Poured from the 750 ml bottle into a snifter, Fall Migration falls exactly in line for what you’d expect from a barrel aged Belgian golden ale. It has a hazy golden-yellow colored body that became more hazy as I got to the end of the bottle, due to the yeast sediment – pour carefully. A nice fluffy white head sits atop that did dissipate somewhat rapidly, leaving a little lace and retention.

On the nose, aromas of dry oak wood, white wine, white grape flesh, funk, hay and a minor citrus note towards the back end all come into play. It does have some floral hop notes giving it a decent balance of aromas. Very nicely done, and I certainly hope the taste is going where the nose does. One sip and again you’re tasting lots of dry oak up front, followed by a crisp and clean Chardonnay quality. The use of the wine barrels is quite evident. The base beer comes through mid-palate, bringing a nice amount of yeast and spice, bitter lemon and funk. The brett gives it a good bit of funk, not sourness – ending with a very earthy and hay-like quality.

It’s crisp, clean and the barrel didn’t take much away from the body which is good. Only my second “limited” beer from Evolution and this is really well done. I shared this with wine lovers, one who loves Chardonnay, and they really enjoyed this. It’s one beer that showcases how versatile beer can be, especially with the use of wine barrels. Once again, nicely done Evolution.

Rating

93
out of 100

The Super Cru pours out a great orange color with a fizzy white head that diminishes quickly. Little discernible lacing is left behind on the glass. Great aromas that waft off of the beer include pear juices, yeast, some spice, and a touch of sour vinegar. The sweet and sour elements play nicely off each other with clove, caramel, and earthy hops intermingling as well.

The sweet and sour flavors continue on the palate. It’s tart and sweet upfront with the pear and vinegar notes complimenting each other nicely. Toffee flavors from the malt sit in the background while the hops and yeast work through the middle. Super Cru finishes sweet like the start, and lingers just long enough. The 10% ABV is hidden incredibly well, with just a hint of booze coming through. The mouth feel is filling and the carbonation keeps things from getting sticky.

This is a well put together beer – it’s complex and flavorful. While I did enjoy this beer there is something keeping me from loving it that I can’t put my finger on… it doesn’t wow me like it should. I could drink this through the night, but it wouldn’t be on my must-have list. It is in that “no mans land” of beers that I enjoy. My recommendation is if you can find it, it is a must try due to the Asian pear and other elements, but it may not be worth a prolonged search.

Rating

84
out of 100

Poured from the 12 ounce bottle into a tulip, Tidings has a cloudy golden orange body with an initially fluffy, creamy white head. The dissipation was fairly standard, and it did leave some minor lacing and a thin foamy ring. Not at all what you’d expect for a typical “winter” beer, but then again this isn’t typical.

The nose has plenty of lemon, wheat, coriander, clove, orange oils, white pepper and a bit of sweet honey/mead in the back end. It’s a very light, airy smelling beer which I really do like about it. Well spiced with tons of aromas are going on – nicely done. The taste has a lot of the same, zippy lemon and orange citrus notes up front, backed with a seriously nice wheat and pale malt backbone. The coriander and clove come in mid-palate and give this a very bright spicy character. The back end has some sweet honey notes and a touch of a peppery flavor. It feels very well carbonated with lots of tiny bubbles around the mouth giving the illusion of a very silky smooth feel. For being 7.80% ABV this is dangerously well hidden.

Port City took a chance at doing something other than your traditional Belgian Strong Dark, Strong Ale or Winter Warmer style for the winter. A Belgian Strong Pale Ale? You just don’t see that as a winter seasonal, but this works really well. It has a lot of Witbier spices with some warming winter-like spices that really make this beer shine. A fine attempt at their first one.

Rating

85
out of 100

On draft and poured into a goblet the 2×4 has a one finger head that diminishes quickly. There is some spotted lacing left on the glass and the carbonation is almost nil. The color is a super dark brown with some lighter highlights around the edges. The aroma laced with sweet malts through out. There are also pleasant hints of dark fruit, some oak, and yeast.

The flavors are directly in line with the description; dark fruits, oak, sweet malt, and a hint of spice. The yeast from the aromas also makes an appearance and helps to fill things out. Towards the end there is some oaky bourbon notes that give this beer a great finish. The mouthfeel is good, a little sticky but fills out well.

