X56 - Djävlebryg Eklipse Pale Ale (Denmark)

A fine, fruity, low keyed nose with notes of milk chocolate, orange peel, road dust and a touch of coconut. Cool and fine. There is some detergent here aswell, but in a good way. Good.
The taste is better than the nose with a very fine bitterness combined with a lovely sweet yellow fruit. Very good. The finish isn´t that long but it ends very tasty, leaving the palate wanting more. Not complex but a very nice drinking beer.

85p   (tasted from bottle - 2011/03)

X55 - 2008 Rodenbach Limited Edition Oak Aged Ale (Belgium)

The label states that this is Barrel No 96. It has a complex, interesting nose with notes of rhubarbpie, sour/sweet cherrys, undergrowth and overripe strawberrys. Deep and fine. A lovely sweetness.

The taste is tight, ripe and pretty with a nice sweet and sour character. Notes of rhubarb, lemons and strawberrys. High acidity. Very good, although there is a some unbalance in the finish between the sweetness and the bitterness, they don´t really act together but rather beside each other. Other than that, a very good beer. But the Rodenbach Grand Cru - a whole different animal...tasting note soon to follow.

88p   (tasted from bottle - 2011/03)