Russian River Consecration

Brewer's Notes: Dark Ale aged in Cabernet Sauvignon barrels from local wineries. It is aged for 4 to 8 months with black currants, brettanomyces, lactobacillus, and pediococcus added to each barrel. Rich flavors of chocolate truffle, spice, tobacco, currants, and a bit of Cabernet. Very full-bodied, sip slowly!

202202: MS provided me with a bottle of this rare gem. The craft in the brew is obvious. However, it was too vinous for my tastes. Too much cab and not enough brett.

Rating = 4.5 glasses.

Fantôme Printemps

Printemps (= Spring) is a seasonal release from Fantôme that varies from year to year.

02 Feb. 2022
From the label: "Belgian Ale brewed with spices." Printemps is a wonderful saison. It lacks some of the funk of Fantôme Saison. It is super carbonated.

Rating = 5.5 glasses

Blaugies - Hill Farmstead La Vermontoise

Brewer's Notes: Collaboration with Hill Farmstead Brewery

Regional beer based on malt, spelt.hops US.as

It was developed and manufactured jointly with our American friend Shaun Hill (Hill Farmstead Brewery, Greensboro, Vermont, USA). It continues to be brewed at our facilities in Braugies.

We exchanged our know-how to create this blond with pronounced bitterness with a slight lemon aftertaste.

From the label: "classic saison brewed with spelt and an abundance of noble hops."

Tasting notes
(202201) A fine saison. I left too much yeast in the bottle while pouring.

Rating = 5 glasses

Toppling Goliath Pompeii

Brewer's Notes

Inspiration for our newest Hop Patrol IPA comes from the House of Faun in Pompeii, Italy. At this site, some of the world’s most famous mosaics were preserved under layers of ash after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. In this fashion, Pompeii IPA preserves and showcases the luxurious taste of the Mosaic hop. This single-hop IPA offers a floral aroma and a truly complex “mosaic” of taste: dark citrus and pineapple flavors, with deep earthy undertones and a persistent bitterness in the finish.

January 2022

What was I thinking. Pompeii is a fine New England IPA but lacks the bitterness I crave. Maybe the beer has lost some of its bite. Best drink by = March 22, 2022. BeerAdvocate classifies it as American IPA, not New England IPA.

Rating = 4.5 glasses

August 2019

Pompeii is a single hop IPA. The single hop is Mosaic. It has tons of California IPA hop bitterness AND New England IPA hop fruitiness. Here is my previous review.

It is my new favorite IPA. Sorry Finest Kind. 

Old rating = 7 glasses.

New Belgium Transatlantique Kriek

Transatlantique Kriek is a dark cherry-red kriek. More sour than tart. Eh?

Rating = 2 glasses

Founders Highball Drifter

Highball Drifter is a bourbon-barrel aged strong ale. Interesting and good but not great. Some vanilla, molasses, and bourbon.

Rating = 3 glasses.

Trappistes Rochefort 8

Beer: 8 

Brewer: Trappistses Rochefort 

Style: #1 ranked Belgian Strong Dark Ale 

Tasting notes 

Jan 2021:Earlier review was accurate. I would add a titch of Belgian yeasty clove. 

May 2009: A bottle w/ best by date of 25 Jun 13, bottled 25 Jun 08, and consumed 2 May 2009. Complex and delicious. Sugar, apples, mild cinnamon, a tiche of sour, a little alcohol, and spicy hops. Both sips and gulps are great. 

Top 100: 29 December 2005, 10 March 2007, and 03 May 2009. 

Rating: Downgraded from 6 glasses to 5

Samuel Smith's Organic Chocolate Stout

Brewer's Notes:
Brewed with well water (the original well, sunk in 1758, is still in use with the hard water is drawn from 85 feet underground), the gently roasted organic chocolate malt and organic cocoa impart a delicious, smooth and creamy character, with inviting deep flavours and a delightful finish – this is the perfect marriage of satisfying stout and luxurious chocolate

My review:
Bittersweet chocolate dominates. Too sweet and too much chocolate IMO. Sort of a bittersweet chocolate milkshake.

Rating = 2 glasses

Oude Gueuze

Beer: Oude Gueuze 

Brewer: Hanssens 

Style: Gueuze 

Tasting notes: 

(2108) Back to 6 glasses. 

(1005) Tart and refreshing. I wanted gulps, not sips. I wanted some more punch somehow. Downgraded to 5 glasses from 6. 

(0909) A wonderful gueuze. Tart and lemony w/ hints of pineapple. Upgraded from 4 glasses. Initially went to 5 but upgraded again the next morning. 

