Ant James

Double Dip BA 2023 James

Intrigued by using pastry stout ingredients twice. Big bastard base stout and bourbon/rye barrels drive the flavour. The hazelnut and cacao are very much there, but (rightly) play second fiddle to rich malt, umami and the spirits. Creamy feel and edge.

Oude Geuze Boon Black Label Edition N°9 James

Tasted and feels as dry as this series ever has. I.e. brilliant; delicious. Tightly, heavily carbed. Green apple, but not overt. Oaky funk - but again, nothing heavy. Well balanced, and remains extraordinary value.

Zwanze 2024 - MMXXIV James

Initial aroma was repellent. They said iodine and yet I didn't expect it this high in the mix. Yet through immersion I'm increasingly digging it. There's an awful lot of the sea in here - but hey, we were warned. Lemony citrus hints; low carb. Salty.

Le Plaisir (2023) James

Clean. Almost surprisingly clean. Minerally. Then WHACK - a dry, highly tannic melange of grapes hit. That flavour builds, as does the green apple and oakiness. Tight carb but it doesn't bite - feel remains fairly soft. Gentle but brilliant.

Rosé De Gambrinus (2022) James

One of my all-time faves, but I don't know that I've ever had it THIS fresh. Uber, uber acetic tartness. Raspberry won't quit. Utter stunner.

Saint Lamvinus (2022) James

Red grape skins, with *that* Cantillon funk. Juicy grapes become latterly dry. Tight, spritzy carb.

Kriek 100% Lambic Bio (2022) James

Cherry funk. Uber funk. Oaky oak oak. Cherry. Funk. Oak.

Nath (2023) James

Gorgeous funk. Aged hops meet tartest rhubarb. Underlying minerally character. Perfect level of carb. Couldn't stop huffing it.

50°N-4°E (2021) James

Cognac and rum barrels the most prominent (to my tastebuds). Both land wonderfully on the nose and dominate the flavour through to the finish. Bit of a boozy hit - uncommon to the style but I love it. Kind of a pickled edge to the funk.

Boon Schaarbeekse Kriek Millesime 2020 James

The ever-glorious Schaarbeekse cherries bring both sweetness and a tart edge. Quite rich with it. Sparkling carbonation; finishes really quite dry. It's a fine example of the style (and was a massive bargain) but I'd love a bit more oomph from it.

45 Days Rice Lager James

Yeah, there's not a lot to it. But it's a rice lager... It's kinda the point. Very clean. Fairly refreshing, with a sweet, lightly honied character. Touch of hops? Maybe. Quite low carb which seems to work well. Bit cardboardy, though.

Geuze Boon Black Label Edition N 8 James

This series is consistently underrated. By some margin. Classic Boon character but drier and oakier. Tight, fine carb. Wonderful amount of funk. Drank like a dream from start to finish.

Green Gold James

LCI. Surprised I've never had this! Proper WCIPA. Piney, bitter. Orange peel character. On style, but doesn't dine at the top table.

Oude Geuze Boon à l'Ancienne - VAT 110 Mono Blend James

Just about perfect level of barnyard funk. Underpinnings are supremely dry, even by the standards of the style. Seemingly amplified by a dry booziness/woodiness from the barrel. But there's a yeasty, estery stone fruit character too. Beguiling complexity.

Birramisu (2022) James

A definite step on from the non-BA version - albeit 4+ barrels seems somewhat OTT! Regardless, it's gorgeous. Dusty dark cocoa. Creamy flavour, with some creaminess in texture. Misc booziness embellishes the tiramisu authenticity. Pure tiramisu finish.

Supervulcano BA 2022 James

Utterly wonderful; criminally underrated. Heat level: perfection. Creamy feel bolstered by addictively smokey, chocolatey chilli. Interplay between the spice, the lava salt and the rye/bourbon barrels is *chef's kiss*. Tobacco/leather finish. VERY 'me'.

Oude Geuze Boon à l'Ancienne - VAT 91 Mono Blend James

Dry & sparkling, with red apple character at the forefront. Oaky Calvados barrel doing its job; always interesting to try these mono blends. Medium funk, and becomes even drier towards the finish. Paired VERY nicely with plum & hoisin (fake) duck.

