All posts by kitch

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Hoppin’ Frog Brewing Company, Stout - Russian Imperial, USA

Hoppin’ Frog Barrel Aged D.O.R.I.S. The Destroyer

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Brewery: Hoppin’ Frog Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 10.5%
Style: Russian Imperial Stout
Other Notes: 70 IBUs. Double Imperial Stout, stout aged in whiskey barrels

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Aged in Bourbon whiskey barrels to add a wonderful complexity to our massive American Double Imperial Stout. This barrel aging imparts memorable buttery, vanilla-like, and savory whiskey character, making this one of our most complex beers we’ve ever brewed. Another testament to our hard work and dedication in bringing our customers the very best.

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

Intro: A 22 fl. oz. bomber with no clear bottled on or best before date. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Dark brown to black in colour with a very thin brown head that disappeared almost immediately and left only sparse lacing.
Aroma: Whiskey, roasty, chocolate, with hints of oak, molasses and vanilla.
Taste: Sweet bourbon whiskey, roasty, chocolate, molasses, and oak, with notes of vanilla and caramel and maybe even some char.
Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Although perhaps a little sweet for me, the roast and chocolate did mostly balance it out for me, and it was still an enjoyable sipper.

4 - Good (buy), AF Brew, Beer Reviews, Porter - Baltic, Russia

AF Brew Winter Melancholy

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– aka AF Brew Зимняя Меланхолия (bottle)
– aka AF Brew Zimnaya Melankholiya (ratebeer)

Brewery: AF Brew
Country: Russia
ABV: 10.3%
Style: Baltic Porter
Other Notes: 30 IBUs. Reflexive Baltic Porter

Brewer Description: (from description on ratebeer) A New Year’s Eve version of warmly recognized Melancholy, our Imperial Baltic Porter. Smooth touch of Kenyan coffee and bourbon vanilla turn the beer from egocentric and depressive to meditative and reflexive as we all become on the first days of the New Year.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.99
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.9

Intro: A 330ml bottle, bottled on 9th July 2019. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Dark brown to black in colour with a one finger brown head that had decent retention and left nice spotty lacing.
Aroma: Roasty, iron, bourbon, coffee, chocolate, with some light smoky tobacco notes.
Taste: Strong roast, moderately sweet, chocolate, vanilla, coffee, with light alcohol notes, maybe bourbon, and notes of tobacco.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Nice roasty notes with good chocolate, coffee and vanilla flavours. I would have liked for the body to be fuller, but otherwise, this was enjoyable.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), AF Brew, Beer Reviews, Gose - Imperial Fruit, Russia

AF Brew It’s Over 9000! Raspberry·Cherry·Lime

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Brewery: AF Brew
Country: Russia
ABV: 7%
Style: German Imperial Gose

Brewer Description: (from can) Fruit-iconized Imperial Gose, Raspberry·Cherry·Lime.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.76
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.6

Intro: A 330ml can, canned on 24th September 2019. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A murky tomato juice like red with a big three finger pinkish head that dissipated quickly and left only sparse to no lacing.
Aroma: Tart, candied raspberry, cherry, rubber, cocktail, with hints of lime and salted lemon.
Taste: Sour, tart, candied fruit, raspberry, cherry and lime, with light salty notes.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with high spritzy carbonation.
Overall: Tasted better than the aroma implies, which I wasn’t too fond off with rubbery notes mixed with the fruit, but ignore the aroma and it’s worth a try.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), AF Brew, Beer Reviews, IPA - Sour, Russia

AF Brew I Got Mango Worms

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Brewery: AF Brew
Country: Russia
ABV: 7%
Style: American Sour IPA

Brewer Description: (from can) Sour fruited New England IPA, mango . peach . passion fruit.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.55
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.5

Intro: A 500ml can, canned on 26th October 2019. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A very hazy mango juice orange colour with a big three finger orangey head that had good retention while leaving behind some lacing.
Aroma: Juicy, passion fruit, unripe mango, peach, carrot juice.
Taste: Lightly sour, tropical fruity, unripe mango, apricot, peach, lightly peppery.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Very juicy and fruity, but the mango flavours are not that of my favourite Filipino mangoes and felt more like unripe mangoes to me. Still quite nice though.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), AF Brew, Beer Reviews, IPA - New England / Hazy, Russia

AF Brew Breeder Reactor

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Brewery: AF Brew
Country: Russia
ABV: 6.7%
Style: New England / Hazy IPA
Other Notes: Nuclear powered IPA DDH Idaho 7 x Citra x Simcoe

Brewer Description: (from description on ratebeer) Our first new release of 2018: a nuclear powered NE IPA double dry-hopped with good old Citra and Simcoe, plus a new breed known as Idaho-7. Allegedly, as bright and vivid as the first four 200-watt light bulbs illuminated in 1951 at EBR-I, first Experimental Breeder Reactor located in Idaho desert.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.7
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.6

Intro: A 500ml can, canned on 15th October 2019. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A very hazy straw yellow colour with a two finger white head that had good retention and left some nice lacing.
Aroma: Citrus pith, orange, mandarin, pine, but also a bit chalky at times.
Taste: Citrusy, lots of pith and rind, juicy, with a touch of pineapple and a lightly bitter finish.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Nice citrusy flavours, but the aroma was not really my thing.