I very much enjoyed the 2×4, it was something a little different yet familiar. I think it could benefit from a tad more complexity, but that could rust drowning out some of the highlights of this beer. If I found the 2×4 again I would order it in a heartbeat, especially given how rare it is. I would suggest you do the same.

Rating

90
out of 100

The Adoration poured out with a hazy brown body and a foamy white head that dissipated rather rapidly while leaving fantastic lacing around the glass. The beer has some wonderful aromas consisting of coriander and orange peel that are most evident initially on the nose. However, the smells of caramel malt and sweet spices come into play to help balance out the flavor profile. Left behind is a subtle yeasty note in the finish.

The mouth feel on this one is medium-bodied and well carbonated, that smooths out throughout the session. The spicey notes to this beer are what really stand out on the palate, blending themselves with some bready notes from the malt and grain bill. There is a pleasant Belgian candi element that accents the spices, and leaves your palate warmed with a bit of heat from the 10% ABV.

I have become more akin to different Belgian styles, especially this season and the Adoration is no exception. I think this beer is simply remarkable and is perfect to have on a cold Winter’s night. The flavor profile present in this beer imparts no drink-ability issues for me. I only wish that I had a second bottle to enjoy.

Rating

96
out of 100

This foil wrapped sub-twelve ounce bottle, was poured into my signature Unibroue La Fin du Monde tulip glass and came with a rather typical appearance for a Belgian Dark. The body on this is a mahogany brown accompanied by some reddish hues, topped with an enormous sudsy slightly off-white head. The nose erupts with a burst of alcohol esters that unfortunately overwhelm anything that’s here. Edging through, if you look long and hard for it, are dried dark fruits with a subtle malty backbone, finishing with some peppery spice. If there were any hops here to begin with, they seem all but lost.

The palate starts out wrapped in a burnt sugary crust holding a big basket of figs, raisins and other dark fruits. This is rather thin on the body but the carbonation gives it a medium-bodied feel. It seems that’s where this profile is going to stay overall, which is rather unfortunate. Again, the hops are missing, though I can’t say I’m surprised. The finish is dry, pungent and leaves some alcohol stick around the mouth. For some reason, this isn’t sitting too well with me, though it may just not be my favorite style.

Judging the Trois Pistoles for what it is, the mark seems pretty on spot for a Belgian Strong Dark Ale. The flavor profile is a bit too much for me but the flavors themselves seem well blended and balanced. Would I buy this one again? Nope. I wish there was something else giving this a bit more depth than is displayed.

Rating

80
out of 100

Title photo from: Flickr

Started back in 1990 with Quebec natives André Dion and Serge Racine, their expertise and years of experience groomed them into perfecting some traditional and authentic recipes. Since 2006, Unibroue has been under operation of purchaser Sapporo International, a Japanese corporate business group overseeing multiple alcohol beverages in Japan and abroad. Unibroue, however, still hold onto the same recipes they have used in the past.

After peeling the foil and popping off the cap, I poured it into a tulip glass in hopes to really get a profound sense of the aromas. Following with the traditional Belgian aromas, banana, caramelized sugar and sweet yeast dominate the nose. There are some sweet malt notes with very slight dash of wheat that finishes things off.

The beer was a fantastic color, pouring with a vibrant golden-orange body, while being fairly clear with a nice fluffy white head. The first thing you notice on your palate is the sweet malt esters. Delicately combined with citrus fruits like orange rind, lemon and white grapefruit, your mouth is coated with a great Belgian blend of flavors. While there is a slight warming from the alcohol, it’s tame and balanced. Noticeably absent from both the nose and taste are hops. The sweeter qualities from the citrus notes and bready/yeasty accents diminish any chance of the hops coming through.

Overall, the Don de Dieu is a great example of what a Belgian Strong Pale Ale can be. It hits a lot of the qualities that I look for in a Belgian and Unibroue’s take is one of the better. I think they’ve established themselves as worthy competition to breweries such as Duvel and Delerium. Watch out.

Rating

93
out of 100

The Rude Elf poured an ominous and beautiful dark rustic-copper capped with about one finger of white head, that was gone quicker than normal. This display contained the typical elements I look for in a winter seasonal beer, festive, deep and warming.

