Alvinne Melchior Calvados Barrel Oak Aged

Brewed by Picobrouwerij Alvinne
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Moen, Belgium

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

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(Bottled, 0.75l) Slightly hazy amber with a tiny, big-bubbly head. Mild, fruity aroma with apple and peach, a touch of citrusy hops, and some caramely maltiness. Lightly sour-grainy-malty, sweetish and very fruity flavor with apples, peaches, and oranges, very little bitterness. Alcohol quite well hidden. Medium to full body, flat CO2. The vanilla sourness in Mackmyra version was quite pleasant, but Calvados barrel seems just to add loads of fruitiness, pretty much reducing complexity of the original. Add the flat CO2, and you’ll get a pretty dull and lifeless, although pleasantly fruity and rounded brew. 5336

Not quite as good as expected. Poured at a good temperature; it was a gusher; with a small, cream-colored head that settled to a thin island and ring, no lace. Color would be a clear, but for the large amount of tiny particulates in suspension, amber. Aroma is yeast, malt, mustard, fruit. Flavor is more bitter then tang, then sweet. Although in the finish it’s sweet and tang that linger. Otherwise, also like nose. Body has some clashes between bitter and tang along with some heavy boozieness.

Acquired in a trade with phaleslu! Pours a cloudy golden-orange color with white head. Aroma has loads of fruit like apple and peach. Some spice is there too. Taste is sweet with some underlying fruitiness and a little spice. Medium bodied and smooth. A little alcohol burn is there. Really pretty awesome and it exceeded my expectations considering the mustard seeds.

Sampled at WtWBA Brooklyn 2012. Pours a hazy amber body with thin white lacing. Aroma is fruit, funk and oak. Mouthfeel is nice, with notes of sweet fruit, oak, earth, musk, toasted malts.

Bottle. Color dark unclear orange with small white head. Aroma malt, caramel, fruits. Taste malt, fruits, alcohol.

750mL bottle. Poured translucent, lighter orange with a white head that fizzled out really quickly.. kind of shiny. The aroma picked up more Calvados than anything else, with cognac and related dark fruit backing it up.. some oak and dry, peppery yeast in there as well.. this was nice, but it was almost all barrel. The flavor opened with tangy oak and sour/lightly-metallic boozage.. dark fruits, honey, and a bit of biscuity malt at the core.. lots more Calvados and peppery yeast on the long, dry, belly-warming finish.. just about an "8". Medium-plus bodied with low, but prickly carbonation on the palate.. the barrel stole the show, but it did provide some very interesting character.

Pouring at Where the Wild Beers Are. Pours a hazed apricot amber with a thin white head. Soft wood, apples, musk. Super sweet, musky and woody. Wood, musk, caramel, light toast. Musk and wood with some funk. Didn’t really stand out in any way.

A light,clear amber pour, small off white head. Aroma is all over the place! Tons of brandy notes, woody, herbal notes, some earthy aromas as well. Sweet and boozy up front on the flavor, some interesting herbal flavors and spice. Finishes warm.

In short: An unusual woody big amber ale
How: Bottle 750ml, consumed when probably around one year of age
The look: Cloudy amber body topped by a small off-white head
In long: Nose is strange, the base beer is unusual with a strange spiciness and a woody character that is like the smell of a woodshop. Taste is grape skin, a lot of wood, notes of white wine, smooth hard-to-name spiciness, Granny Smith apples, banana peels, a bit of booze. Woody dryness in the finish. Not a complex beer by any means but it was certainly not boring, actually it was kind of weird. It was also surprisingly drinkable for an 11.5% beer. Strangely drinkable, the beer is weird but also not very tasty/intense so I went through a 750ml quite easily even if this wasn’t particularly exiting. Not bad but certainly not worth the hefty price tag3, but it’s alright I’ll have plenty of money soon, I told my boss I deserve a raise, I’ve been working here for over 3 years and I worked really hard yesterday.

Clear amber coloured beer with small white head and no carbonation. Malty alcoholic aroma. Full slight sparkling palate. Finish is rather dry bitter with spicy fruited hints.

Thanks mom. Pours a slightly cloudy straw amber with one finger of off-white head. Nose is lightly acidic with a large brett presence, pineapple and fresh cut citrus. Flavor is really nice, very dry and citrusy. Zesty with fresh pineapple and heavy brett influence. Lightly tannic and cider, definitely an apple component to this. Uber interesting.