in bourbon and wine barrels.

Description

We had a compelling urge to craft a beer fitting of our friend’s seventh anniversary. But urgency wasn’t part of the equation in this complex beer. Six different malt-forward beers were brewed and set to rest separately in bourbon barrels. After months of oak-aging, a portion was selected and transferred for further maturation in the grand cru of California wine barrels. In many ways, this finished beer is greater than the sum of its parts, but at its core, it’s the seventh beer. It’s a memorable finish, and well-deserving of rest.

Awesome combination of bourbon and wine oak goodness really brings out the greatness of both worlds, the good and the evil, the light and the darkness, the oaky and the funky. Definitely a beer worth savoring.

Humdinger Series Belgo Sutra by Magic Hat Brewing

September 11, 2013 by cloudx30 tagged banana notes, Belgian Strong Dark Ale, Belgo Sutra, dark ales, dark fruits, Dates, Figs, Gurren Lagan, Humdinger Series, Magic Hat, Nia, Nia Teppelin, Quad, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, Yoko, Yoko Littner, Yoko Ritona | Leave a comment

Rating: 4.65/5

Humdinger Series Belgo Sutra by Magic Hat Brewing is an 8.2% ABV Belgian Strong Dark Ale brewed with Figs and Dates

COMMERCIAL DESCRIPTION (Ratebeer.com)
A complex Belgian Strong Ale brewed with figs, dates, and dark candi sugar. Throw out your inhibitions and lose yourself in intense pleasure.

Official ddescriptionmagichat.com/elixirs/belgosutra)
Beer has never known such sensuality as with Belgo Sutra. Brewed with six different malts and fermented over figs and dates, this Belgian-Style Dark Ale offers a deep complexity that caresses the palate to a scream-inducing climax.
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Despite the fact that the ratings on the websites are moderate to good about this beer, I still wanted to seek out for 2 reasons. Great label art but also, I am a fan of Belgian Dark Ales. Also, this beer is mainly sold in the east coast so it was no easy task to find. I had to resort to online sources.

Aromas are of dark fruits like raisins, plums, caramel, chocolate notes, cherry, earthy spices, bread, candi sugar, figs, dates, cinnamon, brown sugar, cloves and banana notes.

The flavors are of figs, and dates, plum notes, raisins, candi sugar, walnuts, maple, cinnamon, clove spice, rye bread, pears, apricots, molasses, chocolate notes, bananas, caramel, cinnamon, brown sugar, cloves, lemon meringue and slight cherry notes.

The after taste stays figgy, nutty, notes of residual raisin and caramel notes. Alcohol seems to be a little present in the fragrance but not as much in the taste.

Overall the beer is very good. A very nice strong dark ale close to a quad even, which I think should be considered a quad. I does a very good job in a lot of aspects, but you can definitely find way better Belgian strong darks out there that are more common. Not that this should be passed up though. If you can find it, get it as it is pretty limited and worthy of taste merit.

Grand Cru by Rodenbach of Steenhuffel Belgium

August 29, 2013 by cloudx30 tagged belgian, belgian beers, Belgian Strong Ale, Belgium, cherries, cherry cobbler, dark ales, Dark Cherries, dark cherry yogurt, dulce de leche caramel, Flanders Red Ale, Flemish Red Brown Ale, Grand Cru, Masane Amaha, Oak aged, Reina Soho, Rodenbach, tart cranberries, Witchblade, World class, world class beers | Leave a comment

Rating: 5.09/5

Grand Cru by Rodenbach of Steenhuffel Belgium is a 6% ABV World Class Flanders Red Ale aged in oak vats. Composed of 33% “young” ale and 67% ale matured for two years

Label:
Rodenbach Grand Cru is an exceptional Belgian ale known as Flemish Red Brown Ale. It enjoys a special status in Belgium as a “Traditional Regional” product. A mixed fermentation ale, Rodenbach is matured in oak vats, giving this ale a signature sweet-sour taste and intense bouquet with a very long after taste like a Grand Cru wine. Rodenbach Grand Cru is a blend of “young” ale (33%) and ale that has matured for two years (67%).
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While looking for the old Lips of Faith New Belgium Grand Cru, I was recommended to get this one instead as it was highly recommended by one of the personnel at the store. I have had may experiences with Grand Crus and those have become a progressing favorite style of mine as I try more. When I read this was a Flanders ale or Flemish Red brown I was was kind of surprised. At first I thought, well, most grand crus are red or brown in color but a lot of Belgian Strong Dark Ales or even Quadruples. At that point I realized, this I had to see. To my surprise, this was not a sour beer at all, it was more delightful

Aromas are of wine grapes close to funky beer, but then I got a rush of greater dark cherry yogurt fragrances as well as dulce de leche caramel, vanilla, toffee, apples, pears, buttery biscuit, butterscotch, raspberries, cherry cobbler, cherry pie, figs, raisins and brown sugar.

The flavors was definitely not what I has presumed. You don’t get much sour notes, but instead more tangy cherry notes and more fruit driven flavors like apples, apricots, raisins, figs, wine grapes, raspberries, tart cranberries, currants and black berries. You also get dulce de caramel, vanilla, cherry cobbler, cherry pie notes, oak wood, light lemon dash, earthy spices, and Black cherry yogurt.

The aftertaste is caramel sweet and cherry tart with some nice light acidic and bready notes. Not your typical sour at all. Dark crimson blood body yet pleasing to drink.

Over all, I was highly impressed. This is the first time I try a Flanders that was not more tart to sour flavored. This is the sour noted beer that many of those people that love fruity beers but don’t like sours would absolutely love. Now I see why its simply amazing. Leave it to Belgium to create the best beers in the world. If they can take a lighty funky beer and make it compete with the quads and dark strongs as “Grand Crus”, that has got to be Godly.