The bold aromas emitted a complexity of flavors containing sweet dark fruits with accents of the typical Belgian-style yeast qualities. The nose continued to tickle my senses with the sweet caramel malt and roasted sugar cubes. With such a large beer, you can typically expect some hints of alcohol presence and the Rude Elf is no exception. At the end of aroma you’re left with a subtle, yet pungent alcohol spike.

The first and most dominant flavor overall, for me, are pitted cherries, though in no way would this be considered a fruit beer. In all honesty, the cherries accent the primary Belgian candied sugars. The roasted malt base is evident up-front on the palate, and is nicely balanced with spices, faint hops and again, sugar. This one finishes off pretty strong and leaves a noticeably sticky and boozy cling.

I’d recommend this brew to anyone that is looking for a “big” beer for the winter, with plenty of Belgian sugars and spices. The Rude Elf is no exception to the already outstanding line-up from The Brew Works. If you have a chance to get your hands on this one, despite the relatively limited distribution, do yourself a favor and do so.

Rating

91
out of 100

I wasn’t expecting this one to be a bottle gusher, but it certainly was. A volcanic overflow of sudsy tan foam covered my hands, and sink. Once settled, this poured a deep, dark mahogany brown, though almost black, complete with [you guessed it] an enormous head, into my snifter glass. In the light, there are some visible “floaties” in the body and a brilliant reddish hue, cutting through the dark body.

After the head settled, the profile on the nose came out of the dark. Some faint alcohol esters are present up front, along with a certain tartness that you’d expect from a Sour. The sour note is blended with fresh pitted cherries and the finish smells of chocolate covered raisins. It’s actually a bit surprising to me, as I anticipated a heavy profile on the dark fruits. I’m not complaining though; this is an incredibly sound and balanced nose.

The first thing I noticed on the palate is, well, the carbonation. It’s heavy although the finish comes out extremely smooth, which is an interesting contrast. Unfortunately, there is no one flavor taking the lead here; instead, it’s a careful blend of a complexity of balanced flavors. The palate consists of mild sweet fig and date for the dark fruits, followed by a quick bite of sour cherry. The finish is too dry for my liking, and leaves a musky, mildewy aftertaste.

Going into this one, I let the style lead me into a distinct, dominant flavor profile: dark fruits. It, however, was quite the contrary. While the dark fruits definitely made their statement, they’re nothing like some other Belgian Strong Dark Ales I’ve tried before. The Nocturnum is a delicious blend of dark fruit and sour cherry, while maintaining a low alcohol burn that can be quite evident with this style.

Rating

81
out of 100

Title photo from: Flickr

Poured from the 12 oz can into my snifter glass, the Monk’s Blood gives a creamy, one and a half finger tan head. Keeping that afloat below is a rich, dark brown body with some faint mahogany wood hues throughout. Although nothing is ever uniform, this is pretty typical for the Belgian Strong [Dark] Ale style.

The nose is loaded with darkly roasted cane sugar, and engulfed by some sweet dark fruits. Prune, plum and raisin are evident up front, as well as a profound dark malt character. It seems a bit roasted but still sweet. There is a faint whiff of hops in the backend, but they’re definitely masked by the stronger, sweeter smells.

I can see this being a bit of a sipping beer, for me anyway. While there is no noticeable alcohol burn, the flavor profile here is powerful but surprisingly delicious. It’s medium-bodied with tame carbonation that doesn’t detract from the flavors at all. Up front it’s evident the dark fruits and sweet sugar are the focus of this beer. Coming back are the prunes, raisins and a hint of blackberry, while in the finish you get a great little hop-bite that helps balance everything out. Although, I think it could be a bit more for an extremely well balance, it still does the job.

My relationship with Belgian Strong Ales is really a love/hate one. I never know what to expect (except the typical “dark fruits”) when trying one. Sometimes I love them, sometimes I hate them. This one [thankfully] is one I don’t hate. But, I don’t love it either. In fact, the more I sit here and drink this, the better it’s becoming. The balance could be better, but if you like the sweet dark fruit flavor profile with a touch of hops to nudge it in the right direction, grab yourself a can of the Monk’s Blood. Oh and please – don’t be afraid of canned craft beer!

Overall: 8.6/10