The good brewers at De Koningshoeven have taken their standard La Trappe Quadrupel, which they have brewed since 1991, and have produced special limited edition oak aged versions since 2009. Each year uses different sources of barrels which are then expertly blended together to deliver a unique... Read More
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Joseph Formanek
Beer Judge
Joe Formanek started homebrewing in 1987 as an undergraduate in Microbiology at the University of Minnesota. He was bitten by the brewing bug after taking a tour of Summit Brewing Company within a year after they had opened in St. Paul in 1987, and he has been going ever since. Joe later went to Graduate School at the University of Illinois and helped found the Boneyard Union of Zymurgical Zealots (BUZZ) Homebrew Club. He currently resides in Bolingbrook, IL, is a Director for a food ingredient company in Itasca, IL, and is a proud member of the Urban Knaves of Grain Homebrew Club. Joe holds a National Judge ranking with the BJCP, and is a previous Midwest Regional Rep and Vice President of the organization.
Over the years, Joe has received many honors related to homebrewing. He has won numerous BOS awards at local and regional competitions, is a 6 time winner of the Midwest Homebrewer of the Year award (1999, 2001-2004, 2007) and won the American Homebrewers Association Meadmaker of the Year award in 2004. Joe is a 2 time winner of the American Homebrewers Association Ninkasi Award (2000, 2006) for winningest brewer in the final round of judging, and was honored as being named one of the two homebrewer winners of the 2011 Sam Adams Longshot American Homebrewing Competition with his Russian Imperial Stout, which was distributed nationally in the 2012 Longshot multipack.
My reviews
Appearance:
5 / 6
Aroma:
24 / 24
Flavor:
39 / 40
Mouthfeel:
9 / 10
Overall Impression:
19 / 20
Appearance:
4 / 6
Aroma:
23 / 24
Flavor:
38 / 40
Mouthfeel:
9 / 10
Overall Impression:
19 / 20
Fire Iron by Urban Artifact is a smoothie in beer form, pure and simple. The fruit character overwhelms all. This is really pushing the envelope for beer. I was originally considering evaluating this concoction as a Category 29A Fruit Beer as per the 2015 BJCP Style Guidelines, but I couldn’t... Read More
Appearance:
5 / 6
Aroma:
22 / 24
Flavor:
36 / 40
Mouthfeel:
9 / 10
Overall Impression:
18 / 20
Witkist White by Odell Brewing Co. is a fruited Wit-style beer. Wheat, Spice, Citrus – yup, all there, as expected for a Wit. However, the fruit character marries so well with the base beer character that it really doesn’t stand out as would be expected for a BJCP Category 29A Fruit Beer. It is... Read More
Appearance:
5 / 6
Aroma:
22 / 24
Flavor:
37 / 40
Mouthfeel:
9 / 10
Overall Impression:
18 / 20
Full Suspension Pale Ale is a bit of a misnomer – not so much a traditional American Pale Ale, but more of what you could call an American Best Bitter due to the hop flavor impact in a quite small beer being similar to what you’d see in an English Bitter, but with a distinctly American spin on... Read More
Appearance:
5 / 6
Aroma:
23 / 24
Flavor:
38 / 40
Mouthfeel:
9 / 10
Overall Impression:
19 / 20
Port Aged Barleywine by Low Road Brewing is a quite approachable BJCP Category 33B, Specialty Wood-Aged Beer, with the base style being BJCP Category 17D, English Barleywine, from the 2015 BJCP guidelines. While the port character is somewhat subtle, the base English... Read More
Appearance:
5 / 6
Aroma:
24 / 24
Flavor:
36 / 40
Mouthfeel:
9 / 10
Overall Impression:
18 / 20
Southbound Brewing Co’s. Clusterflies is a well-crafted example of a soured, wine barrel-aged Saison.
Clusterflies has a complex tart aroma loaded with cherry, apricot, lemon and red wine characters with underlying Brettanomyces barnyard notes. Very inviting! This hazy, golden-colored... Read More