Monthly Archives: May 2017

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

Wicked Weed Montmaretto

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Brewery: Wicked Weed Brewing
Country: USA
ABV: 6.9%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: Barrel-aged American Sour Ale fermented with cherries and almonds

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Montmaretto was aged in neutral wine barrels where it undergoes a secondary fermentation on a pound per gallon of cherries. A portion of the beer was aged with almonds to impart an amaretto character. The barrels were then blended until the perfect balance was struck.

The fortress Montmaretto floated, neutral, while the realm tore itself apart below. The tribes of Aspro and Amaro sprung on one another in a cataclysm of violence never before imagined. Queen Almendra chose insular peace above the fray, remaining aloof from her vantage point atop the Great Floating Lake. Almendra’s sentries kept vigil through cherry orbs that scanned the sandswept, sun-soaked cobblestone streets, thwarting would-be spies and colluders’ attempts to breach the fortress. Queen Almendra’s wisdom led to the preservation of Montmaretto, and perpetuated peace in the realm.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.51
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.3

Intro: A 500ml bottle, bottled on 22nd July 2016. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A lightly hazy pinkish orange colour with a one finger white head that dissipated quickly and left pretty much no lacing.
Aroma: Candied cherry, almonds, biscotti, oak and just a hint of funk.
Taste: It’s what you expect from the aroma with lightly sour cherry, almond, biscotti, marzipan and oak.
Mouthfeel: Medium to light bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Aromas were nice albeit a bit weak. Taste was very nice as the cherries and almonds go well together and make for some easy drinking beer.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Stout - Russian Imperial, USA, Wicked Weed Brewing

Wicked Weed Dark Age Bourbon Barrel-Aged

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Brewery: Wicked Weed Brewing
Country: USA
ABV: 12%
Style: Russian Imperial Stout
Other Notes: Bourbon barrel-aged Imperial Stout. Drink it Now. Drink it Later

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Humanity’s path out of the Dark Age is one without end. This path carries us away from the mystical to the measurable, from the magical to the mathematical, and is a meticulous tale of progress from madness to method. Yet, we still find wonder in the Magic, and extraordinary potential in the Mystery. Out of this yearning for the old ways, Dark Age Imperial Stout emerges from the whisky barrel, its dark malt complexity and bold, yet balanced, sweetness softened by its mystical evolution in oak.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.41
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.3

Intro: A 12.7 fl oz bottle, bottled on 23rd March 2016. Poured into a snifter.
Appearance: A nice dark dark brown colour with a one finger mocha head that dissipates fairly quickly while leaving some nice lacing.
Aroma: Chocolate, cocoa, dark fruit plum and raisins, bourbon, oak with hints of vanilla.
Taste: Bourbon and sharp raisin and cherry sweetness, followed by bittersweet dark chocolate, caramel and licorice.
Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with moderate to low carbonation.
Overall: This was a nice, easy sipper. The sharp twang of raisin and cherry in the taste mixed with the bourbon was a welcome surprise. The only mini negative was the mouthfeel which could have greater body and a slightly lower carbonation.

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

Wicked Weed Medora

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Brewery: Wicked Weed Brewing
Country: USA
ABV: 6.6%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: American sour with blackberries and raspberries

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Medora is a blonde sour ale aged in red wine barrels with one pound of blackberries and raspberries per gallon. The result is a beautiful, fuchsia ale with bright berry character.

The daughter of a king, Medora was wrought with the burden of expectations. Her father did his utmost to speak confidence into his young daughter. Time passed and with it the king, leaving Medora his sole heir. Her melancholy deepened. One night a great meteor flashed across the northern sky. Her father’s words lit into her heart: “Choose happiness; no expectation or circumstance can usurp your will to rejoice in them.” Medora thrived, and as for imposed expectations; she never gave them credence again.

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

Intro: A 500ml bottle, bottled on 8th January 2016. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A cloudy raspberry red colour with a two finger off white head that had good retention and left nice sticky lacing.
Aroma: Red wine gum berry candy, vinous, oak, earthiness and a light funk.
Taste: Very lightly sour, raspberries, mixed berries, vinous, oak and slightly funky.
Mouthfeel: Medium to light bodied with moderate carbonation and a dry-ish finish.
Overall: I tend to enjoy these berry flavoured Wild Ales and this was no different. It was surprisingly not very sour at all, but the oak barrel character in the aroma and taste was quite strong. Definitely enjoyable.

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

Wicked Weed Brettaberry

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Brewery: Wicked Weed Brewing
Country: USA
ABV: 5.5%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: Tart Farmhouse Ale with berries & honey

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Brettaberry, a tart farmhouse ale whose inspiration is drawn from freshly baked berry pie, features a half-pound per gallon of strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries. The sweet acidity of the berries paired with the mild farmhouse funk of our house culture is rounded by the addition of full bodied, Haw Creek Honey.

Memory is not a fleeting picture grasped only in the mind’s eye. Memory is a guileless traveller, discovering avenues through the sights, aromas, and flavors of our daily experience. As brewers, our daily experiences orbit around creating beers that convey something more than flavor, we use the palate to express ideas and feelings. The bottle you hold contains more than a complex, balanced beverage. It holds the aromas that echo fresh cut blades of humid august grass, the fizzing noises of warm summer rain on a slate, and tart flavors of ripe berries that roll over us like floured pins over dough. This is our connection to beer – we hope it will be yours as well.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.21
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 500ml bottle, bottled on 20th November 2015. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A slightly hazy strawberry orange pink colour with an almost two finger white head that dissipates fairly quickly but left lots of clingy lacing.
Aroma: Tart mixed berries although it seems strawberry is most prominent, brett funkiness, barnyard, mustiness with hints of honey.
Taste: Tart, lightly sour, strawberry, raspberry and blackberry with mild funkiness and perhaps a touch of lemon and pepper.
Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate carbonation and a dry-ish finish.
Overall: This was nice, refreshing and easy to drink. I’m not getting much of the honey as it just seems like berry sweetness, but I’m sure its mixed in with that and also guessing that the honey adds to the body.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brouwerij De Ranke, Euro Sour Ale

De Ranke Kriek

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Brewery: Brouwerij De Ranke
Country: Belgium
ABV: 7%
Style: Euro Sour Ale
Other Notes: On base of old Flemish beer, Lambic and sour cherries (25%)

Brewer Description: (from bottle) 70% Belgian Sour Ale fermented with cherries with 30% Lambic added.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.55
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.5

Intro: A 750ml bottle with a best before date of 26th August 2021. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A very nice clear ruby red colour with a just under two finger pinkish head that dissipated fairly quickly while leaving only sparse lacing.
Aroma: Sour, tart, funky, vinegar, musty with only hints of cherry.
Taste: Tart and sour, lots of lemon, lemon zest, vinegar and funk with only a hint of cherries.
Mouthfeel: Medium to light bodied with moderate to light carbonation.
Overall: This was ok but the Belgian Sour Ale felt like it overpowered everything else, such that there was hardly any cherry in either the aroma or taste, which was not so good for a Kriek type beer.