Alvinne Melchior Calvados Barrel Oak Aged
Ale brewed with mustard seeds and aged for 6 months in Calvados barrels that contained cognac for 10 years and calvados for 8 years. The barrels were found at a local farm in France.
3.6
178 reviews
Moen, Belgium
Community reviews
Sampled at BXL Beerfest Brussel. Pours a slightly hazy dark amber with an off-white head. Caramel, grapes, booze, vanilla.
Tap at BXL festival. Hazy amber with small off white head. Alcohol, spicy calvados, strong caramel, dried red fruits, toffee, bitter herbs. Over medium sweet and bitter. Full bodied.
Red brown colour with creamy head. Texture is rich and creamy. Nice sweet brandy and warming alcohol.
at Gents Bierfestival 2017. Pours unclear muddy amber. Small white head. Smell is intense , oak, some liquor. Taste is sharp, very woody. very boozy. mild oak. Some of the calvados. too boozy for me, and not too much left of the basebeer.�
Thank you for sharing RB Crew! Sampled draft @ GBF 2017. Murky brownish orange with only a few bubbles. Nose is rotting dark fruits, boozy with spoiled fruit, murky messy malt, sugar. Taste is alcoholic soap, overripe fruit, lots of rotting fruit notes, spoiled oak, dark fruit, too alcoholic. Body is soap, lacking carbonation, very messy. Far too messy, lacking carbonation, spoiled fruit. This treatment didn’t fully work for me but others quite liked it.
500 ml bottle into tulip glass, best before 9/2020. Pours slightly cloudy deep orange/copper color with a 1-2 finger dense cream colored head with great retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings around the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big lightly tart golden raisin, peach, plum, fig, pear, apricot, red apple, berries, white wine, lemon zest, orange peel, peppercorn, mustard seed, toasted oak, herbal, floral, grass, honey, cracker, bread, light vanilla, and yeast/oak earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of fruity/spicy yeast, spirit barrels, mustard seeds, bready malt, and moderate earthy hop notes; with great strength. Taste of big lightly tart golden raisin, peach, plum, fig, pear, apricot, red apple, berries, white wine, lemon zest, orange peel, peppercorn, mustard seed, toasted oak, herbal, floral, grass, honey, cracker, bread, light vanilla, and yeast/oak earthiness. Light-moderate yeast/oak spiciness, herbal/citrus peel bitterness, and light brandy/wine tartness on the finish. Lingering notes of golden raisin, peach, plum, fig, pear, apricot, red apple, berries, white wine, lemon zest, orange peel, peppercorn, mustard seed, toasted oak, herbal, floral, grass, honey, cracker, bread, light vanilla, and yeast/oak earthiness on the finish for a while. Great complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/spicy yeast, spirit barrels, mustard seeds, bready malt, and moderate earthy hop flavors; with a great malt/bitter/spiciness balance, and zero astringent flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from bitter/spiciness. Medium carbonation and medium-plus body; with a very smooth, moderately bready/grainy/sticky/tannic, and slightly acidic balanced mouthfeel that is great. Mildly warming alcohol from 11%. Overall this is an excellent barrel aged Belgian strong pale ale! All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/spicy yeast, spirit barrels, mustard seeds, bready malt, and moderate earthy hop flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to sip on for the ABV, with the balanced bitter/spicy/tannic/drying finish. Perfectly balanced between calvados/cognac barrels, fruity/spicy yeast, and bready malts; without being too sweet/heavy feeling. A very enjoyable offering.
Aroma of oak, blueberry, sour cherry, raspberry, orange and bubble gum. Taste is harsh citrus with lots of oak and brandy. Definitely different than its aroma. Translucent orange with a thin creamy tan head.
Bottle, shared with BBGTC, enjoyed two years after bottling. Pours slightly cloudy, dark golden, with almost no head. Aroma is sweet malty notes, with berries, wine grapes, tannins and stone fruits, as well as wooden barrels. Medium body, with very soft carbonation. Flavour is malts with cereals, toffee, honey and kandi, almond notes, berries, tannins and wooden barrels.
11.01.2017, 0,75l bottle @ BBGTC tasting:
Tiny bubbly shortlasting head, hazy. Aroma is slightly dry grassy, weeds, grass, minerals, apple peel, alcohol, bark, apple cores, paper, hay, almond essence. Taste is slightly dry sour-ish mineraly, weeds, bark, minerals, grass, oak, yeast, fruit stones, almond essence, apple peel, hay, apple cores, paper. Medium bitterness, slightly sour-ish mineraly mouthfeel. Not my cup of tea.
Bottle, shared by BBGTC. Pours a hazy copper-hued orange body with a miniscule white head. Nose is caramel, toffee, port wine, raisins, wood, alcohol and hints of figs, nougat and calvados. Taste is caramel, red fruits, mustard, boozy calvados notes, nougat and hints of toffee, port wine and burnt sugar. Full body, soft to low carbonation. Decent enough, with subtle calvados notes coming through with even more subtle mustard seed hints. Pretty nice, but a bit boozy and too low on carbonation.
