Monthly Archives: October 2022

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Craftbros Brewing Co., New England / Hazy Double IPA, South Korea

Craftbros LIFE NE Double IPA – HK Junk

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Brewery: Craftbros Brewing Co.
Country: South Korea
ABV: 8.2%
Style: New England / Hazy Double IPA
Other Notes: 45 IBUs. This beer is made in collaboration with HK Craft Beer Co. in Hong Kong, partner of Craftbros. Scene of boats on the water in Hong Kong, China, 1960. Photo by John Dominis

Brewer Description: (from can) Dry hopped with Galaxy, Enigma and Citra. The wooden junk is not only used to move goods across Victoria Harbour, but also the home for many people in old Hong Kong. They are also docked in typhoon shelters for people to sell and stock up supplies.

My rating: 3+
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.99
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.9

Intro: A 500ml can, canned on 26th August 2022, poured into a winebar glass.
Appearance: A hazy orange colour with a half finger white head that had decent retention while leaving some nice lacing.
Aroma: Cantaloupe and orange zest with maybe notes of grass.
Taste: Melon, cantaloupe, orange zest and rind, with a light bitter finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Aroma and flavours were a little one dimensional, but it was still quite nice as it was balanced.

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4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Craftbros Brewing Co., New England / Hazy Double IPA, South Korea

Craftbros Once Upon A Time Double IPA – Sobans

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Brewery: Craftbros Brewing Co.
Country: South Korea
ABV: 8.7%
Style: New England / Hazy Double IPA
Other Notes: 50 IBUs

Brewer Description: (from can) Double dry-hopped with Nelson Sauvin and Simcoe.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.09
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 500ml can, canned on 21st July 2022, poured into a winebar glass.
Appearance: A hazy orange colour with a one finger white head that had great retention and left nice lacing.
Aroma: Citrusy, orange zest, tangerine, pineapple, melon, grassy.
Taste: Citrus, tangerine, orange rind, pineapple, grassy, a touch dank, with a lightly bitter finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate to soft carbonation.
Overall: Balanced and easy to drink with its good aroma and flavours.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Equilibrium Brewery, New England / Hazy IPA, USA

Equilibrium Fractal Zappa

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Brewery: Equilibrium Brewery
Country: USA
ABV: 6.8%
Style: New England / Hazy IPA

Brewer Description: (from Untappd) We wanted to explore the concord grape notes that Zappa offers so we went with an exclusive Zappa whirlpool and dry hop hop bill. A hazy yellow pour opens up to aromas of pineapple, grape jelly, and nerds candy. Flavors of assorted citrus kissed with purple grape drink, dank sticky icky, fresh cut grass, and pinot grigio grape skins finish clean with an earthy pointed hop bitterness and a splash of #EQjuice.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.16
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 1 pint can, canned on 13th September 2022, poured into a winebar glass.
Appearance: A hazy orange colour with a one finger white head that had pretty good retention and left some nice lacing.
Aroma: Pineapple, mango, orange creamsicle, grassy, dank.
Taste: Light to moderately bitter, orange peel, mango, grape jelly, melon, dank, grass.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: My first impression wasn’t too good, but as it warmed slightly, it did improve quite a bit and had an especially enjoyable aroma.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Czech Pilsner, Czech Republic, Métaphore

Métaphore Sapere Aude

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Brewery: Métaphore
Country: Czech Republic
ABV: 4.9%
Style: Pilsner – Czech

Brewer Description: (from bottle) This is my quest for a dream beer that straddles the fine line between two worlds – traditional, old world lagers and rustically charming beers of the past. Inspired by the mystery of an earlier era I never experienced and by the environment around us. My poetic vision for a truly refined expression of a lager beer with a sense of place. It was brewed only with local organic ingredients, a generous amount of local Saaz hops and 30% local einkorn. Lagered to perfection for 5 months in a virgin Acacia wood barrel. This gracious lager beer with a sense of place is ready for you to enjoy here and now with friends old and new.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.29
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 750ml bottle with a best before date of 1st November 2022. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A mostly clear golden colour with a two finger white head that had excellent retention and left nice lacing.
Aroma: Sweet, honey, grainy, wood, herbal, with light citrus zest.
Taste: Light sweetness, honey, lemon zest, herbal tea, and maybe even a touch floral.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: I thoroughly enjoyed this with its light clean flavours making it just so easy to drink. Super refreshing on a hot day.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Czech Republic, Métaphore, Wild Ale

Métaphore Here and Now: Cherry

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Brewery: Métaphore
Country: Czech Republic
ABV: 7.3%
Style: Wild Ale
Other Notes: Batch L19

Brewer Description: (from bottle) A coolshipped and spontaneously fermented beer aged in oak barrel for 16 months and then aged for 12 months on fresh, local sour cherries. Unblended from a single barrel. This beer represents the singular magic of one night, captured and shaped by, in this bottle. It is meant to reflect the place, people and occasion of its birth. An attempt to capture a true imprint of one day – inimitable and unrepeatable

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.17
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 750ml corked and capped bottle, batch L19, with a best before date of 1st September 2025. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A very nice deep ruby red colour with a one finger pinkish head that dissipated quickly, while leaving only sparse to no lacing.
Aroma: Cherry skin, leather, vanilla, with notes of marzipan, almond, and cinnamon.
Taste: Sweet and sour, cherry pie, cherry skin, leather, light funk, oak.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate to high carbonation.
Overall: While my description of the aroma sounds like my thing, it was strangely just average and a little on the weak side. However, the flavours more than made up for this as there was a good balance between sweet and sour with very nice cherry pie notes. Just easy and enjoyable to drink.