Monthly Archives: October 2023

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

Métaphore Orange 2022

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Brewery: Métaphore
Country: Czech Republic
ABV: 6.6%
Style: Wild Ale
Other Notes: Batch L22

Brewer Description: (from bottle) This beer is part of my continuous searching in beer for the spirit and energy of skin-macerated white wines (so-called “orange” or “amber” wine). It derives its inspiration from the natural wine movement while keeping its feet on local soil. It is made entirely from organic and local ingredients. It consists of a blend of spontaneous beers from oak barrels married with organic Pálava grapes from the 2019 harvest, rested in barrels for a total of three years. Its energy, elegance and characterful structure are qualities that resonate with me and Métaphore. This blended beer with a sense of time and place is ready to be enjoyed here and now. Best shared in good company. Na zdravi! Jiří.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.31
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.2

Intro: A 750ml corked and capped bottle, batch L22, with a best before date of 11th October 2032. Poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A clear golden orange colour with a two finger white head that had decent retention and eventually settled to a thin cap, while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Tart, some sweetness, mandarin, citrus rind, white wine grapes, with some light oak and funk in the background.
Taste: Lightly sour, tart, white wine grapes, citrus rind, mandarin, oak, funk.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Enjoyable and easy to drink. The citrusy mandarin aroma and flavours are a mystery to me, as I have no idea where they come from, but they do go well with the white wine grapes.

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

Métaphore Qvevri

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Brewery: Métaphore
Country: Czech Republic
ABV: 5.2%
Style: Wild Ale
Other Notes: Batch L22-1

Brewer Description: (from bottle) This beer explores the dialectics of aging beers in Georgian qvevri and is driven by a romantic vision of making rustic beers with the unique energy of these ancient vessels. Qvevris are huge, handmade earthenware vessels that were traditionally used in Georgia to make and age wine. This method and dying art of winemaking could never be invented in the modern world, and reflects the depth of 8,000 years of winemaking history in Georgia. This beer consists of a blend of spontaneously fermented beers aged for one year in qvevri buried in the ground with organic Riesling grapes, and a further year refining in oak barrels. The unique “je ne sais quoi” mineral, rustic quality and quaffable character that defines this beer are dear to Métaphore and to me. This beer with a sense of time and place is ready to be enjoyed here and now. Best shared in good company. Na zdravi! Jiří.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.26
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 750ml corked and capped bottle, batch L22-1, with a best before date of 1st October 2032. Poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A mostly clear golden colour with a one finger white head that had decent retention, and eventually settled to a ring around the glass, while leaving sparse lacing.
Aroma: Funky, barnyard, vinous, white wine grapes, honey, lemon zest, and a splash of band-aid.
Taste: Lightly sour, tart, funky, barnyard, white wine grapes, honey sweetness, lemon zest, with light notes of apple, minerals and wood.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Interesting and enjoyable aroma and flavours with good funk and complexity.

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

Métaphore Peach Rust

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Brewery: Métaphore
Country: Czech Republic
ABV: 5.3%
Style: Wild Ale
Other Notes: Batch L22

Brewer Description: (from bottle) This bright and playful beer is a fresh reminder of carefree summers and sings with a clear expression of one of my favourite summer fruits. It consists of a blend of spontaneous and mixed fermentation beers aged in oak barrels for over two years with fresh local peaches from two consecutive harvests. This fresh and fruity rustic beer with a sense of time and place is ready to be enjoyed here and now. Best shared in good company. Na zdravi! Jiří.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.22
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 750ml corked and capped bottle, batch L22, with a best before date of 1st October 2032. Poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy golden straw yellow colour with a one finger white head that dissipated quickly to nothing, while leaving sparse to no lacing.
Aroma: Tart, peach, peach gummy candy, woody, light funk.
Taste: As you’d expect from the aroma, sour, tart, peach, peach gummy candy, with light oak and light funk.
Mouthfeel: Medium to light bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Simple, straightforward, enjoyable and easy to drink.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Czech Republic, German Doppelbock, Métaphore x Hibernata

Métaphore x Hibernata Saturn 2021

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Brewery: Métaphore x Hibernata
Country: Czech Republic
ABV: 8%
Style: Doppelbock
Other Notes: Brewed in the spirit of friendship and collaboration with Hibernata brewing project. Hibernata brewing project was Jan’s alter ego brewing project while still running the brewing operation in Pivovar Lajka

Brewer Description: (from bottle) A Robust beer aged in a cellar for almost two years in a single large sherry barrel from Andalucia. It was brewed with organic malt and hops. It is an homage to an earlier era when the notion of time had a different meaning. A collaboration with my dear friend Jan K. of Hibernata brewing project, with whom I share a mutual love for classic beers and our affinity for delicately rustic beers. Here we present you with Saturn: brewed, fermented and aged as our interpretation of a doppelbock with a truly refined character. The resulting beer has those qualities that are dear to both of us: a delicate vinous character, roundness, elegance, a proud posture and a sense of time and place. Best shared in good company. Na zdravi! Jiří & Jan.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.06
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 750ml dark gold waxed bottle, with a best before date of 20th March 2024. Poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A nice clear amber copper colour with a big two finger dark beige head that had excellent retention and left lots of nice lacing.
Aroma: Light roast, sweet malty, vinous, red wine, cherry, prunes, with sherry notes.
Taste: Lightly sweet and sour, tart, cherry, red wine vinous, plum, prunes, sherry, toffee, and raisin, with a very light roasty finish.
Mouthfeel: Full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Nice enjoyable vinous and sherry notes.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Equilibrium Brewery, Porter, USA

Equilibrium Möbius Papua New Guinea Vanilla

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Brewery: Equilibrium Brewery
Country: USA
ABV: 7%
Style: Porter
Other Notes: American Porter with Papua New Guinea vanilla

Brewer Description: (from Untappd) Papua New Guinea is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean producing beans with a creamy and floral vanilla note. Pouring rich and creamy, we get roasted coffee, chocolate, and dark malts all balanced by a sweet cream, tropical floral orchid, and classic vanilla. The toasty notes harmonize with the unique vanilla and finish with the slightest hints of cherry and caramel. This makes the second of the series unique and a great success for our beloved Porter. Please enjoy Möbius Papua New Guinea Vanilla at 55°–60°F.

My rating: 4-
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.94
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.9

Intro: A 1 pint can, with no canned on or best before date. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Dark brown in colour with a half finger brown head that had pretty good retention and left nice spotty lacing.
Aroma: Roasty, black coffee, chocolate, with some caramel and vanilla sweetness.
Taste: Light roast, chocolate, coffee, light to moderate sweetness, caramel, and vanilla.
Mouthfeel: Creamy, medium bodied, with soft carbonation.
Overall: It’s essentially what you’d expect from a Porter with vanilla. Solid and enjoyable.