Category Archives: Brewer

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Cloudwater Brew Co., Czech Pilsner, England

Cloudwater Pilsner Motueka Mandarina

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Brewery: Cloudwater Brew Co.
Country: England
ABV: 5%
Style: Czech Pilsner
Other Notes: Autumn-Winter. Specialising in modern, seasonal beer. Malts – Pilsner Malt and Carapils. Yeast – WLP833. Hops – Motueka, Mandarina Bavaria and Pilgrim Alpha CO2 Extract

Brewer Description: (from can) This Pilsner was fermented with WLP833, and features Motueka through delicate aroma hopping.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.75
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.7

Intro: A 440ml can, canned on 11th January 2018 and with a before date of end of July 2018. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A lightly hazy golden straw colour with a two finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly while leaving lots of nice lacing.
Aroma: Light mango, lemon zest, citrus rind, straw, cereal grainy and lightly floral.
Taste: Lightly sweet, grainy, touch of mango with hints of mandarin peel, rind and floralness.
Mouthfeel: Crisp, light bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Nice, refreshing and easy to drink, despite the floral characters that I’m not fond of.

5 - Excellent (must buy), Beer Reviews, Fruit Beer, New Glarus Brewing Company, USA

New Glarus Serendipity

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Brewery: New Glarus Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 4% (I think… the bottle and website don’t state this)
Style: Fruit Beer
Other Notes: Wisconsin Ale brewed with apples, cranberries & cherries

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Severe drought, we shared the farmer’s horror as Wisconsin’s cherry crop failed! Dan bought what cherries he could. The apple crop fared better. Then joy! A grand Wisconsin cranberry harvest. What will Dan brew with apples, cranberries and cherries? Oh my! You hold the happy accident of Wisconsin’s favorite fruit aged in oak with an almost magical wild fermentation. Serendipity is a wondrous celebration that sparkles your senses and dances across your palate. A kaleidoscope of flavor discovered by accident in a sour ale! Cheers to the unexpected.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.53
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.4

Intro: A 1 pint 9 fl. oz. bottle with no bottled on or best before date (but I think 2017 designed labels). Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy dark reddish brown colour with a big three finger beige head that had decent retention while leaving some spotty lacing.
Aroma: Sweet, jammy, cherry, apple juice, cranberries.
Taste: Sweetarts, sweet and lightly tart, cherry, oak, apple and cranberry.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with light carbonation.
Overall: Although sweet, I think the apple/apple juice flavours balanced out that sweetness really well, and I easily preferred this over Raspberry Tart which was almost too sweet. Very drinkable goodness!

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Cloudwater Brew Co., England, German Munich Helles

Cloudwater Helles Mandarina

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Brewery: Cloudwater Brew Co.
Country: England
ABV: 4.8%
Style: German Munich Helles
Other Notes: Autumn-Winter. Specialising in modern, seasonal beer. Malts – Barke Pils, Vienna, Caramel Pils and Caramel Hell. Yeast – WLP833. Hops – Mandarina Bavaria and Pilgrim Alpha CO2 Extract

Brewer Description: (from can) This Helles features Barke Pils malt for a smooth and traditional flavour. We used a light aroma addition of Mandarina Bavaria, and fermented with WLP833 for a delicate flavour profile.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.46
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.4

Intro: A 440ml can, canned on 19th January 2018 and with a best before date of end of June 2018. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A clear golden colour with an almost three finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly, but left some nice sticky lacing.
Aroma: Biscuit crackery malt and grass with light citrusy mandarin peel, rind and grains.
Taste: Lightly sweet, cracker malt, biscuit, grass, grainy with a very light mandarin rind and floral touch.
Mouthfeel: Soft, smooth, light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: I’m not fond of the floral flavours, but otherwise, it was clean and balanced.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Fruit Beer, New Glarus Brewing Company, USA

New Glarus Raspberry Tart

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Brewery: New Glarus Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 4% (I think… the bottle and website don’t state this)
Style: Fruit Beer
Other Notes: Wisconsin Ale brewed with raspberries

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Treat yourself to a rare delight. The voluminous raspberry bouquet will greet you long before your lips touch your glass. Serve this Wisconsin framboise very cold in a champagne flute. Then hold your glass to a light and enjoy the jewel-like sparkle of a very special ale. Oregon proudly shares their harvest of mouth watering berries, which we ferment spontaneously large oak vats. Then we employ Wisconsin farmed wheat and year old Hallertau hops to round out this extra-vaganza of flavor. Life’s too short to wait for dessert. Enjoy!

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.12
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 1 pint 9 fl. oz. bottle with no bottled on or best before date (but I think 2017 designed labels). Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A cloudy deep dark grape red colour with a nice big three finger beige head that dissipated fairly quickly while leaving some sticky lacing.
Aroma: Tart, jammy, raspberry, mixed berry jello.
Taste: Sweet, tart, raspberry jam, raspberry jello with a touch of oak.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with low carbonation.
Overall: Great aromas, but tastes probably too sweet for me. The raspberry jammy and jello flavours were nice, but because of the over sweetness, this turned into just a sipper for me.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, The Bruery (Bruery Terreux), USA, Wild Ale

Bruery Terreux Beret

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Brewery: The Bruery (Bruery Terreux)
Country: USA
ABV: 9%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: 2015 vintage

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Imperial Sour Wit Ale brewed with spices and aged in oak barrels with raspberries. Balanced – fruity – bright.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.38
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.3

Intro: A 750ml bottle, 2015 vintage, bottled on 20th May 2015. Poured into a Holy Mountain tulip glass.
Appearance: A cloudy dark golden orange colour with a big three finger white head that had decent retention while leaving some nice lacing.
Aroma: Tart and sour, raspberry, wheat, barnyard funk, oak with hints of lime.
Taste: Sour, tart, raspberry, cranberry-apple, wheat, lemon-lime and Belgian yeast with only a hint of oak and funk.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: This was ok, but not quite as much raspberry as I hoped for. I was surprised by the higher than expected ABV though, as the alcohol was well hidden.