Monthly Archives: July 2018

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, The Ale Apothecary, USA, Wild Ale

The Ale Apothecary The Beer Formerly Known As La Tache

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Brewery: The Ale Apothecary
Country: USA
ABV: 7.35%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: Mixed fermentation ale aged in wine barrels

Brewer Description: (from tag on bottle) the beer formerly known as La Tache. (* wild & open fermented in the woods of OR. * Mecca Grade Estate Malt + wheat + Goshie Farms hops. * barrel-ages over a year & dry-hopped in oak. * OR honey + sour wort + our yeast = 100% natural carbonation from bottle fermentation.)

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.34
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.2

Intro: A 750ml bottle, batch bottled on June 23rd 2017. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy golden orange colour with a big almost three finger white head that had good retention and left lots of nice lacing.
Aroma: Tart, peach, apricot, oak, funk and citrusy lemon.
Taste: Tart and sour, stone fruit, peach, apricot, white grape, oak, funk and lemon.
Mouthfeel: Dry, medium to light bodied with moderate to high carbonation.
Overall: Very nice and refreshing with good complex flavours.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, The Ale Apothecary, USA, Wild Ale

The Ale Apothecary Faerie Tears

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Brewery: The Ale Apothecary
Country: USA
ABV: 8.5%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: Volume II. Mixed fermentation ale aged in wine barrels

Brewer Description: (from tag of bottle) Faerie Tears, vol. 2. 100% authentic wistfulness, no faeries were harmed. (* blend of appx 20 different ales. * as part of our beer recover program. * aged on fresh, hand-picked, manzanita flowers, 286 bottles produced. * OR honey + sour wort + our yeast = 100%. * natural carbonation from bottle fermentation.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.09
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 750ml bottle, batch bottled 28th June 2017 (I think, as the last number wasn’t so clear). Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy dark copper orange amber colour with a big two finger off white head that had pretty good retention but eventually settled to a thin but replenishing layer. It left only sparse to no lacing.
Aroma: Oak, vanilla, leather, funk with hints of tart, fruity, apricot and peach.
Taste: Sour, tart, funk, fruity (I’m unsure exactly what fruit, but I want to say apricot…), grape and oak with hints of lemon, vanilla and a vinous touch.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate to high carbonation.
Overall: Nice, easy and relaxing to drink even at 9% abv.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, The Ale Apothecary, USA, Wild Ale

The Ale Apothecary Garden Strawberry

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Brewery: The Ale Apothecary
Country: USA
ABV: 7%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: Mixed fermentation ale aged in wine barrels

Brewer Description: (from tag on bottle) Garden Strawberry – the strawberry was 1st bred in France from North American and Chilean plants. (* beer recovery project blend of 15+ ales. * 60# fresh strawberries in Patricia. * one of our brewery’s original barrels. * 290 bottles produced. * OR honey + sour wort + our yeast = 100%. * natural carbonation from bottle fermentation.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.34
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.2

Intro: A 750ml bottle, batch bottled on 9th July 2017. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A cloudy golden orange colour with a big two finger white head that had pretty good retention and eventually settled to a thin replenishing layer while leaving some nice lacing.
Aroma: Tart, strawberry, oak and a light funk.
Taste: Tart, sour, strawberry, oak, red wine vinegar and some nice funk.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate to high carbonation.
Overall: Very nice and refreshing, and just so easy to drink.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Belgian Strong Pale Ale, Denmark, Mikkeller ApS

Mikkeller It’s Alive!

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Brewery: Mikkeller ApS
Country: Denmark
ABV: 8%
Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale
Other Notes: Brewed and bottled by Mikkeller at De Proef Brouwerij, Belgium. Malts – Pale and Cara. Hops – Hallertauer and Styrian Goldings

Brewer Description: (from Mikkeller webshop) It’s Alive! is Mikkellers answer and tribute to the trappist beer Orval. It’s Alive is an easy-to-drink beer, with a lot of hops. The color is amber, the foam is high, white and dense. The potent Brettanomyces culture makes It’s Alive continue to develop in the bottle.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.44
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.3

Intro: A 750ml bottle with a best before date of 31st July 2018. I’m thinking that this has been aged for about 5 years. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A clear copper amber colour with a big three finger off white head that had pretty good retention and left lots of lacing.
Aroma: Sweetish caramel, brett funk, candied fruit, green apple.
Taste: Light caramel malt sweetness, grass, earthy, brett, funk and apple. Flavours felt a little weak at times though.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft to moderate carbonation.
Overall: Quite nice, but I’m not sure why at times, the flavours felt quite weak and just kind of disappeared. Not quite the Orval that it’s tributed to be.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, de Garde Brewing, USA, Wild Ale

de Garde The Apricot

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Brewery: de Garde Brewing
Country: USA
ABV: 6.5%
Style: American Wild Ale

Brewer Description: (from bottle) A spontaneous Wild Ale aged in oak barrels with apricots.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.32
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.2

Intro: A 1 pint 9.4 fl. oz. bottle with no clear bottled on or best before date. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A cloudy straw yellow colour with an almost two finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly to a ring around the glass while leaving only sparse to no lacing.
Aroma: Candied and tart, almost like sour peach gummy rings.
Taste: Tart, sour, apricot, peach, candied, oak and some light funk.
Mouthfeel: Acidic, light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Very nice with those sour fruit gummy candy aroma and flavours. A lot more sour in the taste than the aroma suggests, but also not a lot of funkiness.