Monthly Archives: January 2019

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Harviestoun Brewery, Old Ale, Scotland

Harviestoun Ola Dubh 10th Anniversary

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Brewery: Harviestoun Brewery
Country: Scotland
ABV: 8%
Style: English Old Ale
Other Notes: Ale matured in whisky casks for a full two years. Special twelve year old reserve barrels – Highland Park

Brewer Description: (from bottle) This unique, tenth anniversary edition is aged for a full two years (three times longer than normal) in casks formerly used to mature Highland Park’s legendary 12 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky, allowing even more whisky flavours to imbue the ale. Let’s toast a decade of barrel-aged brewing – Slainte!

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.61
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.5

Intro: A 330ml foiled and capped bottle, bottle no. 09925, bottled in October 2017, and best before end of February 2021. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: A clear dark brown colour with pretty much no head and only very sparse spotted lacing.
Aroma: Chocolate, whisky, raisin, fig, wood, caramel, with light peat and smoke.
Taste: Watery, whisky, roasted malts, chocolate, raisin, caramel, fig, dried fruit, with light roast and smoke.
Mouthfeel: Light bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: My first impression was that the body was so light that it drank like watered down whisky. It was better after it warmed as the complexity and roastiness came out and balanced the wateriness to the point that it was ok and drinkable. I easily preferred the Special Reserve 21 version though, but I am looking forward to trying the other varieties. A heavier body would have improved this.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Belgian Quadrupel, Stone Brewing Co., USA

Stone Stochasticity Project Quadrotriticale

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Brewery: Stone Brewing Co.
Country: USA
ABV: 9.3%
Style: Belgian Quadrupel
Other Notes: Malts – Pilsner and Flaked Triticale. Belgian Yeast – Ardennes Strain. Special Ingredients – Dark Candi Sugar

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Trappist ales as we know them have a proud lineage dating back nearly a century. Rather than follow the footsteps of the monks who forged the quadruple – the warmest and darkest of monastery offerings – we aimed to test its inherent makeup. In doing so, we added triticale, a hybrid grain combining the pleasant flavor of wheat with the elemental durability and spice of rye, to breathe new life into the malt bill. Because of this, this reimagined brew comes across differently than its classic Belgian predecessors, and beautifully so. Lower in sweetness, but rich with flavors mirroring dried fruit, it’s a modern interpretation of one of the most historically sacred styles on Earth.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.68
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.5

Intro: A 22 fl. oz. bomber, bottled on 9th June 2014. Poured into a Chimay goblet glass.
Appearance: A clear brown orangey colour (almost rusty) with a thin beige head that settled to a very thin layer over the top with nice curtain like lacing.
Aroma: Plum, prune skin, grape juice, caramel, toasted toffee with hints of clove and banana.
Taste: Sweet, toasted caramel, plum skin, prunes, grape juice and hints of booze.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Aroma was great, and while the taste wasn’t bad, it was perhaps too sweet for my taste.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, BFM (Brasserie des Franches-Montagnes), Farmhouse Saison, Switzerland

BFM √441 Saison Rhubarbe

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Brewery: BFM (Brasserie des Franches-Montagnes)
Country: Switzerland
ABV: 6%
Style: Belgian Saison
Other Notes: Édition spéciale II

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Saison à la rhubarb.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.25
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 330ml flip-top bottle, lot 1, with a notched best before date of May 2020 on the front label. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy golden dark orange colour with a just over one finger white head that had decent retention while leaving behind some nice lacing.
Aroma: Nice funk, rhubarb, apricot, grape, lemon and wood.
Taste: Light funk, light sour, apricot, white grape, rhubarb, lemon, oak and spice on the finish.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with strong carbonation.
Overall: Great tasting rhubarb Saison with a good balance between sour, funk and fruitiness. Feels like I could just keep drinking this.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Garage Project, New Zealand, Stout - Milk / Sweet

Garage Project Chocolate Beer

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Brewery: Garage Project
Country: New Zealand
ABV: 4.7%
Style: Milk / Sweet Stout
Other Notes: Whittaker’s. Now on nitro

Brewer Description: (from can) One whole block of chocolate worth of Whittaker’s cacao nibs infused into every can. Unbelievably rich, dark and creamy. Brewed with chocolate malts, lactose, and infused with vanilla and freshly batch roasted cocoa beans. Tiny bubbles of nitrogen make it smoother and even more delicious. If it was any more chocolatey we’d have to put it in a wrapper.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.3
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.2

Intro: A 330ml can with a best before date of 3rd May 2019. Poured into a Mikkeller pint glass as per the instructions for a ‘perfect nitro pour’.
Appearance: A clear dark brown colour with a slight amber hue, and an almost two finger light tanned head that had excellent retention and left some nice lacing.
Aroma: Strong, rich, chocolate, cocoa beans with a touch of vanilla and nuttiness.
Taste: Bittersweet chocolate, milk chocolate, just a lot of chocolate with hints of cream and vanilla.
Mouthfeel: Creamy, smooth, medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: A good and wonderful chocolate drink. It may not be complex, but the rich chocolate in the aroma and taste made it easy to drink. If the vanilla was even stronger, I think this would have been even better.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Gweilo Brewery x Magic Rock Brewing, Hong Kong, IPA - New England / Hazy Double

Gweilo x Magic Rock Solitaire NEIIPA

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Brewery: Gweilo Brewery x Magic Rock Brewing
Country: Hong Kong
ABV: 8.5%
Style: New England / Hazy Double IPA
Other Notes: 35 IBUs. Collaboration

Brewer Description: (from can) Brewed with our friends at Magic Rock, Solitaire is a seriously juicy Double NEIPA. No expense has been spared on this bad boy with a huge dry hop of Galaxy, Aloha, Citra Cryo, El Dorado and Denali. These are carried by the base of pale malt, wheat and oats to create a super rich, tropical hop bomb. Gently roll the can before opening and drink it fresh to ensure maximum juiciness.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.16
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 330ml can with a best before date of 30th November 2019. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A hazy darkish orange colour with an almost two finger white head that had decent retention while leaving behind some lacing.
Aroma: Strong tropical aromas. Mango, peach, and citrus zestiness.
Taste: Tropical stone fruit, ripe mango, peach, citrus zest and rind, nice light bitter finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate to high carbonation.
Overall: Very nice tropical juiciness with good light bitterness to balance and good body. It’s got pretty much everything I asked for when I reviewed the Nebulous DDH NEIPA. Carbonation was perhaps slightly too high, but not to take anything away from it, this was good and very enjoyable to drink.