Amager Gone Porto

Brewery: Amager Bryghus
Country: Denmark
ABV: 10%
Style: Russian Imperial Stout
Other Notes: Port Wine Barrel Aged Imperial Stout. Malts – Pale, Warminster Low Crystal 50/100, Warminster Crystal 70/140, Warminster Crystal 400, Roasted Barley, Black, Warminster Crystal Rye, Demerara sugar and White sugar. Hops – Hercules, Chinook and Cascade

Brewer Description: (from bottle) [in Danish] Gone Porto er en helt ny langtidskogt Imperial Stout fra Amager Bryghus, som vi har lagret i umådelig lang tid på store Niepoort portvinsfade. Det er der kommet en pænt saftig sag ud af. Helt uigennemsigtig sort med et cremet, lysebrunt skum. Duften er sveskeagtig og tydeligt oxideret – akkurat som en god årgangsportvin, mens smagen rummer både kakao og chokoladenoter, som leder frem til den varmende alkohol i finishen. Gone Porto er en hygge- og nydeøl til de stille, eftertænksomme timer. Alternativt kan den anvendes som standardøl til familiefesten i Tårnby Selskabslokaler. Se DET ku’ blive en fest…

[Translated to English as best possible] Gone Porto is a brand new slow-cooked Imperial Stout from Amager Bryghus, which we have been storing for a long time in large Niepoort port wine barrels. The result is a nice juicy case out. Completely opaque black with a creamy, light brown foam. The scent is pruny and clearly oxidized – just like a good vintage port wine while the taste contains both cocoa and chocolate notes, which lead to the warming alcohol on the finish. Gone Porto is a fun and enjoyable beer for the quiet, thoughtful hours. Alternatively, it can be used as a standard beer for the family celebration in Tårnby Selskabslokaler. See it could be a party…

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.8
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.7

Intro: A 500ml bottle, batch no. 648, with a best before date of February 2020. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Black in colour with an almost one finger dark tanned head that dissipated fairly quickly but left some spotty lacing.
Aroma: Roasty, dark malts, coffee, chocolate, port, red wine, oak, raisin and prunes.
Taste: Roasted malts, coffee, light bitterness, prunes, plum, dark fruits, raisin, sourness, port and oak.
Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Interesting flavours of roasty coffee and chocolate and dark fruits. Port isn’t one of my preferred drinks though.

Timmermans Tradition Faro

Brewery: Brouwerij Timmermans-John Martin N.V.
Country: Belgium
ABV: 4%
Style: Belgian Lambic (Faro)

Brewer Description: (from website) Timmermans Tradition Faro is a beer made by adding candy sugar and water to lambic to mellow its acidity. In the 19th century, Faro was very popular in the Brussels area. Various folk traditions were associated with it, and this ambrosial drink flowed abundantly, thanks to its relatively neutral but extremely pleasant flavour. Today, Timmermans Faro is still brewed using the methods and recipes of days gone by, and meets with unanimous approval.

Taste-wise… A sweet beer with a base of lambic enhanced with water and candy sugar, to make it just light enough. The sugared notes predominate, imparting a general flavour which does not intensify on the palate but is wonderfully refreshing.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.6
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.6

Intro: A 375ml corked and caged bottle with a best before date of 26th September 2019. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A clear copper amber colour with a two finger white head that had decent retention, eventually dissipating to a thin layer over the top while leaving some sparse lacing.
Aroma: Dusty and musty gives way to some sweet-ish candi sugar, apple, pear and dried fruits.
Taste: Sweet yet not overly so like in so many Faro’s. The slight sourness on the finish balances the sweetness and makes it easy on the palate. Plum, apple skin, brown sugar with a very light funk.
Mouthfeel: Light bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: I didn’t really enjoy the aroma, but luckily the taste was much more to my liking. It wasn’t overly sweet like so many Faro’s I’ve tried. I enjoyed it.

De Troch Chapeau Faro

Brewery: Brouwerij De Troch
Country: Belgium
ABV: 4.75%
Style: Belgian Lambic (Faro)

Brewer Description: (from website) Milky, reddish brown colour with a layer of white bubbles. Vinous, tart-ish aroma, notes of blue grapes, grape juice, hints of morello, a touch of vinegar and leather. Taste is tart, fruity and slightly sugary, notes of morello, hints of blue…

My rating: 2
My beeradvocate.com rating: 2.91
My ratebeer.com rating: 2.8

Intro: A 250ml bottle with a best before date of 14th September 2019. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A clear copper colour with minimal white head, just a ring around the glass and no lacing.
Aroma: Musty, apple juice, soy sauce, cherry, apple cider vinegar.
Taste: Sweet, candi sugar, brown sugar, sugar syrup, apple cider, red grapes and a hint of wood.
Mouthfeel: Light bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Taste wasn’t bad and was better than the aroma, but it was sweet, too sweet. And even a 250ml bottle took quite a bit to finish.

Perennial Abraxas

Brewery: Perennial Artisan Ales
Country: USA
ABV: 10%
Style: American Imperial Stout

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Ale brewed with ancho chili peppers, cacao nibs and cinnamon sticks.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.47
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.4

Intro: A 750ml bottle, bottled in 2017 (I think 27th November 2017). Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Dark dark brown to black in colour with a minimal brown head that dissipated quickly and left only sparse to no lacing.
Aroma: Cinnamon, creamy chocolate, carrot cake, and hints of chili peppers.
Taste: Cinnamon dominates when cooler, but as it warms it gets better as the roastiness, rich chocolate and cocoa, tones down the harshness of too much cinnamon. Only hints of chili spice on the finish.
Mouthfeel: Creamy, smooth, full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Cinnamon was too strong and harsh at cooler temperatures, but as it warmed, this was a wonderful balanced sipper.

Evil Twin x Prairie Bible Belt

Brewery: Evil Twin Brewing x Prairie Artisan Ales
Country: USA
ABV: 13%
Style: American Imperial Stout
Other Notes: Brewed and canned for Evil Twin Brewing at Westbrook Brewing Co, Mount Pleasant, SC

Brewer Description: (from can) Imperial Stout aged on coffee, vanilla, chilies, and cacao nibs.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.4
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.3

Intro: A 1 pint can, canned on 22nd September 2017. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Black in colour with a one finger brown head that had pretty good retention while leaving some sparse spotty lacing.
Aroma: Roasty, chocolate, cacao, coffee, with hints of vanilla and a splash of booze.
Taste: Rich milk chocolate, vanilla, roasty, coffee, light smokiness.
Mouthfeel: Smooth, velvety, medium to full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Nice easy drinking flavours means it doesn’t feel like 13% ABV. I’m not getting much (if any) of the supposedly chili though. A slightly heavier body would also have helped it even more. But really, I’m just nitpicking now.