Category Archives: Hong Kong

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, German Lichtenhainer, Hong Kong, Young Master Brewery

Young Master Ich Bin Ein Lichtenhainer

Wednesday, 31 May 2017 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Young Master Brewery
Country: Hong Kong
ABV: 4.7%
Style: German Lichtenhainer
Other Notes: Smokey Sour. 19 IBUs. Malts – Pilsner, Beechwood Smoked Barley and Wheat. Hops – Noble Style Hops

Brewer Description: (from website) Recreation of an ancient beer style that until recently was all but forgotten, “Ich Bin Ein Lichtenhainer” is savory yet refreshing. It starts off with a nose of charred beechwood with a backdrop of lactic tartness. This interplay between smoke and acidity continues on the palate and ultimately finishes dry. Despite big, complex flavors its surprisingly sessionable. It takes a few sips to get to know the unique personality of this beer, then it becomes moreish and the next day flavors haunt. It is a great food beer with acidity acting as a counter-balance to fat and sweetness while the smoke stands up to robust flavors and takes it up a notch. Pair it with pork belly, grilled meat, apple pie, maple donuts or over-ripe washed rind cheese.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.58
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.6

Intro: A 946ml crowler, filled on 25th May 2017. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A clear golden yellow colour with a two finger white head that had pretty good retention and left nice lacing.
Aroma: Smokiness mixed in with hints of passionfruit like tartness.
Taste: Similar to the aroma but the other way around with fruity tartness mixed with hints of smoke and a light lemon finish.
Mouthfeel: Light bodied, moderate to high carbonation with a dry-ish finish.
Overall: If you aren’t familiar with this style, its aroma and taste of smoke and tartness is unique and takes a while to get used to. The more I drank, the more I grew to like this beer, to the point where I felt that the smoke and fruity tartness blended well together. Nice and easy to drink.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Gose - Fruit, Hong Kong, Young Master Brewery

Young Master Cha Chaan Teng Gose

Sunday, 28 May 2017 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Young Master Brewery
Country: Hong Kong
ABV: 4.5%
Style: Gose – Fruit
Other Notes: 18 IBUs. Malts – Barley and Wheat. Hops – Noble style hops

Brewer Description: (from website) A classic sour and salty Gose brewed with salted lime commonly found in local Cha Chaan Tengs in Hong Kong and often served with lemon sodas. A perfect refreshing respite from the local humid weather, this beer will please beer geeks and novices alike. We kettle soured it with probiotic bacteria for a day, fermented it with ale yeast and matured with some salted lime.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.55
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.4

Intro: A 946ml crowler, filled on 25th May 2017. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku.
Appearance: A clear pale golden copper colour with an almost two finger white head that dissipated quickly to nothing, and no lacing.
Aroma: Tart, sour, salted lime, lemon, bready malt and wheat.
Taste: Sour and salty, mainly salted lime and lemon with strong bready malt and wheatiness.
Mouthfeel: Medium-light bodied with only moderate to light carbonation.
Overall: Nice and refreshing especially for a hot summers day. If you haven’t tried it before, the salted lime may take some getting used to. But luckily, I’ve grown up with it. The one thing for me is that this would have been even better with higher carbonation.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), American IPA, Beer Reviews, Hong Kong, Young Master Brewery

Young Master Panama Fruit Bomb Coffee IPA

Wednesday, 12 April 2017 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Young Master Brewery
Country: Hong Kong
ABV: 6.4%
Style: American IPA
Other Notes: 64 IBUs

Brewer Description: (from bottle) (my summary) Brewed in collaboration with 18 Grams Specialty Coffee using Panamanian Finca Ziska.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.4
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.3

Intro: A 330ml bottle with a best before date of 30th September 2017. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A clear copper colour with a nice two finger white head that had great retention and lots of sticky lacing.
Aroma: Ground coffee beans with some kind of nuttiness I can’t quite work out as the grapefruit and light floral aromas keep trying to push through. Doesn’t seem to quite mix together here.
Taste: Sweet-ish malt to begin, followed by freshly shelled peanuts and a lightly bitter grapefruit and pine finish.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: I’d be interested to try freshly ground Panama Finca Ziska coffee to see what it tastes like as I’m a little perplexed as to the peanut aroma and taste, which I can only assume comes from the coffee and I’m guessing, unintentional. In addition, I feel that the fruitiness is coming from the hops and not the coffee, despite the name. Lately I’ve found that coffee in IPAs seem to change taste pretty fast and are best consumed fresh as soon as possible. Maybe something happened in this case, but I do believe the bottle is quite fresh (less than 3 weeks?). But this is why I prefer bottled on dates instead of best before dates. Anyway, it’s worth a try if you can get it fresh.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), American Double IPA, Beer Reviews, Hong Kong, Young Master Brewery

Young Master 1842 Island Imperial IPA

Thursday, 24 November 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Young Master Brewery
Country: Hong Kong
ABV: 8%
Style: American Double IPA
Other Notes: 80 IBUs

Brewer Description: (from bottle) 1842 Island is a bold Imperial IPA that coaxes out and showcases every facet of an outsized malt and hop bill. It’s potent hop character is supported by a robust malt backbone lending it incredible complexity. Savor every sip as the flavor nuances unfold and culminate in a lingering, satisfying finish.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.81
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.7

Intro: A 330ml bottle with a best before date of 31st May 2017, poured into a Spiegelau IPA glass.
Appearance: It poured a hazy dark amber colour with slightly less than two finger off white head that had great retention and left nice sticky lacing.
Aroma: Strong caramel malts, citrusy grapefruit, pine and touches of floral elements.
Taste: Bitter and herbal with some grapefruit zest, caramel and toffee.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate to low carbonation.
Overall: Nice lingering bitterness with pretty good malt and hop balance.

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

Young Master Classic Pale Ale

Thursday, 24 November 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Young Master Brewery
Country: Hong Kong
ABV: 5%
Style: American Pale Ale
Other Notes: 35 IBUs

Brewer Description: (from bottle) A true classic that won’t go out of fashion, the Classic Pale Ale is designed to be versatile – you can drink it all day and in all seasons. With an elegant balance of European malts and new world hops, this has just enough fullness balanced with zesty and crisp hop flavour to suit all palates.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.58
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.5

Intro: A 330ml bottle with a best before date of 30th June 2017, poured into a Mikkeller pint glass.
Appearance: It poured a slightly hazy golden orange colour with a two finger foamy white head that had great retention and left nice lacing.
Aroma: A bit weak, but what I do get is lightly biscuit and toasty with tropical pineapple, citrus grapefruit, lemon and pine.
Taste: Biscuit and mango with hints of pineapple, orange zest, pine and grass. Finish is lightly bitter.
Mouthfeel: Light bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: A nice Pale Ale that is easily drinkable.

words of another dreamy traveller