Monthly Archives: July 2022

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Stout - Imperial, USA, Westbrook Brewing Co.

Westbrook 7th Anniversary – Chocolate & Sea Salt Imperial Stout

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Brewery: Westbrook Brewing Co.
Country: USA
ABV: 9.5%
Style: Stout – Imperial
Other Notes: 7th Anniversary

Brewer Description: (from bottle) For our 7th Anniversary beer we went big on the chocolate and added a little sea salt to make it interesting. Luscious notes of liquid cocoa and a smooth salinity make this beer deliciously decadent.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.95
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.8

Intro: A 22 fl. oz. bomber, bottled on 27th November 2017. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Dark dark brown to black in colour with a very thin brown head that dissipated quickly while leaving some spotty lacing.
Aroma: Roasty, chocolate, cocoa, dark fruit, prunes, vanilla, cream.
Taste: Light roast, moderately sweet, chocolate, cocoa, prunes, dates, with vanilla and caramel notes.
Mouthfeel: Creamy, full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: A nice sipper although the prune and dates flavours were a little sweet and syrupy for me.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Gueuzerie Tilquin x Brasserie Artisanale de Rulles, Lambic - non-Lambic Blends

Tilquin x Rulles Rullquin

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Brewery: Gueuzerie Tilquin x Brasserie Artisanale de Rulles
Country: Belgium
ABV: 7%
Style: Lambic – non-Lambic Blends
Other Notes: 2019-2020

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Beer of mixed fermentation, the Rullquin is obtained from a blending of 7/8 of Rulles Brune and 1/8 of 1 year old lambics, which has matured for 8 months on oak barrels. Unfiltered and unpasteurized, this beer is refermented for 6 months in the bottle.

My rating: 4-
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.96
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.9

Intro: A 750ml corked and caged bottle, with a neck label of 2019-2020, and a best before date of 12th March 2030. Poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: Dark brown in colour with a copper hue and a very nice two finger beige head that had pretty good retention and left lots of nice lacing.
Aroma: Tart, green apple, dried cherries, light roast, cocoa, caramel, and a slight hazelnut nuttiness.
Taste: Tart, green apple, grapes, vinegar, dried cherry, caramel, cocoa, milk chocolate, with very light roasty notes.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: This was blended well with interesting aroma and flavours, and was enjoyable to drink.

4 - Good (buy), AleSmith Brewing Company, Beer Reviews, Stout - Imperial, USA

AleSmith Speedway Stout – Hawaiian

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Brewery: AleSmith Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 12%
Style: Stout – Imperial
Other Notes: Imperial Stout with Coconut, Vanilla, and Ka’u Coffee

Brewer Description: (from bottle) We often use Speedway Stout as a jet-black canvas for homages to things we hold dear, whether it’s artisan coffee, a favourite edible or sumptuous flavor combination. The most recent variation of our celebrated imperial stout honors the culinary character of the Hawaiian Islands by combining the lush sweetness of coconut with vanilla and Ka’u coffee. Named after the region of Hawaii from which it hails, Ka’u is produced from some of the world’s rarest coffee beans. Slow-grown beneficiaries of nutrient-rich volcanic soil and idyllic climate, Ka’u offers nuances of caramel and hazelnut plus a soft floral character, all of which marry seamlessly with natural sweetness from the vanilla and coconut as well as Speedway Stout’s inherently rich, chocolaty character. Say aloha to something truly exceptional and evocative of its namesake isles.

My rating: 4+
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.47
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.4

Intro: A 750ml foiled bottle, with no clear bottled on or best before date. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Black in colour with a half finger tanned head that dissipated fairly quickly, but left lots of nice spotty lacing.
Aroma: Roasty, milk chocolate, vanilla, coconut, coffee.
Taste: Roasted malts, lightly sweet, lightly bitter, coffee, vanilla, chocolate, molasses, with notes of coconut.
Mouthfeel: Smooth, creamy, medium to full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Really enjoyable and an excellent sipper. I guess without pineapple, it doesn’t really feel ‘Hawaiian’ to me, especially since the coconut is not as strong as the vanilla. But still, nice aroma and flavours while being super smooth, and just a great variant.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Gueuzerie Tilquin, Lambic - Fruit

Tilquin Oude Quetsche À l’ancienne avec Prunes de Namur

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Brewery: Gueuzerie Tilquin
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6.4%
Style: Lambic – Fruit
Other Notes: 2016-2017

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Beer of spontaneous fermentation, the Old Quetsche Tilquin – with Prunes de Namur is made from the fermentation of a minimum of 250g of Prunes de Namur by liter of lambic. Unfiltered and unpasteurized, this beer is refermented in the bottle.

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

Intro: A 375ml corked and caged bottle, with a neck label of 2016-2017, and a best before date of 24th January 2027. Poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy golden orange colour with a thin white head that dissipated quickly to a ring around the glass, while leaving only sparse spotty lacing.
Aroma: Sweet and tart, plum, oak, funk, and lemon zest.
Taste: Sour, tart, plum, oak, funk, lemon, citrus zest.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Another great plum lambic from Tilquin, although I did prefer the regular Quetsche over this one with Prunes de Namur. This was more sour, had softer carbonation, and didn’t have the sweet fruitiness that I got from the regular Quetsche. Still it had good balanced aroma and flavours that made it enjoyable and easy to drink.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Gueuzerie Tilquin, Lambic - Fruit

Tilquin Oude Quetsche À l’ancienne

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Brewery: Gueuzerie Tilquin
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6.4%
Style: Lambic – Fruit
Other Notes: 2020-2021

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Beer of spontaneous fermentation, the Old Quetsche Tilquin is made from the fermentation of 210g of purple plums by liter of lambic. Unfiltered and unpasteurized, this beer is refermented in the bottle.

My rating: 4+
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.49
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.4

Intro: A 750ml corked and caged bottle, with a neck label of 2020-2021, and a best before date of 23rd December 2030. Poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy golden orange colour with a one finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly to a ring around the glass while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Sweet and tart, plum, oak, funk, with notes of lemon zest.
Taste: Much like the aroma, tart, sweet and sour, plum, oak, funk, with notes of lemon and stone fruit.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with light to moderate carbonation.
Overall: This combination of fruit, sweet, tart and sour is candy like, and the excellent balanced aroma and flavours make this super enjoyable and easy to drink.