Iris (2022) James

Tight, fine carbonation. Cheesy funk and strong floral character. Prominent oak and a building bitterness. Delicate and beautiful. It's Cantillon or death.

Yule Malt 2022 James

12 Stouts of Xmas #7. Not as potently strong as previous editions, but the barrel ageing is masterful. Smokey, sweet molasses flavours. Wonderful creaminess in texture and taste. So, yeah - less of a monster, but perhaps a better beer overall.

Drogone Lambic (2022) James

A subtle beast - if very funky. Significant woody element; potentially from the grapes being macerated in chestnut barrel. Endlessly beautiful red grape must. Allergies unfortunately curtailed my tastebuds through some of it. May be worth an extra 0.25.

Sang Bleu (2022) James

Closest reference point I have for the fruit is something like loganberry. Dry and tart, yet somehow also kinda with a ju lightly juicy red wine edge. 'Red' character and colour - despite being made with blue honeysuckle. Delicate, and not super oaky.

House of the Dragon James

Of course not a super body to it at this ABV. But a very strong roasted character, ably accompanied by earthy, smokey chilli. Bitter and even more earthy finish.

Canadian Breakfast Stout (CBS) (2019) James

Regrettable chug due to losing track of time. Rich, fresh-tasting coffee beans with that classic lick of maple. Smooth, frothy feel. It's not as revolutionary as it once was. Yet still pretty damn irresistible.

Oude Geuze Boon à l'Ancienne - VAT 92 Mono Blend James

These Mono Blends are 100% the Boons to go for. Gloriously dry. As they say, clear smoky and spicy characteristics. Red wine tannins. Heavy oaky woodiness, which seems to complement the dryness. Well-aged and very, very fine indeed.

Oude Geuze Boon à l'Ancienne - VAT 108 Mono Blend James

Truly, astonishingly beautiful. More of a malty flavour than most geuze; a more acetic sourness no doubt playing into that. Elevated ABV, but *everything* seems bigger: assertive funk; juicy, juicy green apple; oak long into the finish. Phwoar.

Oude Geuze Boon Black Label Edition N°7 James

Seems more mellow than earlier versions. Perhaps it's still a bit young? Don't reckon so. Increasingly juicy green apple as I got through the bottle. Medium funk and quite light oak. Not uber dry. Accomplished. If not many steps on from 'normal' Boon.

Camerise (2021) James

Still none the wiser about what haskap berries really taste like - but the overall flavour of this is delicious, obvs. Full red berry taste and gorgeous beet red colour. Funk initially gentle but developed big time. Juicy, oaky gorgeousness.

Magic Lambic James

Blueberries and raspberries both gorgeously tart and work fantastically well together. Dry, lightly sparkling and plenty of Cantillon funky woodiness. Mild 'fruit pit' character. The vanilla could've been an odd addition but is added in fine balance.

HORAL's Oude Geuze Mega Blend (2022) James

Pretty dry; fantastic funk. Plenty of green apple. Perhaps my tastes have changed but it doesn't necessarily seem to have the depth of complexity I recall from previous releases (granted, it's this year's vintage). Still delicious, mind.

Mash Test Yummies James

Equal parts Nutella, coffee, chocolate and bourbon. A slick, thick, wondrous beaut. Tons o' dry, freshly roasted hazelnut and cacao. Sweetness; bitterness; just the right amount of booziness. Salt lands in the finish. Pastry done right.

Castle Black Stout James

Feels a bit weird to call a BA imperial stout 'gentle' - yet that was my recurring thought throughout. Sticky (maybe counting as thick?), accompanied by flavours of candy chocolate and vanilla. Subtle licks of bourbon come and go. A fun late night sipper.

Oude Geuze Boon à l'Ancienne - VAT 31 Mono Blend James

Tight, fine carbonation. So dry it tastes of dry (this is a very good thing, in my book). Elevated ABV working wonders. Fair amount of apricot-y fruitiness. Heavy oak against a modest funk; worth every month of the 4 and a half years it was ageing.

