4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project, USA, Wild Ale

Crooked Stave Origins

Friday, 23 September 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project
Country: USA
ABV: 6.5%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: Burgundy sour ale aged in oak barrels

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Our hommage to the history of barrel-aging and those who have influenced us along the way.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.18
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 375ml bottle from batch #5, bottled in May 2015, and poured into a Cantillon ballon glass.
Appearance: It poured a clear but dark burgundy reddish brown colour with a one finger beige head that had decent retention and left spotty lacing.
Aroma: Fruity grape, red wine, blackberries and cherries. Lightly tart with hints of oak.
Taste: Sour and tart, fruity grape, cherry and red wine with a touch of lemon, oak and vanilla.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Nice, balanced and easy to drink.

1 - Poor (never again), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Hanssens Artisanaal, Lambic - Fruit

Hanssens Experimental Raspberry

Tuesday, 20 September 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Hanssens Artisanaal
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6%
Style: Belgian Lambic (Fruit)

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Ale fermented with raspberries and matured in oak barrels.

My rating: 1
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.02
My ratebeer.com rating: 2.7

Intro: A 12.7 fl.oz. bottle bottled in April 2016 (notched in label) and poured into a Cantillon ballon glass.
Appearance: It poured a clear cherry red colour with an orange pinkish hue, with no head and no lacing.
Aroma: Raspberry, strawberry, berry gummy candies, grape jelly and some light funkiness.
Taste: Sour, extremely sour, overly and harsh acidity, vinegar, funkiness and light fruity raspberry that is largely hidden in the background.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, no carbonation and a short but sharp harsh acidic burn.
Overall: It smells great but beer with no carbonation is not my thing. In addition, it was harsh and overly acidic such that it was almost undrinkable.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, USA, Wicked Weed Brewing, Wild Ale

Wicked Weed Cherry Go Lightly (Canvas Series)

Monday, 19 September 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Wicked Weed Brewing
Country: USA
ABV: 7.6%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: Foeder-aged sour red ale fermented with cherries

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Cherry Go Lightly is the first beer to fill our foeder and was inspired by the friends who helped us source this barrel monstrosity. As the name does not imply, we used a total of 2000 pounds of Montmorency cherries and multiple oak vessels to mature this Old World inspired ale. Friends inspire us, support us, and share in our love for this craft. This beer is for them.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.24
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 500ml bottle of batch # 704, bottled on 14th November 2015 and poured into a Cantillon ballon glass.
Appearance: It poured a clear reddish brown colour with a half finger off white head that dissipated quickly but left some nice lacing.
Aroma: Tart, cherry, oak, lifesaver candy sweetness, apple skin and vinegar with a tinge of light funk.
Taste: Sour, tart, cherry fruity forward with a touch of oak and vanilla on the finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Nice and easy to drink. Makes me excited to try other Wicked Weed wild ales.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Garage Project, Herbed / Spiced Beer, New Zealand

Garage Project Day of the Dead

Wednesday, 14 September 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Garage Project
Country: New Zealand
ABV: 6.7%
Style: Herbed / Spiced Beer
Other Notes: Brewed with smoked chipotle chili, raw cocoa nibs, vanilla and agave.

Brewer Description: (from can) Lager, but not as we know it. Garage Project’s Day of the Dead – a strong black lager inspired by the Aztec beverage xocolatl. “A bitter, frothy, spicy drink” combining cocoa and chili. Brewed with chipotle chili, refermented with organic blue agave syrup and conditioned over raw cocoa nibs with vanilla – rich and dark, Day of the Dead is smooth and drinkable with a complex mix of smoke, chocolate and restrained chili heat. A true celebration of the dark side.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.32
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.2

Intro: A 330ml can with a best before date of 24th September 2016 and poured into a Mikkeller pint glass.
Appearance: It poured a dark dark brown colour with a just over one finger tanned head that dissipated fairly quickly but settles to an extremely thin layer and left only sparse lacing.
Aroma: Chocolate, cocoa, roasted malt, corn and a touch of chili.
Taste: Chocolate, roasted malts, cocoa, a touch of vanilla and light chili heat.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied and moderate carbonation with light tingly spice.
Overall: Day of the Dead was sold as a pack with La Calavera Catrina which was also a spicy beer. However, while I did not enjoy La Calavera Catrina much, Day of the Dead was much better. The spice in Day of the Dead was there, but more restrained such that it did not take over the beer. Not great, but not bad either.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), 8 Wired Brewing Co., American Amber / Red Ale, Beer Reviews, New Zealand

8 Wired Sour Poppy

Tuesday, 13 September 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: 8 Wired Brewing Co.
Country: New Zealand
ABV: 7%
Style: American Amber Ale

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Continuing on with all things sour, delicious and boundary pushing, this time we decided to mess with one of our core range beers. So we gave Tall Poppy the sour treatment. The recipe is pretty much the same as the original beer but using natural, live cultures we dropped the pH to a level similar to nice, tart orange juice. The result is quite spectacular and very refreshing. Cheers.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.32
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.2

Intro: A 500ml bottle with no discernible best before date (unusual for 8 Wired). Poured into a Moonzen teku glass.
Appearance: It poured a slightly hazy copper red colour with less than a half finger off white head that dissipates quickly and leaves no lacing.
Aroma: Not very strong, but there’s lychee, grape, pine and some light sourness.
Taste: Sour, strong fruit lychee followed by grape, orange and maybe some berries.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: I liked it better than the Tall Poppy which is was what it was based off of. But as per the ratings, not many others seem to have agreed with me. The recipe is supposed to be quite similar but what I like about the Sour Poppy is that it loses the booziness and caramel malt that I was not too fond of in the Tall Poppy and replaced it with sour fruitiness which I preferred. However, still not the best from 8 Wired.

words of another dreamy traveller

Monthly Archives: September 2016