Brewer's Notes: Forbidden as it was to brew in summer, a stronger beer – the Märzen – was brewed earlier in March. It would finally be served at the Oktoberfest, under the “Heaven of Bavaria”. We have returned once again to the age-old recipe and recreated that gloriously smooth, honey-coloured piece of history from times gone by. And all is brewed with due reverence to the Bavarian Purity Law of 1516.
Tasting Notes
Sept. 2025: I have been tasting this festbier, Weihenstephaner Festbier, Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest (2025), and Tucher Festbier. I like this beer and Tucher Festbier the best. It is malty (but not too much), flavorful, quaffable, easy-drinking, and complex.
Rating: 6 glasses
Aug. 2025: A delightful Oktoberfest. An Uber lager.
September 2023: I have been drinking this beer for a while but failed to write a review. The more I drink it, the more I like it. It is a titch less malty and more quaffable than Great Lakes. Has more bready malts and hops than a "lager" beer.
Rating = 5.5 glasses
Beeradvocate: Our Colossal take on a Double IPA, full of Simcoe, Mosaic, CTZ, Cascade & Centennial hops balanced against tons of rich malted barley.
There is a tide in the affairs of big IPAs which posits that a flood of hops leads to a fortune in liquid. In our XXV+ years of brewing big IPAs we've learned this to be mostly true, with one big caveat: balance is everything. We believe Maximus to be exactly that. Et tu?
60.5 IBU
Brewer's notes: In the grand coliseum of ales, one stands supreme: Behold Maximus, First of His Name, the King of Hops—unrivaled in might, unmatched in boldness. Be warned: only those brave enough to honor the liquid legend shall taste the glory…For the hop heads!
From the very first sip, Maximus does not whisper but roars with colossal impact. It’s full-bodied boldness thunders with unstoppable force of flavor of pine and citrus to create a smooth finish that echoes through all of eternity. With commanding hops of Simcoe, Cascade, and Centennial, Maximus reigns triumphant in boldness, yet delivers a wave of silken malted wheat and barley richness. The hop gods hath decreed it, the sippers hath worshiped it: All hail Maximus, King of Hops…For the hop heads!
Tasting Notes
20250916: Maximus is a solid double IPA - good but not great. Nice hops balanced by sweetness. It is not too sweet but I wanted more hops.
Rating: 4.5 glasses
Beer Advocate: The once strongest beer in the world is back! Brewed only once a year on December 6. Samichlaus is aged for 10 months before bottling. This beer is perhaps the rarest in the world. Samichlaus may be aged for many years to come. Older vintages become more complex with a creamy warming finish. Serve with hardy robust dishes and desserts, particulary with chocolates, or as an after dinner drink by itself. Brewed under the exclusive licence of Feldschlösschen-Hürlimann-Holding, Switzerland.
Brewer's notes: This is brewed only once a year, on December 6th, in a complex process Strong beer is a rarity. It can age in bottle for many years and gains complexity. Red-brown shimmering, complex aromas of dried plums, malt and caramel.
Tasting notes
2508: A can with some age on it was a delight. Sweet toffee and alcohol sweetness. A ale version of a sticky English barleywine. I want more.
Rating = 7 glasses
2401: Another glass at Can Can with L and ML. Sweet toffee goodness. Let's up the rating to 6.5.
2312: I had a glass on draft last night while dining with L and E at Can Can. I sampled the beer years ago but could not find my notes. Well, I was blown away; the beer is better than I remember. It is deep and dark and malty and delicious. It paired well with a good cheeseburger. It reminded me of Alesmith Private Stock and Bells Third Coast Old Ale - a strong ale with loads of flavor and complexity. I want more and will buy some when I see it. It impressed me more than BFM Abbaye De Saint Bon-Chien which I rate as 7 glasses. I need more tastes to go that high for Samichlaus.
Rating = 6.5 glasses.
Great Lakes Oktoberfest is a delightful Märzen-style oktoberfest.
Brewer's notesAssembly of Lambics of different ages.
Beer with a tangy and fruity taste, woody and delicate aromas, long finish on the palate.
Long-life beer with evolving taste.
Brasserie Cantillon Lambics are called “young” after one year of aging and reach full maturity after three years. Young beers contain the natural sugars necessary for second fermentation in the bottle. The three-year-old beers bring their bouquet and finesse.
Gueuze is the fruit of a complex blend of Lambics of different tastes and ages, preserved in oak barrels. The most important role of the brewer is taste. He will have to taste around ten Lambics from different barrels to finally select five or six. This is how Gueuze 100% Lambic is made, carrying the original character of the beers from Brasserie Cantillon. Each blending vat will give birth to a different Gueuze. The natural elements available to us do not allow us to manufacture a "standard" product.
Arranged horizontally in the cellar, the bottles will remain there for an average of one year to allow the transformation of sugars into carbon dioxide (second fermentation in bottles). The saturation of the beer occurs slowly and naturally. When Lambic becomes sparkling, it is called Gueuze.
In the 18th century, a Benedictine monk, Dom Pérignon, discovered champagne by blending different non-sparkling white wines. A century later, a Brabant brewer mixed several Lambics and caused a second fermentation in the bottle. La Gueuze was born. Until the 19th century, the people of Brussels and Brabançons drank mainly two beers, Lambic and Faro. The appearance of the glass bottle and the contribution of Dom Pérignon will revolutionize the small world of Brussels brewers. Gueuze then became the symbol beer of Brussels.
Black Chocolate Stout is one of my favorite beers.