Geuze Mariage Parfait (2018) James

It's been a while; forgot how fine Parfait is. Flavour underpinned by a cider/cider vinegar vibe. Dry, DRY white wine and oak. Smooth. Far maltier than I remember - and almost a grassy finish. Daftly poured the sed in, but my fault (and no harm done).

Spontanquadrupelraspberry James

Everything I'd hoped for. Akin to a double (or triple?) Flanders Red; an assault of balsamic, a battering of earthy, sweet raspberry, and oakier than chewing a barrel. I've finished about 1/3 of the bottle and my mouth's in shreds. Excessive? No, perfect.

Oude Geuze Apogee James

For me, Boon's 'Black Label' series will always be their 'apogee'. But this remains a special beer, in a beaut of a bottle. Their Oude Geuze, but with more in every direction. More green apple; more straw & barnyard funk; more oak. Almost juicy.

Gueuze Loerik (2019) James

Quite unlike a Cantillon. Appears utterly flat, but there's a tight, harsh (pleasant) carbonic bite. Flavour much less delicate than most Cantillon, too. But all the better for it. Quite an acetic sourness? Tons o' Brett and grape skin. Hella complex.

HORAL's Oude Geuze Mega Blend (2021) James

Had all of these since 2015; this is the best yet. Very, very lively; every pour delivering a glorious wave of oaky foam. Medium dry, with oak, barnyard funk and carbonation amped to max. More lemony than green apple. It's attacking my mouth with gusto.

Lambic D'Aunis 2020 James

Nose is insane. Both in the sense of smelling it a mile off, and the depth of musty funk. Overall flavour's actually fairly gentle, though impeccably balanced. Juicy (if lightly dry) red grapes with typically addictive Cantillon funky funk. Perfect carb.

SpontanAcai James

That classic Spontan pseudo-gueuze base, but the acai really seems to have amped the sourness to teeth-attacking levels. Rich berry character - although it seems to be bringing flavours somewhere in the region of raspberry or cherry. Oaky finish.

Utopias Barrel - Aged World Wide Stout (2021) James

First sip I just laughed out loud. This is fucking ludicrous. Perhaps the best balance I've encountered between booze and flavour depth. Rich, RICH cocoa; caramel; espresso; vanilla; hazelnut; mild sherry; much raisin; much much wood. Mouthfeel is cocoa.

Oude Geuze Boon Black Label Edition N°6 James

Boon Black Label 4 life. Lively, funky, juicy green apple, horse blanket and oak. Dryness on point, as per. Wonderful carbonation (and subsequent mouthfeel). Inadvisably sunk solo at the end of a long session - but savoured all the same.

Birramisu James

Truly delivers on the brief. Brilliantly bitter coffee; dry, heavy cocoa; spongy fingers; smooth, creamy finish. This is how pastry stouts should be - proper layering of flavours. Not teeth-rottingly sweet. Not simply dumping in flavour syrup.

KBS Espresso (2021) James

Always thought KBS to have an abrasive bitterness, buzzsaw mouthfeel and boozy heat about it. In a good way! The espresso is not shy; amps the KBS coffee *right* up. There's also a really creamy chocolate in the mix (presumably incidental?)

Hop Opera James

Heavy tropical and citrus fruit - like the last can we had, with a fairly candied edge. Picked up a hint of rye spice before I knew it was there, so that's clearly quite prominent! Works a treat, too.

Resting Brew Face James

Would never tell it's got quite a bit of age on it. Punchy hops, tending towards candied citrus (lemon especially). Aroma follows suit. Prominent pine in the mix. Super smooth feel. Just tastes a bit ruddy different to all the identikit pales at present.

Oude Geuze A L’Ancienne VAT 108bis Mono Blend James

Magnificent. More depth than your regular Boons, and more aggressive too (the "volatile acidity"). Big, frothy carbonation. Hugely dry - if somewhat countered by very juicy green apple. Herbal (or almost piney?) note. Oak pushed somewhere close to 11.

