Alvinne Melchior Bourbon Barrel Oak Aged

Brewed by Picobrouwerij Alvinne
Style: Barley Wine
Moen, Belgium

Serve in Snifter

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A: The pour is a slightly hazy golden straw color with a bit of yeast sediment finding its way into the glass. S: Quite a bit of bright fruit notes in the nose. I pick up some apples, pears, lemons, and maybe even some white grapes. The bourbon/vanilla is subtle, as is the oak. T: The fruit character is just as prevalent on the palate. The bourbon comes through a bit more and provides a bit of warmth and some vanilla flavor. Lots of white grapes and apples really stand out and keep this one "light" for such a strong beer. M: The body is surprisingly light (in a good way) for such a potent beer. Good carbonation, which I was not expecting either. D: This was dangerously easy to drink. I think I was the only person that was a real big fan of this one at the tasting, but I thought it was quite interesting, especially compared to American bourbon barrel beers.

33 cL bottle, courtesy of KimJohansen. Pours hazy yellow, small yeast floaties and a minimal bubbly and white head. Aroma is dense fruity, apples and winegrapes. Dry and slight smoked touch. Sweet honey like flavoured mixed with a distinct wooden and bourbon flavour. Slight citric and apple fruity into a lasting and warming wooden and bourbon flavoured finish.

Cloudy golden with a medium off white head. Aroma had barnyard, wood and malty notes. Sweet flavour with barnyard, malt, caramel, wood, vanilla and bourbon notes. Finished sweet. Reminded me of a sweet Gueuze.

Bottled. A hazy golden with a bit of sediment floating around under a thin off-white head. The aroma has strong notes of brettanomyces, wood, stable, and lemon - reminding me of a gueuze. The flavor is sweet with notes of malt, caramel, brettanomyces, wood, and citrusy hops as well as light notes of bourbon, leading to a lightly bitter finish. A very delicate beer. Thanks KimJohansen for sharing.

Bottle 33 cl. Courtesy of KimJohansen. Pours golden with a slight haze and a white head. Sweet Bourbon notes. Solid body, sweet fruity and malty, woody and sweet vanilla accents with some warming alcohol. Quite pleasant. 030410

Bottle 75cl. @ Borefts Beer Festival 2009 - De Molen.
Light unclear medium orange color with a small to average, frothy, fair lacing, mostly diminishing, off-white head. Aroma is moderate to heavy malty, caramel, fruity, apples and tropical fruit, dried fruit - berry, alcohol, moderate bourbon. Flavor is heavy sweet and bitter with a long duration. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft, finish feel is moderate alcoholic. [20091030]

Small bottle thanks to GlennC! Wow, I can already tell I’m going to love this, these are my favorite types of beers. Pours a clear bright orange with a fine fizzy white bubbly froth. Aroma is fantastic! bright juicy orange tangerine, very bright, notes of vanilla with a great bourbon note, love it! Flavor is same but just a tad hot, juicy tangerine, very bourbon forward which is fine by my, has enough bright citrus to make it really nicely offset. Medium/light bodied with sharp carbonation a bit sugary. I really really really love this beer!

Bottle. Pours a slightly hazy golden color with a small white head. Has a fruity malty spicy woody bourbon aroma with some yeasty hints. Sweetish malty spicy vanilla bourbon flavor with hints of caramel and yeast. Has a sweetish malty spicy woody vanilla and bourbon finish.

Bottle courtesy of Glenn at the brewery. Thanks! A: Deep orange color with an edge head and little lacing. S: Subtle aroma of whisky with notes of caramel, butterscotch and light smoke. T: Flavor starts sour, then orange peel and coriander show up. Sour. Bourbon is subtle, mostly evident in the finish. M: Good body. D: Superb, to be sought after. Can’t wait to see more variants.

Small off-white head over dullish peach-coloured beer, full of little grey specks. Very alcoholic nose with an inviting jumble of yeast-induced fruity esters, further wood, smelling somehow vinous ànd Bretty. Again Brett streak, dough flavour, alcohol gradually building up in force, fusels, alcohol-drenched wood, white bread seeped in Bourbon, sherry and brandy. Thinned down by the alcohol, still a well-bodied, fiery alcoholic MF, with at the same time a velvety texture. IMO, one of the best Oak Collection Alvinnes. The nose is heavenly from the word go, but the taste had to grow on me.