Monthly Archives: February 2018

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Cerveses La Pirata, Spain, Stout - Russian Imperial

La Pirata Black Block Bourbon Aged

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Brewery: Cerveses La Pirata
Country: Spain
ABV: 13%
Style: Russian Imperial Stout
Other Notes: 72 IBUs

Brewer Description: (from website) Russian Imperial Stout Bourbon Barrel Aged. The “Bourbon” version of Pearl Pirate. An even more incendiary beer warms much heart and soul.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.26
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 330ml bottle, bottled on 12th September 2017 and a best before date of September 2022. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Black in colour with pretty much no head and no lacing.
Aroma: Nice bourbon, vanilla and liquorice with chocolate, cocoa, roasty malts and alcohol in the background along with hints of oak.
Taste: Lightly sweet beginning with bourbon, vanilla, raisins and dried dark fruits followed by a light roast, chocolate and cacao.
Mouthfeel: Creamy, medium bodied with low carbonation and a lightly boozy finish.
Overall: A very nice RIS with great bourbon flavours coming through. Body could have been heavier, but despite this, it was still very good.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Ballast Point Brewing Company, Beer Reviews, Porter - Imperial, USA

Ballast Point Victory At Sea – Peppermint

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Brewery: Ballast Point Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 10%
Style: American Imperial Porter
Other Notes: AKA Peppermint Victory At Sea. Porter with coffee & natural flavors

Brewer Description: (from bottle) A winning combo of coffee, vanilla & mint. This Peppermint Victory At Sea is a festive take on our popular Imperial Porter. We took our trademark robust porter brewed with Caffe Calabria coffee and vanilla and added a dose of refreshing peppermint. The trio of flavors play perfectly on your palate – the brew’s sweet roastiness balances nicely with a cool, minty finish.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.72
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.7

Intro: A 22 fl. oz. bomber with a Julian bottled on date of 16292, meaning it was bottled on 18th October 2016. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A dark brown colour with a big two finger tanned head that had pretty good retention while leaving some sparse lacing.
Aroma: Peppermint, coffee, chocolate with hints of vanilla.
Taste: Peppermint coolness, roasted malts, chocolate, caramel and vanilla sweetness with some light bitterness from the coffee.
Mouthfeel: Creamy, medium to full bodied with low carbonation.
Overall: The aroma of peppermint and chocolate matched well together, however in the taste, the peppermint and coffee flavours seemed to be clashing with each other a bit and didn’t mesh together as well as I would have liked.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), American IPA, Ballast Point Brewing Company, Beer Reviews, USA

Ballast Point Unfiltered Sculpin

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Brewery: Ballast Point Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 7%
Style: American IPA
Other Notes: 70 IBUs. Exrta-hopped India Pale Ale

Brewer Description: (from website) Our trophy beer, extra-hopped and unfiltered. Our Unfiltered Sculpin IPA packs extra hops into every sip, enhancing the classic Sculpin notes of fresh apricot, peach, mango and lemon with a slight haze and less bitterness. Freshness is key to every beer, but especially true for this extra-hopped IPA—store cold and drink soon.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.85
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.8

Intro: A 12 fl. oz. bottle with a Julian bottled on date of 17321, meaning that it was bottled on 17th November 2017. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A lightly hazy bright copper orange colour with quite a bit of floaties slowly settling at the bottom of the glass. There was also a two finger off white head that had great retention and left nice lacing.
Aroma: Tropical fruit mango, pineapple and apricot at the start followed closely by grapefruit and light pine.
Taste: Sweet-ish pineapple, orange and apricot followed by bitter grapefruit zest, citrus rind, pine and a light touch of biscuit at the end.
Mouthfeel: Medium to light bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Nice and easy to drink and an interesting twist on the original. However, I definitely prefer the original and grapefruit version over this. Still worth a try though.