Oude Geuze White Vermouth Foeders James

Possibly the driest gueuze I've encountered. Not sure what the white vermouth foeders lent beyond that, but still worthwhile. LOVE how carbed and frothy it is - and I'm getting so much oak. Not the most complex, perhaps, but delicious (and far too cheap).

Beer Greek Breakfast James

Stonking bitterness (led by the coffee?) But it's the mahleb and carob that are the revelations. Mahleb bringing concentrated cherry, almond and spices (like tonka turned to 11). Carob akin to dusty, rich, heavy, nutty cocoa. Powerhouse of a flavour.

Gueuze 100% Lambic Bio (2019) James

Share. I will never get over how beautiful Cantillon's beers are. Horse blanket, green apple and oak for days. Drinking really well (semi-)fresh.

Big Worster James

What an utter beast. The champagne yeast has imparted a really estery influence. Twin that with a hopped-up US barleywine, and we've basically got a smooth, sweet 15+% toffee apple. Given that, I wouldn't say the booze is OTT. Silly stuff; smashed now.

George Bourbon BA James

Ooft, where to even begin... Heavy chocolatey malt and prominent, unashamed bitterness. Liberal doses of coffee and barrel-dominant booziness. Warming and fulfilling. Thick, creamy texture (with no sign of lactose). Pretty old school and near-perfect.

Oude Geuze Boon Black Label Edition N°5 James

As ever, characterized by a long, dry finish. Funk delicately balanced with bright green apple and a touch of citrus. Not a ton of oak, but its presence is felt. The beers in this series are strong contenders for best value on the planet.

Cuvée Oude Henri James

Aged in [protected regional term for sparkling wine] barrels, and it's a mini masterpiece. Seriously, WTF is the average score about? Tons o' funk. Super bubbly; vinous acidity; oaky AF. Dry but easy-drinking. Akin to a gueuze/Champagne (oops) blend.

Drink'in The Sun (0.3%) James

A pretty pleasant AF beer. Malt-heavy, and perhaps a little too sugary. But identifiably beer-esque. Would happily smash through a few of these if I could alternate with something a little more bitter.

Mamouche (2020) James

Likely my riskiest Cantillon purchase (unless I somehow encounter the beetroot Zwanze), as not mad keen on elderflower. Predictably enough it's worked in masterfully, rather than standing alone as a flavour. Very funky, VERY dry. Above average acidity.

Spontantripleraspberry James

Oh my days... A (puckered) face full of raspberry and oak. Both dominate the aroma. Near-endlessly tart. The sourness - whilst aggressive - is perfect for me. Perhaps jammier than I remember the Double version. Not a huge step up, but didn't need to be.

Saint Lamvinus (2019) James

Sometimes a beer's so good you don't want to deconstruct the magic too much. Adore the extreme level of funk. Quite dry and very, very oaky. The red grapes work in perfectly with the overall flavour, rather than being a standout component.

Beer Geek Fudgesicle BA Rye Whiskey James

Rich cocoa running all through. Would say there's more of a caramel streak than fudge - but it works either way. Heavy influence from the barrel, though more by way of enriching and complementing existing flavours than imparting booziness.

Vigneronne (2019) James

Casual Wednesday afternoon beer. Musty, rather than uber funky. Offers a different (perhaps more subtle) take on the standard gueuze. The white grapes sweeten the overall profile, leaving it much less dry. A fantastic sipper over a few hours.

Oude Geuze Goût Américain James

For all their chatter about deliberate 'acetic sting', I expected it to be even more prominent. Though to be fair it IS present, and more so in the aroma. Bone dry, like all Boon/Mikkeller collabs. Accidentally smashed it back. Delicious.

Hej 5 James

D&B have never blown me away, but a mad 'birthday' brew is always worth a punt. Low aroma, considering the can boasts of quintuple dry-hopping. Thankfully it's all gone into the flavour, leaving an intensely hopped TIPA. 2 months old and still a beast.

Cuvée Saint-Gilloise (Champions) James

Really different to the regular blend. Still dry as a bone, funky and oaky. But the hops take a far more prominent role. In that cheesy kinda way that hops do in a gueuze. The dry hopping almost gives a juicy vibe.