Appearance: deep dark brown with beige head; Aroma: roasted malt, vague apples; Taste: bittersweet, some sour; Palate: mouth warming, lasting body, medium carbonation; Overall: very nice.
Slightly hazy Amber color with light ring of head. Beautiful soft tart white grape like aromas. Nice smooth grain, wood tartness accompanied underlying spice. So much to taste.
Warm golden colour, white head. Aroma of apple, calvados and malts. Sweet apple flavour, malts, apple sauce. Finish apple and wood.
(from bottle @ Sunday Bottle Share, CBC Clerkenwell; RBESG 2014, London)
From my backlogg:
RBESG 2014 in London, Sunday Tasting at Craft Clerkenwell. Hazy golden beer with an offwhite head. Sourish citrus fruity caramell calvados vinous aroma. Sourish woody calvados dark fruits grapes flavour.
Initial cider aroma, sour apples. Definitely fruity. Murky orange amber pour, silky sand head, completely coats the glass. More fruit in the taste, far away from normal BW territory. Slick, silky body, slippery, no burn. Very deceiving. Tasty, waiting for the kick. Apples in the finish as well. I will probably regret this tomorrow.
Draft. Amber beer with a cream head. Light sweet malt and apple aroma with light oak. Calvados and malt flavor with light spice. Medium bodied. Calvados and spice linger with light malt.
Bottle shared at the RBESG 2014, grand tasting 10/08/2014 Craft Beer Co Clerkenwell. Aroma is hot alcohol, sollent, sharp apple, beerry. Haxed golden coloured pour with a loose white head. Some honey on the nose. Flavour is tart apple, granny smith, biscuity malts. Palate is semi-sweet, slight tart /sharp on the tongue.
750, oof this is 11%. No mustard seeds, but i guess thats not a bad thing. A thin boozy lame subpar Belgian strong. Barrels do nothing to improve this. not impressed. That said, nothing really offensive to warrant a lower rating.
Mustard nowhere. Pours brown ruby with little head. Very Belgian strong with sweet candied fruits, plum, caramel, nutty malty ness, sweet with a drying oaky finish.
How: Bottle.
Where: RBESG 14 not so grand tasting.
Appearance: Dark golden colour with some yeast particles, very small white head.
Aroma: A bit sour, fruit, citrus, caramel, calvados.
Body: Medium body, low carbonation.
Flavour: Old dusty cellar, caramel, fruit, raisin, calvados.
Bottle@Craft Clerkenwell (RBESG 10/08/2014) - golden pour with white head. Aroma and taste is orchard fruits, barnyard apple, citrus tones, slightly sour, caramel, bretty nuances.
RBESG 2014 in London, Sunday Tasting at Craft Clerkenwell. Hazy golden beer with an offwhite head. Sourish vinous aroma, caramel, citrus, figs, woody, calvados, some apples. Sourish woody flavor, grapes, figs, raisins, woody, calvados notes.
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.
Bottle at RBESG ’14, day 4 not so grand tasting at Craft Clerko, 10/08/14 thanks to the Cad.
Lightly hazed golden with moderate off white edgeing.
Nose is tarte fruit rinds, oaky wood, soured berry notes, straw, must.
Taste comprises light booze, rich fruit mix, spice, tangy dark fruits, light caramel.
Medium + body, fine carbonation, lightly warming booze in the close.
Decent enough barley wine, getting the BA woodyness but necessarily calvados.
2010 bottle @ RBESG grand tasting part 2, thanks Tom
Clear golden with a small white head, some lacing. Aroma of apples and fruity. Flavors are fruity and citrus
Nice
Bottle - Sweet apple and light barrel notes. Cloudy gold with no head. Apples and some oak notes. More like a boozy cider. Not a fan.
Bottle thanks to Tom at RBESG 2014. It pours hazy gold with suspended particles and small white head. The nose is earthy, brett, funk, apple pie, candy, wood, mild acidity, hay and barnyard. The bitter, acidic, big wood, earth, funk, barnyard, alcohol, vinous, brandy and even more wood with a dry finish. Medium body, moderate carbonation and foamy mouth-feel. A bit woody and boozy.... Too much for me.
Nice orange color in the light with a finger thick poured into stemware from tap. Smells funky. Light oily mouth feel. Tastes strong in alcohol along with maltiness and
Bottle at RBNG-14. Golden colour with no head. Aroma is oak, malt, hop, berries. flavour is vinous, malt, oak, alcohol, berries, caramel. Full body. Nice beer.
Taster on tap at Churchkey. Hazy red orange amber color. Thin off-white head. Leaves great, thicker lace. Good light tart taste, light bit of heat, moderate bitter. Medium to bigger body. Smooth, soft, lighter carbonation. More dry finish. Light bit of alcohol warmth, but no burn or bite.. ABV is very well-hidden. Good baked apple, oak, light spice, some ginger. Great, complex, flavorful stuff.