4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Private Press Brewing, Strong - Munichwine, USA

Private Press Open Drums

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Brewery: Private Press Brewing
Country: USA
ABV: 16.2%
Style: Strong – Munichwine

Brewer Description: (from bottle) A blend of double barrel Munichwine ales.

My rating: 4+
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.49

Intro: A 1 pint 0.9 fl. oz. bottle, with no clear bottled on or best before date, poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: A brownish orange rusty colour with a thin beige head that disappeared quickly, while leaving only sparse to no lacing.
Aroma: Butterscotch, toffee, raisin, almond, bourbon.
Taste: Butterscotch, toffee, crème brulee, raisin, marzipan, almond, bourbon, with notes of spicy rye on the back end.
Mouthfeel: Full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: A very enjoyable sipper with great aromas and flavours.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Cyclic Beer Farm, Italian Grape Ale, Spain

Cyclic Garnatxa de l’Oriol

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Brewery: Cyclic Beer Farm
Country: Spain
ABV: 6.5%
Style: Grape Ale

Brewer Description: (from bottle in Spanish) Segundo uso de pieles de uva, variedad Garnatxa de l’Oriol Atrigas.

(translated to English) Second use of grape skins, Garnatxa de l’Oriol Atrigas variety.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.18

Intro: A 750ml bottle, bottled on 4th March 2024, with a best before date of 4th March 2026. Poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A nice clear candy pinkish red colour with a half finger white head that had pretty good retention, and left some nice lacing.
Aroma: Grape must, red wine grapes, vinous, strawberry, wood, with light cherry notes, albeit a touch faint.
Taste: Much like the aroma but more obvious, vinous, grape must, red wine grapes, strawberry, wood, with light funky notes.
Mouthfeel: Light bodied with moderate to soft carbonation.
Overall: Nice easy drinking Grape Ale. Although the aromas were a touch faint, the look and flavours were there.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Cyclic Beer Farm, Farmhouse Saison, Spain

Cyclic Herbie

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Brewery: Cyclic Beer Farm
Country: Spain
ABV: 5.6%
Style: Farmhouse Saison

Brewer Description: (from bottle in Spanish) Saison de fermentación mixta envejecida en barrica. Mezcla de 4 barricas de roble.

(translated to English) Mixed fermentation barrel aged Saison. Blend of 4 oak barrels.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.9

Intro: A 750ml bottle, bottled on 3rd March 2021, and a best before date of 3rd March 2026. Poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A mostly clear golden straw yellow colour with a just under one finger white head that had good retention and left some nice lacing.
Aroma: Lemon zest, honey, wood, grape skin, with some barnyard funky notes.
Taste: Lightly sour and a touch bitter, lemon peel, citrus rind, honey, wood, light funk.
Mouthfeel: Light bodied with moderate to soft carbonation.
Overall: Good aromas, but the flavour could have been stronger and I was also hoping for more carbonation as it was quite soft.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Czech Republic, Métaphore, Wild Ale

Métaphore Here and Now: Pinot Noir & Cherry

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Brewery: Métaphore
Country: Czech Republic
ABV: 6%
Style: Wild Ale

Brewer Description: (from bottle) A blended, coolshipped spontaneously fermented beer, aged in oak barrels for two, three, and five years, married with locally grown Pinot Noir grapes and organic sour cherries. An act of patience and a vision for beauty and harmony in beer form. A refined and delicate expression of the essence of the local landscape and its passage through time, captured in a bottle. Best enjoyed in good company! Na zdravi!

My rating: 4+
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.48

Intro: A 750ml corked and capped bottle, with a best before date of 28th March 2034. Poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A very nice very slightly hazy dark ruby red colour with a just under one finger pinkish head that dissipated fairly quickly, while leaving only sparse lacing.
Aroma: Lightly tart, slight funk, grape skin, cherry, wood.
Taste: Lightly sour and tart, cherry, pinot noir grapes, mixed berries, strawberry, with light woody notes.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: The pinot noir grapes and cherry work well together with a very enjoyable aroma and flavours that just makes it so easy to drink.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Czech Republic, Métaphore, Wild Ale

Métaphore Here and Now: Forests & Fields

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Brewery: Métaphore
Country: Czech Republic
ABV: 5.7%
Style: Wild Ale

Brewer Description: (from bottle) A blended, coolshipped spontaneously fermented beer, aged in oak barrels for one, two, and three years, married with wild-foraged bilberries and organic raspberries. The dichotomy of wild, uncultivated berries from local woods and the cultivated efforts of man-made gardens with perfumey raspberries beautifully echoes at the core of this beer. Seemingly gently tamed and refined, but truly wild at heart. A playful and expressive depiction of the local landscape and its passage through the seasons, captured in a bottle. Best enjoyed in good company! Na zdravi!

My rating: 4+
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.4

Intro: A 750ml corked and capped bottle, with a best before date of 19th February 2034. Poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy dark red colour with a slight purple tint, and a one finger purple head that had good retention, eventually settling to a cap, while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Light tartness, fruity ripe berries, blueberry, wood, with light notes of vines and raspberries.
Taste: Lightly sour and tart, blueberry, blackberry, raspberry, wood, with light funky notes. The fruit is good, but seems slightly mellowed compared to what I was expecting from the aroma (which was previously communicated by the brewer Jiří).
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: A very lively beer in the bottle that continues the slow bubbling while wanting to escape. The look and aroma was great, and I wish I got to try it when the fruit was at it’s most intense as the flavours are right up my alley. Just enjoyable easy drinking.

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