(0607) Lemon with tastes of apple cider, vinegar, pepper, and occasional hints of sugar. 

Rating: 6 glasses

Bell's Kalamazoo Stout

Brewer's Notes: Named after the city where it all began, Kalamazoo Stout is one of our most classic recipes. This smooth, full-bodied stout offers a blend of aromas and flavors of dark chocolate and freshly roasted coffee, balanced with a significant hop presence.

BeerAdvocate

March 31, 2021
The beer is growing on me. It has flavor but is not "imperial". I thought about upgrading the rating to 4 but think occasional purchases are not in the future.

Rating = 3 glasses

March 28, 2021
A second bottle splits the difference between "Eh" and "I like it!" I was not tempted to grab a bottle out of the fridge when I wanted something dark and did not want a second bottle last night. 

Rating = 3 glasses

March 16, 2021
Kalamazoo Stout is good and interesting. I can't tell if I really like it or if it is "Eh". I have 5 more bottles for research. It is thin with a big charcoal bite. Perhaps the bite is licorice and not black malt. The label reports that it is brewed with brewer's licorice. 

Rating = 4 glasses pending further research. 

Hardywood Baltic Sunrise

Brewer's Notes: Hardywood Baltic Sunrise is conditioned on locally roasted coffee beans from Black Hand Coffee Company in Richmond, VA. Our Baltic Porter is an invigorating, full-bodied lager with a bold aroma of freshly brewed coffee preceding notes of bittersweet chocolate, hints of dark cherry, and a malty, smooth finish.

BeerAdvocate

March 26, 2021
Baltic Sunrise is a nice beer. Coffee flavor is evident but not overpowering. It lacks what I look for in a Baltic Porter.

Rating = 3 glasses

Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout

March 28, 2021
A recent bottle failed to impress. It had a slight sour twang. I am downgrading the rating pending further investigation

Rating = 4 glasses and that might be generous

Jan. 25, 2021
Sammy Smith's Oatmeal Stout is a delight. It has more body and a deeper flavor than his Imperial Stout. I get chocolate, and coffee and more hop bite. I want more. It might be the perfect balance of drinkability and flavor. Drinkability is becoming more important to me and to a beer's ratings. 

BeerAdvocate

Rating: At least 6 glasses.

My rating system

I have rated beers using a seven-glass rating system, with 7 glasses being the highest. I revised the system on March 27, 2021. The revision will reduce the average number of glasses in the ratings. I want to make 7-glasses a special achievement. The change pushes some 7s to 6s, some 6s to 5s, etc. Since I do NOT revise ratings automatically, reviews posted before March 27, 2021 still use the old rating system. I also began to give x.5 ratings for beers that are too good to be rated x but not quite good enough to be rated X+1. 

7 glasses

New rating = World class = A great example of the style + a favorite + something special. 

Old rating = Top 10ish list / My current favorite beers.

6 glasses 

New rating = Great examples of the style + a favorite.

Old rating = Highly Recommended / Beers I really like and think are great examples of the style

5 glasses 

New rating = Great example of the style + Something that tempts me to buy it whenever I see it

Old rating = Recommended without qualification / Something that tempts me to buy it whenever I see it.

4 glasses 

New rating = Something I am happy to include in my regular rotation

Old rating = Recommended with reservations / Something that I may seek to buy occasionally

3 glasses 

New rating = Something that I may seek to buy occasionally

Old rating = Good / A beer that I enjoy but is not good enough to seek out

2 glasses 

New rating = old rating = Average / Something that I am happy to drink again

1 glass 

New rating = old rating = Poor / I'll drink freebies if nothing else is available

0 glasses

New rating = old rating = No Thanks / I prefer water

Guinness Foreign Extra Stout

Brewer's Notes: Foreign Extra Stout is brewed with generous hops and roasted barley for a bittersweet balance and full-flavored, natural bite. Developed for global export from Ireland, the addition of extra hops ensured this Stout would arrive in perfect condition. Today it is enjoyed by millions around the world.

BeerAdvocate

March 19, 2021
Foreign Extra Stout is an impressive dry Irish Stout. It has loads of charcoal and a nice bitterness. I really liked it. I see why BeerAdvocate rates it so high.

Rating = 5 glasses and I considered 6.

1011
Good dry Irish stout. 

1010
Caramel malt up front followed by odd Guinness sour/tart/bitterness. A sipper: loads of flavor. May rate 3 glasses. 

Rating = 4 glasses

Great Divide Hercules Double IPA

Brewer's Notes: Hercules Double IPA is not for the faint of heart. It is, however, fit for the gods. Hercules delivers a huge amount of hops from start to finish. Its hefty backbone of nutty, malty sweetness balances its aggressive hop profile.

