Category Archives: Hong Kong

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Gweilo Brewery, Hong Kong, IPA - New England / Hazy

Gweilo Nebulous DDH NEIPA

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Brewery: Gweilo Brewery
Country: Hong Kong
ABV: 4.9%
Style: New England / Hazy IPA
Other Notes: 25 IBUs. Limited Batch

Brewer Description: (from can) Nebulous is our first ever NEIPA. We’ve loaded it with Amarillo and Citra, followed up with a secondary dry hop of Citra cyro, to create a tropical juice bomb. A relatively low bitterness accentuates the explosion of pineapple and citrus.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.51
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.4

Intro: A 330ml can, with a best before date of 16th November 2019. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A hazy straw yellow colour with a big three finger white head that had good retention and left some nice lacing.
Aroma: Citrusy mandarin and orange rind, mandarin peel, lime and pineapple.
Taste: Citrusy, light to moderate bitterness, grapefruit, pineapple juice, orange with hints of herbal, pine and grass.
Mouthfeel: Light bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Although its quite citrusy, it’s not really ‘juicy’ when compared to some of the top NEIPAs that I’ve tried. The bitterness is not strong, but it does come through noticeably. This was just a bit too session like, and for their first NEIPA I was hoping for something with more body and with a stronger ABV.

2 - Maybe (likely wouldn't buy, might drink), Beer Reviews, Farmhouse Saison, Gweilo Brewery, Hong Kong

Gweilo Blooming Cherry Saison

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Brewery: Gweilo Brewery
Country: Hong Kong
ABV: 4.6%
Style: Belgian Saison
Other Notes: 15 IBUs. Seasonal Range

Brewer Description: (from can) Blooming Cherry Saison is a light, thirst quenching saison. The fruit and spice notes from the saison yeast work in harmony with the sweet and sour notes from the cherry. Combined with a slightly higher level of carbonation, this saison is an extremely well-balanced yet lively and refreshing beer.

My rating: 2
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.34
My ratebeer.com rating: 3

Intro: A 330ml can, with a best before date of 21st September 2019. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy apricot orange pinkish colour with a big two finger white head that dissipated quickly and left only sparse to no lacing.
Aroma: Wheat, Belgian yeast, clove, banana, sugar, with only hint of cherry and spices.
Taste: Lightly sweet and lightly sour, wheat, Belgian yeast, clove, banana, cherry pitt, a touch of lemon and only hints of spice and cherry flesh.
Mouthfeel: Light bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Seems more like a Belgian Pale Ale or Witbier than a Saison. Where is the cherry? Despite cherry in its name, there is a distinct lack of any cherry aroma or flavours which were just extremely weak and possibly overpowered by the Belgian yeasty clove and banana notes. There is also a lack of Saison peppery spice. So, while the aroma and taste wasn’t bad or anything, as good as it sounds, the result was not what I expected given its name.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Hong Kong, International Sour Ale, Yardley Brothers Brewing

Yardley Brothers Single Batch Mangosteen Sour

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Brewery: Yardley Brothers Brewing
Country: Hong Kong
ABV: 6.8%
Style: International Sour Ale
Other Notes: 19 IBUs

Brewer Description: (from facebook post) Sherbet citrus nose, rich and juicy, and very fruity, it’s an excellent remedy to the summer heat.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.06
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.8

Intro: A cool looking 650ml black bottle that was capped and waxed. Practically though, the wax was probably unnecessary and just made it a pain in the ass to open. Bottle was one out of a total of 250. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: Immediately started slow frothing at the bottle lip as soon as I uncapped it, with no signs of stopping. A cloudy dark orange colour with an uncontrollable four finger beige head that surprisingly dissipated fairly quickly while leaving some sparse lacing.
Aroma: Tart, juicy, cranberries, cherry and lime.
Taste: Tart, sour, juicy, cranberry, strawberry, apricot, lemon, lime and light mangosteen.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Admittedly my first Yardley Brothers brew as I haven’t even tried any of their regular lineup, but this one was definitely enjoyable. Nicely tart with lots of fruit and not overly sour. The uncontrollable head was a pain, as was the wax, but once you get through that, you can just relax and enjoy.

4 - Good (buy), American Brut IPA, Beer Reviews, Hong Kong, Young Master Brewery x Heroes Beer Co.

Young Master x Heroes Dom Houblon

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Brewery: Young Master Brewery x Heroes Beer Co.
Country: Hong Kong
ABV: 6.6%
Style: American Brut IPA
Other Notes: Vintage 2018. Bière Houblonnée Brut. Brut, citronné, soigné

Brewer Description: (From YM webshop) Dom Houblon is a one-of-a-kind collaboration between Young Master and Heroes Beer Co., two of the highest rated craft breweries in Hong Kong. It is an extra-dry Brut IPA that has a finishing gravity of under 1 plato (under 10g/L of residual sugar). With minimal bitterness and a heavy dry hop featuring Loral, Mosaic and Ekuanot hops, the brew is dry, lemony, fruity and thirst-quenching.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.09
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 330ml can with a best before date of 11th May 2019. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A mostly clear golden colour with a one finger white head that had decent retention but left only sparse lacing.
Aroma: Strong melon and citrusy pith, light grain, biscuit and a sweet cantaloupe-y finish.
Taste: Sweet malts, light bitterness, lots of melon, grapefruit, lemon zest, a touch grainy, grass and a long melon finish.
Mouthfeel: Dry, crisp, light bodied with moderate to high carbonation.
Overall: Started off pretty good already, but it definitely grew on me the more I drank it as the melon and citrus really came through.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Hong Kong, International Sour Ale, Young Master Brewery

Young Master Galactic Hops

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Brewery: Young Master Brewery
Country: Hong Kong
ABV: 5.7%
Style: International Sour Ale
Other Notes: 10 IBUs. Fruity, sour, dank

Brewer Description: (from can) Hoppy sour.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.81
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.6

Intro: A 330ml can with a best before date of 7th April 2019. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A very lightly cloudy golden orange colour with a one finger white head that had decent retention and left some nice lacing
Aroma: Light tartness, passionfruit, lightly floral, biscuit malt with hints of lemon.
Taste: Sour, tart, passionfruit, biscuit, grainy, lemon and a touch tangy.
Mouthfeel: A bit watery, light bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Nice tart passionfruit aromas, but despite some nice sour and passionfruit flavours coming through, it was on the whole, a little watery on the palate, causing the flavours to be a little light, which I thought took away from it a bit.