Category Archives: Hong Kong

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Heroes Beer Co., Hong Kong, Italian Grape Ale

Heroes BB&FOAGAwBOGADFB&C (7th Anniversary)

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Brewery: Heroes Beer Co.
Country: Hong Kong
ABV: 6.7%
Style: Grape Ale
Other Notes: Bottle 472 of 500

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Bourbon Barrel & French Oak Aged Grape Ale with Blood Orange, Green Apple, Dragon Fruit, Blueberries & Cinnamon. For our 7th anniversary we decided to go outside of the box. BB&FOAGAwBOGADFB&C is a Red Sangria-inspired Grape Ale. Aged in both Bourbon Barrels and French Oak, it offers subtle funk and fruity complexity. Expect vibrant, cocktail-like notes of grapes, blood orange, with a touch of cinnamon spice. The beer was fermented on skin and the oak aging introduces a soft tannin, mimicking the depth of a classic sangria. The finish is crisp yet smooth, with just enough sweetness to round out the bright acidity.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.07

Intro: A 750ml clear bottle, bottle 472 of 500, packaged on 6th November 2024, with a best before date of 5th May 2026. Poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy purplish red colour with a half finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly, while leaving only sparse to no lacing.
Aroma: Yoghurt, fruit cake, orange, green apple, grapes, with notes of cinnamon.
Taste: Light to moderate sweetness, fruit cake, fruit cocktail mix, orange, grapes, green apple, notes of mixed berries, vanilla, and a splash of cinnamon spice.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Lots of fruit, easy drinking. Bourbon barrel might be there, but it’s not obvious. It’s not as complex as it sounds, and thus seems quite expensive for what it is.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Heroes Beer Co., Hong Kong, Stout - Milk / Sweet Imperial

Heroes BBAIMSwPBCN&V (5th Anniversary)

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Brewery: Heroes Beer Co.
Country: Hong Kong
ABV: 10.5%
Style: Stout – Milk / Sweet Imperial
Other Notes: Bottle 138 of 999

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Milk Stout with Peanut Butter Cacao Nibs and Vanilla. We’re turning 5 years old, so we’ve decided to throw all of our favourite ingredients into this! BBAIMSwPBCN&V starts with dessert-like aromas of bourbon vanilla, peanut butter, and milk chocolate. Follows through with a layered malt profile of dark chocolate, espresso beans, toffee, raisin, and maraschino cherry. Drinks with a firm bitterness that’s well balanced by the complex malt sweetness and velvety body. Subtle American oak characters add complexity to the long finish of this liquid dessert and keep you going for just a little sip more.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.33
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.2

Intro: A boxed, black waxed, 650ml bomber, bottle 138 of 999, packaged on 4th November 2022, and with a best before date of 3rd November 2024. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Dark brown to black in colour, with a one finger tanned head that had pretty good retention and left some nice lacing.
Aroma: Light roast, milk chocolate, bourbon, wafer, peanut butter, with notes of caramel, toffee, and dried dark fruits.
Taste: Sweet, bourbon, caramel, toffee, moderate bitterness, dark chocolate, light roast, black coffee, biscuit, vanilla, and subtle nutty peanut butter.
Mouthfeel: Creamy, full bodied, with soft carbonation.
Overall: An enjoyable sipper as the sweetness is balanced by some bitterness, and it’s up there with the 2nd Anniversary beer as one of my favourites in their Anniversary lineup.

4 - Good (buy), Barleywine - English, Beer Reviews, H.K. Lovecraft, Hong Kong

H.K. Lovecraft The Enduring

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Brewery: H.K. Lovecraft
Country: Hong Kong
ABV: 10%
Style: Barleywine – English
Other Notes: 28 IBUs

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Lager wine oak aged with whisky infused. Dark fruit, chocolate, toffee.

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

Intro: A 330ml bottle with a best before date of 15th December 2024. Poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: Clear dark brown in colour with a copper tinge, and a two finger tanned head that dissipated fairly quickly to a ring around the glass, while leaving sparse lacing.
Aroma: Dark fruit, raisins, cherry, chocolate, light roast, with notes of caramel.
Taste: Lightly sweet, dark fruit, raisins, dates, cherry, light roasty bitterness, chocolate, with a sweetish toffee finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Drinks really easy with good flavours. Doesn’t seem like 10% abv at all.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Hong Kong, Wheatwine / Ryewine / Ricewine, Young Master Brewery

Young Master RyeØ Vintage 2018

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Brewery: Young Master Brewery
Country: Hong Kong
ABV: 11.5%
Style: Wheatwine / Ryewine / Ricewine

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Rye wine matured in bourbon & rye whiskey barrels.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.13
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 750ml bottle, vintage 2018, bottle 384 of 410. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: A rusty brownish orange colour, with a thin beige head that dissipates quickly while leaving sparse spotty lacing.
Aroma: Caramel, toffee, bourbon, oak, vanilla, dark fruit, plum, prunes, with a splash of pine greenness.
Taste: Moderately sweet, toffee, caramel, dark fruit, prunes, plum, bourbon, vanilla, with a slight bitter finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: An enjoyable sipper with good aroma and flavours. Body was thinner than expected though and I think a fuller body would have improved the experience.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Carbon Brews, Hong Kong, IPA - New England / Hazy

Carbon Brews Little Rich Lupulins v.11

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Brewery: Carbon Brews
Country: Hong Kong
ABV: 6%
Style: New England / Hazy IPA
Other Notes: 22 IBUs. Malts – Pilsner, Oats, Vienna and Carahell. Hops – YCH 301 Mosaic, YCH 301 Simcoe and YCH 301 Citra. Yeast – London Fog

Brewer Description: (from FB page) Our beloved little rich lupulins is returning with version 11!! For this version, we triple dry-hopped this IPA with experimental YCH 301 hops, the ground-breaking frozen fresh Cryo Hops® pioneered by Yakima Chief. To enhance fresh hop flavors and maximize aromatics from the concentrated lupulin, we undertook the first dry-hopping during active fermentation, then again on day 8, and lastly on day 10. The resulting beer pours a brilliant hazy straw, radiating that unmistakable dank, grassy and resinous characteristic of the fresh hops, with lavish notes of mango, dank citrus, and tropical fruits. The beer is juicy and smooth while retaining subtle bitterness.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.13
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 330ml can, with a best before date of 26th June 2023. Poured into a winebar glass.
Appearance: It was a hazy milky orange colour with a half finger white head that had decent retention, while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Citrusy, orange pith, grassy, dank, pineapple.
Taste: Lightly sweet, lightly bitter, grassy, dank, orange pith, tangerine, with light tropical notes of mango and pineapple.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Not an overly fruit forward NEIPA with interesting grass and dank notes, but there is a good sweet and bitter balance, and it just drinks really well. One of the better versions of Little Rich Lupulins since the original.