Monthly Archives: October 2022

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Czech Republic, Lager - Märzen / Oktoberfest, Métaphore x Pivovar Lajka

Métaphore x Lajka Mars 2021

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Brewery: Métaphore x Pivovar Lajka
Country: Czech Republic
ABV: 5.5%
Style: Lager – Märzen / Oktoberfest

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Märzen beer with local organic spelt. Brewed in March and aged in a cellar till October in freshly emptied biodynamic Pinot Noir barrels from Burgundy. Brewed with organic local malt, hops and raw spelt. Homage to those early times, when beers were made in a season for the season and the notion of time had a different meaning. A collaboration with dear friend Jan K. of Pivovar Lajka with whom we share the mutual love for the classic and rustic beers. Here we present you with Mars. The resulting beer is the reflection of the love of both brewers for classic beers and their affinity for delicately rustic beers. Not quite Märzen, not quite Bière de Garde. This malty little rustic beer with a sense of time and place is ready for you to enjoy here and now.

My rating: 3+
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.85
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.7

Intro: A 750ml bottle, with a best before date of 1st November 2022. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A clear dark copper amber colour with a two finger white head that had excellent retention and left lots of nice lacing.
Aroma: Sweet malty, caramel, apple, red wine grapes, and wood.
Taste: Sweet malt, bready, caramel, plums, with light vinous notes.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Easy drinking with the Pinot Noir barrels making an interesting impact on the aroma and flavours.

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

Métaphore Rushing Out In The Rain

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Brewery: Métaphore
Country: Czech Republic
ABV: 4.1%
Style: Farmhouse Grissette

Brewer Description: (from bottle) This little mixed fermentation beer is a part of my continuous search of the sense of place and finding new avenues for expressing seasonal and local flavours in beer. A crispy little reminder of seizing opportunity every day to experience simple, perhaps even whimsical and too often unexpected joys around us. This grisette is built completely from local organic ingredients. It was hopped very generously with Saaz and Mandarina and complemented with just a dash of Riesling grapes. After long conditioning it was then bottled with local honey for that lively effervescence. Enjoy it preferably fresh but it will continue to evolve in the bottle for many moons on. Na zdraví!

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 August 2026. Poured into a Holy Mountain tulip glass.
Appearance: A slightly hazy golden colour with a just over two finger white head that had excellent retention and left lots of nice lacing.
Aroma: Light funk, white grapes, floral, with lemon zest.
Taste: Similar to the aroma, with light funk, lightly tart, white grapes, lemon zest, floral, and a touch soapy.
Mouthfeel: Light bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Light, thirst quenching, easy to drink, with some good aroma and flavours.

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

Tilquin Oude Rhubarbe À l’ancienne

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Brewery: Gueuzerie Tilquin
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6.3%
Style: Lambic – Fruit
Other Notes: 2021-2022

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Beer of spontaneous fermentation, the Old Rhubarbe Tilquin is made from the fermentation of 240g of rhubarb by liter of lambic. Unfiltered and unpasteurized, this beer is refermented in the bottle.

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

Intro: A 750ml corked and caged bottle, with a neck label of 2021-2022, and a best before date of 4th November 2031. Poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy golden orange colour with an almost two finger white head that had pretty good retention and eventually settled to a nice thin cap while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Funky, barnyard, earthy, rhubarb, lime, leafy, oak.
Taste: Lightly sour, green, earthy, rhubarb, lemon, with light woody notes.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft to moderate carbonation.
Overall: While the aroma was okay, I enjoyed the taste which was nicely balanced.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Kings Brewing Company, Sour Ale - Smoothie / Soda / Pastry, USA

Kings Fros’e Dr’s Foster

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Brewery: Kings Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 7%
Style: Sour Ale – Smoothie / Pastry

Brewer Description: (from untappd) Fros’e with banana, cinnamon, brown sugar, vanilla ice cream, vanilla and white chocolate to round it all out. In collaboration with Dr. Dabber.

My rating: 4+
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.26
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 1 pint can with no clear canned on or best before date. Poured into a winebar glass.
Appearance: A thick murky yellow brown colour with a half finger off white head that dissipated fairly quickly leaving no lacing, but lots of fruity bits.
Aroma: Milkshake, banana, vanilla, brown sugar, milk, with a touch of cinnamon.
Taste: Banana, cinnamon, vanilla ice cream, brown sugar, and white chocolate.
Mouthfeel: Thick, full bodied with soft to moderate carbonation.
Overall: Looks wrong upon pouring, but the aroma and flavours work as has been established in a banana foster, which this definitely reminds me of.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Bellwoods Brewery, Canada, Wild Ale

Bellwoods Jelly King Cranberry & Tangerine

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Brewery: Bellwoods Brewery
Country: Canada
ABV: 5.6%
Style: Wild Ale
Other Notes: Dry-hopped sour ale w/ fruit

Brewer Description: (from website) Jelly King combines bright and juicy hop aromatics with a refreshingly tart base, and is bursting with notes of fuzzy peach, tangerine, and grapefruit. This limited edition Jelly King variant was conditioned on loads of cranberry and tangerine purée.

My rating: 4+
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.46
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.3

Intro: A 473ml can, canned on 8th February 2022. Poured into a winebar glass.
Appearance: A darkish but very orange colour with a one finger off white head that dissipated quickly to nothing and left very sparse to no lacing.
Aroma: Cordial like. Tangerine forward, apricot, grapefruit zest, with maybe notes of cranberry.
Taste: Sweet and sour, tart, tangerine, candied grapefruit, nectarine, and a hint of cranberry if any.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Not a complex beer, but the aroma and flavours do work for me. It went down really easy and was enjoyable. A thirst quencher for a hot day.