BeerAdvocate

March 16, 2021
Hercules is a great, old-school, West-Coast double IPA. Wonderfully bitter with enough malt to balance the flavor without being thick or sweet. A great beer for hop-heads. I forgot how good it is and am glad that Great Divide has returned to VA. 

Rating = 6 glasses because it lacks the complexity of Pliny the Elder.

Ommegang Hennepin

Brewer's Notes: Hoppy, farmhouse saison with champagne like effervescence; flavors include ginger, spice, orange and toasted grain.

BeerAdvocate.

March 16, 2021
Hennepin remains one of my favorite saisons. I have had trouble finding it in stores for a few years. Found a 4-pack recently, drank one bottle and liked it so much that I returned tot he store and bought 2 more 4-packs. I fear that it is now a seasonal release. It has great flavor and a touch of sour and je ne sais quoi. Here are previous reviews. I am keeping the rating @ 6 glasses because it lack the specialness of Fantôme.

Rating = 6 glasses.

St. Bernardus Christmas Ale

Brewer's Notes
St. Bernardus Christmas Ale is a dark, seasonal beer, full of wintery character and flavours that we brew every year ready for the festive season. 

St.Bernardus Christmas Ale is an intensely dark beer with a full, yet slightly fruity flavour, overflowing with the tastes of winter and zesty seasonal aromas. Aniseed notes are complemented by hints of creamy caramel and fire-roasted chestnuts. This zestiness shows no signes of abating, pushing through to a magnificent finish of dried fruits and chocolate. Just like all of our beers, this brew bears the imprint of the unique St.Bernardus yeast (dating back to 1946), that gives it its own special complexity. Simply stated, St.Bernardus Christmas Ale is the perfect degustation beer to warm your heart and bring a glow to your loved ones on a cold winter night.

Jan. 25, 2021
Alex and I shared two bottles over the last couple of weeks. He liked the first bottle so much that I bought a second one for him for his birthday. It is a delight, a flavorful spiced Quad.

BeerAdvocate

Rating: 5 glasses.

Smuttynose Finest Kind IPA

Brewer's Notes: You could say, then, that Smuttynose IPA is a physical salute to the glory of the American hop grower. The citrusy hop flavor coming from a mixture of Simcoe and Santiams is pleasantly balanced by a smooth bitterness from the Amarillo hops. The beer itself is light bodied and crisp with a golden color that will throw a slight haze, as we bottle it unfiltered. At 75 IBU's, this is definitely not a training-wheels IPA, but is meant for hop lovers looking to satisfy their craving in a way that's not easy to find. We think they’ll be quite pleased.

Jan. 25, 2021

Oh no, how the mighty have fallen. I enjoyed a recent can last night. It was sweeter than I remembered and lacked the hop bite I sought. Perhaps my taste buds were off. Perhaps the brewer is not as careful following being sold at bankruptcy auction in 2018. 

Downgraded Rating = 5 glasses

Aug. 28, 2019
I really like this beer. It visits my refrigerator frequently and was my favorite IPA for years. Alas, I have tasted better: Pompeii. Also, it is not quite in the same class as Pliny the Elder, a double IPA. Therefore and with sadness, I am demoting Finest Kind's rating.

Downgraded rating = 6 glasses.

Previous Reviews

July 12, 2009

Nov. 24, 2008

Samuel Smith Imperial Stout

 

24 Jan. 2021
I drank a Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout last night. It is better than Imperial Stout. Now I think that 6 glasses is the perfect rating.

07 Oct. 2020

I am really liking the beer. I am thinking about upgrading the rating to 7 glasses. Perhaps its British straight-forwardness is a feature, not a flaw.

13 Sept. 2020

Sammy Smith's Impy Stout is THE English Imperial Stout. Understated flavors of malt and chocolate. Just big enough to be a sipper and easy drinking enough to be a gulper. I saw some 550 ml bottles in Total Wine for a good price and picked up two bottles. I will get more. Was in top 100 on Beeradvocate back in the day. I loved it then and I love it now.

Rating = 6 glasses.

Rogue XS Old Crustacean

XS Old Crustacean is a delicious, BIG, American barleywine. I shared a bottle aged three years with Alex over pecan pie. The pairing was great and the beer was better than the dessert. It combines loads of caramel with tons of hops. The bottle boasts of 110 IBU. I read once that our taste buds cannot distinguish more IBU after 100. The high price reduces my purchases.

Beer Advocate.

Rating = 6 glasses.