Monthly Archives: February 2021

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Gweilo Brewery, Hong Kong, Sour Ale

Gweilo Rainbow Sherbet Sour

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Brewery: Gweilo Brewery
Country: Hong Kong
ABV: 7.2%
Style: Sour Ale
Other Notes: 10 IBUs. Limited Batch

Brewer Description: (from can) Rainbow Sherbet Sour takes you on an intriguing journey through sweet and sour. Raspberry puree, lemon zest and the kettle sour base combine to deliver a sharp tang which is nicely balanced by a sweet, satisfying body. Best enjoyed with fruity, sour lace sweets from your childhood!

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.03
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.9

Intro: A 330ml can, with a best before date of (I think) 22nd June 2021 (the numbers were a bit smudged together). Poured into a Holy Mountain tulip glass.
Appearance: A hazy but slightly dull golden orange colour with a slightly more than one finger white head that dissipated quickly to nothing and left only sparse to no lacing.
Aroma: Sweet, mixed Lifesaver candies, raspberry, cough medicine, vanilla.
Taste: Tart, lightly sweet, mixed Lifesaver candies, raspberry, cough medicine, guava, lemon zest.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Easy to drink with nice candy, sherbet, cough medicine like aroma and flavours that I do so enjoy. Actually I’m surprised that it’s 7.2% ABV, as it feels very sessionable.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Sour Ale - Smoothie / Soda / Pastry, Totem

Totem Rhubarb Pastry Sour

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Brewery: Totem
Country: Belgium
ABV: 4%
Style: Sour Ale – Pastry
Other Notes: 40 IBUs. Malts – Golden Promise, Oat Malt, Wheat Malt and Dextrin Malt. Hops – Jaryllo. Bitter 3/10, Sour 6/10, Fruity 8/10, Sweet 2/10

Brewer Description: (from can) Rhubarb pastry sour.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.89
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.7

Intro: A 330ml can, with a best before date of September 2022. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A hazy golden colour with a just over one finger white head that had decent retention while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Rhubarb, vanilla, milk, candied lemon.
Taste: Sweet, tart, rhubarb, pineapple, lemon, vanilla, dried tropical fruit, slight wheat.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Nice aromas with interesting rhubarb sweet and tart flavours. Not something you usually associate coming from Belgium which in the past has been quite old school. But Totem is one of those progressive craft breweries that are popping up more and more in Belgium, and it’s interesting to see what they come up with.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, England, Sour Ale, Staggeringly Good Brewery

Staggeringly Good Souropod Papaya and Lychee Kettle Sour

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Brewery: Staggeringly Good Brewery
Country: England
ABV: 5.7%
Style: Sour Ale
Other Notes: Papaya and lychee

Brewer Description: (from website) Our latest Souropod with 300Kg of Papaya and 400Kg of Lychee is available now! This is without doubt our most complex sour with vibrant lychee and tropical fruits on the nose followed by flavours of sweetened sherbet, papaya and lychee finished with a light effervescent body.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.78
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.6

Intro: A 440ml can, canned on 11th December 2020, with a best before date of 11th June 2021. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy, slightly murky dark orange colour with a two finger white head that had decent retention but eventually settled to a thin cap, while leaving some nice lacing.
Aroma: Tart, papaya dominates, with mango and lychee notes, and a splash of lemon.
Taste: Sour, tart, sharp citrus, lemon juice, with notes of papaya and lychee.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: The sourness was a bit sharp to be easy drinking, and also hid the papaya and lychee flavours a bit. As a Souropod, I preferred the triple fruited Gose’s.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brasserie Fantôme, Farmhouse Saison

Fantôme Saison Speciale Amarillo

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Brewery: Brasserie Fantôme
Country: Belgium
ABV: 8%
Style: Belgian Saison
Other Notes: Belgian Ale brewed with spices

Brewer Description: Not much information I could find, but I assume this is Fantôme Saison hopped with Amarillo.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.04
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.9

Intro: A 750ml corked and capped bottle, with a best before date of end of 2022. Poured into a Holy Mountain tulip glass.
Appearance: Surprised that this was not a gusher considering the other two hopped varieties that I tried were slow gushers that just couldn’t stop. It was a hazy golden orange colour with an almost two finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly to a thin cap, while leaving some decent lacing.
Aroma: Grapefruit zest, candied citrus, lime, orange, honey, yeast.
Taste: Sweet, orange, candied citrus, malt, caramel, herbal, bubblegum notes, honey, yeast, with a spicy kick on the finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with high carbonation.
Overall: Carbonation was too high to make it easy to drink, but the aroma and flavours were quite nice. I think I preferred the Sorachi version just a little bit more though (despite ratings showing this to be higher due to ‘appearance’).

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brasserie Fantôme, Farmhouse Saison

Fantôme Saison Sorachi Unic Brewing

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Brewery: Brasserie Fantôme
Country: Belgium
ABV: 7.5%
Style: Belgian Saison
Other Notes: Belgian Ale brewed with spices

Brewer Description: Not much information I could find, but I assume this is Fantôme Saison hopped with Sorachi Ace.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.02
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.8

Intro: A 750ml corked and capped bottle, bottle 260 of 650, with a best before date of end of 2022. Poured into a Holy Mountain tulip glass.
Appearance: Slow to moderate gusher upon popping the cork, it was a hazy golden orange colour, with an almost three finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly, but settled to a thin cap, while leaving only sparse lacing.
Aroma: Grapefruit, citrus zest, lime, candied orange, yeasty, herbal, with a touch of coconut and light funk.
Taste: Sweet and bitter, candied grapefruit, orange, citrus zest, sweet malt, caramel, herbal, coconut notes, and a spicy acidic kick.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with high carbonation.
Overall: The high carbonation was a bit uncomfortable here, but I still found it better than the Simcoe version with it’s enjoyable aroma and flavours.