Brewer's Notes: This is the famous Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout. In the 18th century, Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia, ordered a stout to be sent to her from England. This beer was brewed strong and hoppy to survive the sea voyage, and it arrived in perfect condition. Soon "Russian Imperial Stout" became the toast of the Russian aristocracy. Brewed since 1994, our Black Chocolate Stout has itself become a modern classic, heralded the world over. It achieves its dark chocolate aroma and flavor through the artful blending of six malts and three distinct mashes. Properly kept, it will improve in the bottle for many years. This stout is the toast of the winter season in many countries, and there is nothing better to enjoy with chocolate desserts, cheesecake, ice cream, fine cheeses and roaring fireplaces.
Rating = 5 glasses. I need to try another Zombie Dust to decide whether the best rating is 5 or 6.
Brewer's Notes: One of the most well respected and best-selling IPAs in the country, this golden beauty explodes with citrusy flavor and hop aromas, all perfectly balanced by a subtle malt character.
Brewer's notes: Our Pilsner is brewed with simplicity and results in the harmonious confluence of meticulously executed old-world traditions and ingredients. Our iteration of the Hochkurz mash schedule meant we’d be executing six different temperature rests, each of which carries a specific focus in mind; and while this is significantly more labor intensive than a current-day single infusion mash, the difference in the end result speaks for itself. An egg-white foam rests atop a crisp, clear, golden beer, with just a hint of Hallertau Mittelfruh hops coming through in the finish.
BeerAdvocate: Pilsner brewed with simplicity and true to old-world traditions and ingredients. Egg white foam on a crisp, clear, golden and mostly crushable beer. Floral, fruity and slightly herbal hints from Hallertau Mittelfruh hops.
Tasting notes
2403: I drank #5 from the 6-pack. Not as good as #4.
Rating = 2.5 glasses.
I drank #5 from the 6-pack. The lemony flavor is not present and the beer is good.
Rating = 3 glasses.
February 2024: I write after my second or third can. The beer is nice. It has a lemony finish that may be what other people call grassy. I like it but will not be putting it into my refrigerator on a regular basis.
Rating = 2.5 glasses
Brewer's Notes
With a robust and roasty aroma, Raven’s Roost Baltic Porter has notes of chocolate, caramel and toffee. Searching for the perfect porter?
Quoth the raven, “Nevermore.”
Tasting notes
February 24: I keep buying the beer and I keep liking it. Enough flavor to be interesting and easy to drink. I delightful dark beer that doesn't try to impress or overwhelm foods. I am upgrading the rating a titch.
Rating = 5 glasses.
March 23: Rating = 4.5 glasses.
Beer Advocate: The ONE rater likes it.
Tasting Notes
Feb. 2024: Ed likes it: nicely balanced, easy drinking, and flavorful. The unfiltered haze adds a titch of bohemian to the brew. I could see keeping this in my refrig as a regular - $11.49 for a 4-pack of 16-oz. cans.
Rating = 4.5 glasses. I may revise in either direction with a second can.
Beeradvocate: "Made from 40% cherries."
Label notes: "Sour cherries were macerated on young peeted lambik and partly on two-year old straight lambik in a stainless steel tank. We blended with young and three-year old (!) lambik. 55% of the blend is old lambik and the final fruit intensity is 567 grams of sour cherries per liter. .... Ingredients: water, barley malt (60%), wheat malt (40%), sour cherries, old hops.
Tasting notes
February 2, 2024. I drank a bottle given to my by BG when she and SJ visited us for dinner. Wow! I really liked it. It is tart and the cherries give an additional punch of sour in the finish. Initial tartness stimulates the salivary glands. Some vinegar pops through, too. The cherry flavor is definitely noticeable but does not overwhelm the taste. I liked it so much that I went to the beer store to buy another bottle. (I also picked up a bottle of Oude Kriek, Rodenbach Vintage 2018, and De Ranke Kriek).
I am giving it a rating of 7 glasses after one tasting.
Postscript. Having tasted Oude Kriek, I am downgrading the rating to 6.5.
Rating = 6.5 glasses.
Beeradvocate: "A Spontaneous Wild Ale Aged in Oak Barrels for Two Years with Montgomery & Morello Cherries."
Label notes: A sponteneous wild ale with tart cherries aged in Oak barrels for two years.
Tasting notes
February 3, 2024: I picked up a bottle based on the reviews on BeerAdvocate and its price - $9+ for a 375 ml bottle. I was buying three other sour beers and felt expansive. The beer is not bad but was a disappointment. It lacked punch and excitement. It had plenty of carbination. It was a cloudy pink color. The flavor was a titch bland for a wild ale and a little sweet. OK, but not what I want.
Rating = 2 glasses.
The name refers to the originality and purity of the beer. The specific gravity of the wort is 1078, the alcohol percentage 9%. Oerbier has a slightly fresh acidity due to the yeast and lactic acid bacteria.
The best-before date is imposed by law: one year after bottling, this is also mentioned on the capsule. The beer will experience a slight taste evolution and will become vinous. Samples of the first brew, which are still perfectly drinkable, are kept in the brewery.
Store in a cool cellar
It is the first beer of De Dolle Brouwers and officially dates from 1980. It was brewed in prototype by two students in a copper wash bowl. Previous attempts with English ready-made kits turned out not to meet the strict beer requirements of the two brothers.
Preferably store this beer in a dark, cool cellar and pour at 12°C in a type of wine glass. There are special Oerbier glasses for sale in the brewery. This beer is for sale per 6 bottles or per 20, every Saturday and Sunday between 2 pm and 7 pm.
