Feedback on the following beers ...

Discussion in 'Cellaring / Aging Beer' started by Duffman929, Dec 18, 2012.

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  1. tacosandbeer

    tacosandbeer Pooh-Bah (1,760) Sep 24, 2010 British Indian Ocean Territory
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Previously released in 2007 and it was not brewery only. Time to stock up!
     
    VABA likes this.
  2. teorn88

    teorn88 Initiate (0) Jun 5, 2010 England

    This.

    OP, of your list I only tried Blabaer and Framboos and I can tell you that, considering prices and availability, I would be as happy drinking a Cantillon Lou Pepe Kriek and Framboise instead, respectively.
     
  3. Photekut

    Photekut Initiate (0) Mar 31, 2006 Tennessee

    Oops...

    I came here thinking this was going to be another oral bowl movement from hoptualBrew analyzing the "data" he picked up in his Whale Hunters thread.
     
  4. westcoastbeerlvr

    westcoastbeerlvr Grand Pooh-Bah (4,115) Oct 19, 2010 California
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Sadly, last I heard 50N 4E is going to be brewery only this time around. Should bode well for me if I ever make it back to Belgium, but until then, I'll have to survive on the cognac portion of Crianza.

    As for everything on the OP's list:
    Blauw: Is a classic of the style. This is kind of how I imagine the Armand'4s to taste with some more age on them. Super funky, with a nice blend of oak, horse blanket, and some fascinating wild-mushroom character that I love.
    Roze: Had this twice: the first time was a citrus bomb (I think Armand must have used more Lindeman's lambic in this than in the Blau), second time was a bit more subdued. The MO on this for a long time was that it was inferior to Blau, and given its greater rarity wasn't really worth tracking down. I really like it, but it's not as big or funky as its brother.
    V 005: Haven't tried this yet, but my buddy got a bottle, so we should be opening it soon.
    Blabaer (state vintage): I've had 07-12. This beer really needs a little bit of age on it. Not necessarily 5 years--the 07 is a classic vintage, but I'm not sure it's getting any better, and the blueberries are starting to fall off. 08-10 are are drinking exceptionally. I thought the 11 was a dud when I tried it initially, but I had it again a couple of months ago, and I think it's really coming into its own. The 12, which I just had a sip of, tastes a lot like how I remember the 11 being fresh. It's a little syrupy, with the fruit overwhelming the lambic character. Give it 9 months to a year.
    Crianza: A blend of Cognac and Bordeaux barrels filled with some of Jean V.R.'s best lambic. It kind of combines the best of 50N 4E and the Lou Pep series. This beer is really starting to come into its own. It's got a great oaky character, full of silky tannins, that give way to a nice, sharp acidity that doesn't overwhelm the Cantillon house yeast. I'd drink this now, but it can also probably stand to age for up to another 5 years.
    Isabelle: Never know what I'm going to get with this one. I've had amazing bottles recently, and I've had duds that made me feel like it's completely over the hill. At it's best, it's probably about as good as a non-fruited AWA can get, in the same rare company as DDG, Beat B. 2-3.
    Framboos (newer vintage): Sadly, never tried the original. I like this one a lot. It's got a great fruit character, and if this were as available as the Scharbeekse Kriek, I'd drink the hell out of it. But I see it following the same progression as Hommage and developing the band-aid note that is certainly not for everybody.
     
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