Monthly Archives: November 2024

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Samata Brewing, Sour Ale - Smoothie / Soda / Pastry, Thailand

Samata Orange Creamsicle

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Brewery: Samata Brewing
Country: Thailand
ABV: 4%
Style: Sour Ale – Smoothie / Soda / Pastry
Other Notes: Orange, vanilla, milk sugar (lactose)

Brewer Description: (from can) Close your eyes and picture the sunny days of your childhood, this fruited-sour will travel you back in time with the refreshing citrusy burst of ripe tangerine dancing in harmony with comforting richness of vanilla and light touch of lactose to complete the creaminess. A transport to childhood sweet nostalgia.

My rating: 4-
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.05
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.8

Intro: A 330ml can, canned on 15th July 2024. Poured into whatever glass was available at the hotel in Bangkok.
Appearance: A hazy milky orange colour with a layer of thick milkshake bubbles, that just stuck around.
Aroma: Fruited milk candy, orange, mandarin, vanilla, sugar syrup.
Taste: Moderately sweet, citrus milk candy, mandarin, orange peel, vanilla, sugar syrup, with a light sourness in the background.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Quite close in taste to the orange popsicle with vanilla ice cream in the middle. Easy to drink and the kind of thing you want on a hot day.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Japan, Stout - Imperial, West Coast Brewing

West Coast The Black Book BV

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Brewery: West Coast Brewing
Country: Japan
ABV: 14%
Style: Stout – Imperial

Brewer Description: (from can) Imperial Stout w/ blueberries and vanilla beans.

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

Intro: A 500ml can, canned on 9th April 2024. Poured into whatever glass was available at the hotel room in Bangkok.
Appearance: Black in colour with a thin brown head that dissipated fairly quickly to a ring around the glass, while leaving only sparse to no lacing.
Aroma: Dessert, cake, milk chocolate, blueberry, vanilla, with notes of coffee.
Taste: Light to moderate sweetness, chocolate, blueberry, vanilla, with a roasty, coffee, bitter finish.
Mouthfeel: Smooth, creamy, full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Nice blueberry dessert characteristics, but not like overly sweet pastry stouts as there is enough roasty coffee bitterness to balance. A good enjoyable sipper.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Het Boerenerf Eylenbosch, Lambic - non-Lambic Blends

Het Boerenerf Cassis – Lambiek Mede Cassis

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Brewery: Het Boerenerf Eylenbosch
Country: Belgium
ABV: 7%
Style: Lambic – non-Lambic Blends
Other Notes: Lambiek Mede Cassis 2021

Brewer Description: (from bottle in Dutch) Cassis, jostabes & braam. Maceratie op mede en lambiek.

(translated to English) Cassis, jostaberry & blackberry. Maceration on mead and lambic.

My rating: 3+
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.96
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.8

Intro: A 750ml corked and capped bottle, 2021 vintage, with a best before date of 23rd January 2027. Poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A clear dark golden orange colour with a just over one finger beige head that had good retention and left some lacing.
Aroma: Sweetish, blackcurrant, Ribena, blackberry, green vines, wet wood, with notes of orange peel.
Taste: Tart, lightly sour, blackcurrant skin, blackberry, green vines, wet wood, and a touch of funk.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate to high carbonation.
Overall: Loved the aroma, but the taste didn’t quite hit the same heights as the fruits didn’t seem as ripe or sweet. I also felt the carbonation was a touch too high for my palate.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Het Boerenerf Eylenbosch, Lambic - non-Lambic Blends

Het Boerenerf Symbiose – Lambiek Cider Mede

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Brewery: Het Boerenerf Eylenbosch
Country: Belgium
ABV: 7%
Style: Lambic – non-Lambic Blends
Other Notes: Lambiek Cider Mede 2021

Brewer Description: (from bottle in Dutch) De oudste fermenten. Gegist. Gerijpt. Gerust.

(translated to English) The oldest fermentations. Fermented. Matured. Rest assured.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.14
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 750ml corked and capped bottle, 2021 vintage, with a best before date of 23rd January 2027. Poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A lightly hazy golden colour, with a big two finger white head that had good retention and left some nice lacing.
Aroma: Sweet, honey, green apple, apple cider, musty, funk, with a splash of lemon.
Taste: Moderately sweet, honey, green apple, apple cider, sweet and sour, candied lemon, woody, with light funky notes.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with fizzy moderate to high carbonation.
Overall: First time trying a lambic, cider and mead blend, and I think it works quite well, with an interesting sweet and sour feeling. The only thing I’d say with the 2021 blend, was that the carbonation was perhaps a bit too much.