Monthly Archives: December 2016

4 - Good (buy), Avery Brewing Company, Beer Reviews, Stout - Imperial, USA

Avery Vanilla Bean Stout

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Brewery: Avery Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 11.5%
Style: American Imperial Stout
Other Notes: Stout with Vanilla Beans added, Aged in Bourbon Barrels

Brewer Description: (from bottle) A double dose of vanilla derived from both fresh Bourbon barrels and the trio of Tongan, Ugandan and Mexican whole vanilla beans is complemented by essences of chocolate, caramel and molasses to round out this luxuriously silky stout.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.46
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.3

Intro: A 22 fl oz foiled bomber, bottled on 29th April 2016. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: A dark dark brown to black colour with a less than one finger tanned head that dissipated fairly quickly while leaving some sparse lacing.
Aroma: Nice strong sweet vanilla, cocoa, oak, bourbon and perhaps some light char.
Taste: Sweet vanilla, cocoa, molasses and toffee, a good hit of bourbon with a touch of dark fruit and oak.
Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with moderate to light carbonation.
Overall: Other than its body being lighter than I prefer for an Imperial Stout, this beer has everything else going for it. Great aromas and taste make it a great sipper on a cool night.

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3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), American IPA, Australia, Beer Reviews, Pirate Life Brewing

Pirate Life IPA

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Brewery: Pirate Life Brewing
Country: Australia
ABV: 6.8%
Style: American IPA
Other Notes: Malts – Pale Malt, Munich and Crystal. Hops – Centennial, Riwaka and Simcoe

Brewer Description: (from website blog) Up until now if you wanted to step up from our Pale Ale you would have to reach for a trusty tall boy of our IIPA. While we would baulk at the suggestion that this is ever a bad thing, there are times where one wants to drink at least four beers without feeling like they have just gone round for round with Boony on a plane trip back from London. So we are happy to announce we have finally bridged the ABV gap with the release of our fourth core range beer: The Pirate Life IPA. Sitting nicely between our Pale Ale and IIPA at 6.8% ABV the IPA has a gentle orange hue and a round, full bodied malt character care of Pale Malt, Munich and Crystal. With our Pale Ale and IIPA having withdrawn most of our funds from the dank bank we thought it was time to make a beer that brought something a little different to the table. Chock full of Centennial, Riwaka and Simcoe our IPA is bright, fruity and full of liquid fun.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.97
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.7

Intro: A 355ml can with a best before date of 21st June 2017. Poured into a Spiegelau IPA glass.
Appearance: A slightly hazy amber orange colour with a big three finger cream coloured head that had decent retention and left some light lacing.
Aroma: Piney, citrus grapefruit with a hint of tropical mango.
Taste: Bitter citrus grapefruit and orange, a touch of pine and toasty biscuit malt.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: A nice refreshing IPA with great aromas.

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3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), American Pale Ale, Australia, Beer Reviews, Pirate Life Brewing

Pirate Life Pale Ale

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Brewery: Pirate Life Brewing
Country: Australia
ABV: 5.4%
Style: American Pale Ale
Other Notes: 50 IBUs. Malts – Ale Malt, Caramalt and Crystal. Hops – Mosaic and Cascade

Brewer Description: (from website) The ubiquitous Pale Ale. The workhorse of pretty much any modern brewery. The brief we gave ourselves for our flagship beer was that it should be able to be sent to any bar in San Diego and to stand proudly alongside the many great Pales produced in, and around, the west coast of the US. The schematic for a West Coast Pale Ale is bucket loads of big US hops, full malty backbone and a characterful yeast. That is what this Pale Ale is all about. Enjoy as fresh as possible.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.01
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.8

Intro: A 355ml can with a hard to read best before date, but I believe it says best before 22nd June 2017. Poured into a Mikkeller stemmed tasting glass.
Appearance: A slightly hazy copper amber colour with a big fluffy three finger off white head that dissipated fairly quickly, leaving some soapy lacing.
Aroma: Piney, citrusy grapefruit, caramel malt with a hint of tropical peach and mango.
Taste: Sweet caramel malt beginning with some tropical and stone fruits. Lightly bitter grapefruit and pine finish.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: This is solid! Very easy and enjoyable drinking for any time of day and year.

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