Monthly Archives: July 2022

1 - Poor (never again), Beer Reviews, Denmark, Stout - Milk / Sweet Imperial, To Øl

To Øl Vanilje Mælk

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Brewery: To Øl
Country: Denmark
ABV: 10.5%
Style: Stout – Milk Imperial
Other Notes: Brewed & bottled by To Øl at De Proef Brouwerij, Belgium

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Imperial Vanilla Milk Stout.

My rating: 1
My beeradvocate.com rating: 2.58
My ratebeer.com rating: 2.4

Intro: A 375ml bottle, with a best before date of 9th January 2028. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Dark dark brown to black in colour with a nice one finger brown head that had pretty good retention and left some nice lacing.
Aroma: Roasted malts, chocolate, burnt vanilla, burnt sugar, with maybe notes of dark fruit, but really I think these burnt notes are hiding a lot.
Taste: Light roast, cocoa, followed by a whole lot of nutmeg, and something I don’t know how to describe, although I’m tempted to say metallic ashy gasoline.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: I like To Øl, but this really didn’t work for me. A vanilla milk stout sounds amazing, but here, the vanilla in the aroma was burnt, and it wasn’t in the flavour, or otherwise morphed into something quite unpleasant with all that nutmeg or even the ‘metallic ashy gasoline’…

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, De Struise Brouwers, Stout - Russian Imperial

De Struise Cuvée Delphine

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Brewery: De Struise Brouwers
Country: Belgium
ABV: 13%
Style: Russian Imperial Stout
Other Notes: 2019 vintage

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Black Albert, 4 Roses barrel aged.

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

Intro: A 330ml bottle, 2019 vintage, bottled on 17th November 2021, with a best before date of +5 years. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Black in colour with a thin brown head that dissipated fairly quickly, while leaving some spotty lacing.
Aroma: Light roast, coffee, lots of dark fruit, fig, prunes, raisins, dates, vanilla, bourbon, with a light ashy note in the background.
Taste: Roasted malts, coffee, milk chocolate, moderate sweetness, dark fruit, prunes, dates, bourbon, vanilla, and a touch boozy.
Mouthfeel: Creamy, medium to full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: An excellent enjoyable sipper with good aroma and flavours. I think I prefer the base Black Albert just a tiny bit more, but this was still good.

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

AleSmith Speedway Stout – Thai

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Brewery: AleSmith Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 12%
Style: Stout – Imperial
Other Notes: Imperial Stout brewed with Coconut, Ginger, Lime, Lemongrass, Basil & Coffee

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Inspired by our brewers’ love of the assertive, bright flavors of Thai ingredients, this intensely flavored brew incorporates the vibrant quality of several Thai-inspired ingredients into our classic Imperial Stout. Powerful notes of citrus, botanicals, and tropical fruit balance the stout’s rich chocolate, caramel, and coffee character. The result is an amazingly flavorful and complex beer that pays tribute to the flavors of Thailand. This beer will age nicely, though the intensity of certain ingredients may evolve over time. Chon Gâew!

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.37
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.2

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, chocolate, coffee, Thai green curry, lemongrass, basil, ginger, lime.
Taste: Roasted malts, chocolate, coffee, coconut, basil, lemongrass, lime, coriander, and notes of ginger.
Mouthfeel: Smooth, medium bodied, with soft carbonation.
Overall: I didn’t think it would work, but wow this was interesting. The aroma was amazing. Somehow, roasty chocolate and coffee just mixes well with Thai green curry. Although not as amazing, this same combo also worked with the flavour, with the coconut notes coming through stronger. I have this nagging feeling that if they just added chili as well, the spice would have kicked it to another level. The body was a little thinner than I liked, but other than that, I was pleasantly surprised.

2 - Maybe (likely wouldn't buy, might drink), Beer Reviews, BIIR, IPA - White, Spain

BIIR White IPA

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Brewery: BIIR
Country: Spain
ABV: 6.8%
Style: IPA – White
Other Notes: Version 2.0

Brewer Description: (from bottle) A precise & unique craft ale combining the best of two brewing cultures: the tradition of the Belgian Witbier and the innovation of the American IPA.

My rating: 2
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.43
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.3

Intro: A 330ml bottle, with a best before date of 16th September 2022. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A hazy golden colour with a big three finger white head that had pretty good retention and left lots of nice lacing.
Aroma: Wheat, hay, citrusy, grapefruit zest, lemon zest, orange marmalade, with light peppery notes.
Taste: Light to moderately bitter, lemon zest, orange, coriander, grass, hay, but felt a little watered down.
Mouthfeel: Light bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: The aroma was enjoyable, but the taste doesn’t really work for me as it wasn’t better than the average Belgian Wit, nor was it better than the average IPA. It just seemed a Iittle watered down to me.