Category Archives: Country

4 - Good (buy), 8 Wired Brewing Co., Beer Reviews, New Zealand, Stout - Imperial

8 Wired iStout Affogato Imperial Stout

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Brewery: 8 Wired Brewing Co.
Country: New Zealand
ABV: 10%
Style: American Imperial Stout
Other Notes: Brewed with lactose, coffee & vanilla

Brewer Description: (from can) The “i” might be in lower case, but beware – this is a capital beer. Brimming with luscious roasted coffee and chocolate malt flavors drizzled over a scoop of velvety ice cream. iStout Affogato is balanced by a brisk bitterness and bold hoppy freshness, remixed by the addition of lactose, coffee, and vanilla in the brew. As with all our beers, this beer is a very modern interpretation of this classic style.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.22
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 440ml can with a best before date of 7th November 2021. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Black in colour with a just over one finger tanned head that had decent retention while leaving some nice lacing.
Aroma: Coffee, roasted malts, cacao nibs, chocolate, vanilla and a touch earthy.
Taste: Bittersweet, roasted malts, coffee, chocolate and hints of vanilla and earthiness.
Mouthfeel: Creamy, full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Good sipper with nice bittersweet coffee and chocolate flavours.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), 8 Wired Brewing Co., Beer Reviews, IPA - New England / Hazy, New Zealand

8 Wired Juice Control

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Brewery: 8 Wired Brewing Co.
Country: New Zealand
ABV: 6.2%
Style: New England / Hazy IPA
Other Notes: Hazy IPA

Brewer Description: (from can) Lose yourself for a minute to the dance of juicy hops, sweet grains and tropical yeast. Let self control fade away to juice control with this gloriously hopped hazy IPA.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.36
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.2

Intro: A 440ml can with a best before date of 23rd January 2020. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A lightly hazy golden colour with a two finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly while leaving some nice sticky lacing.
Aroma: Quite weak, but there’s lemon zest, pear, pineapple, tea, pine with a light floral character.
Taste: Mild flavours, citrus rind, zest, tea, grass, pine with hints of mango. Finish is lightly bitter.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Aroma and taste were really quite weak. There were hints of juice, but that’s about it, just a hint. Flavours and aroma just weren’t strong enough.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), American Pale Ale, Beer Reviews, Cloudwater Brew Co., England

Cloudwater A•W18 Brewed All Season Pale

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Brewery: Cloudwater Brew Co.
Country: England
ABV: 4%
Style: American Pale Ale
Other Notes: Autumn-Winter 18. Aroma & Flavour – Mango, pineapple and tangerine, with a light, lasting malt character. Body – Light to medium body with spritzy carbonation. Aftertaste – Soft and juicy orange, low bitterness

Brewer Description: (from can) Our season-long Pale Ale is a beer for everyday moments, whether it’s conversation with friends or quiet relaxation after work, and aims to provide balance between bold flavour and easy drinkability. It’s full of rounded flavours of mango, pineapple and tangerine with a soft juicy finish and low bitterness.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.62
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.6

Intro: A 440ml can, canned on 28th January 2019. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A lightly hazy golden colour with a two finger white head that had pretty good retention and left some nice fluffy lacing.
Aroma: Pineapple, mandarin peel, soapy, floral with hints of mango.
Taste: Slightly underripe mango, pineapple, citrus rind, lemon zest, with hints of pine and a herbal / floral touch.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Easy drinking but I’m not big on floral notes.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Cloudwater Brew Co., England, IPA - New England / Hazy Double

Cloudwater A•W18 Brewed All Season DIPA

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Brewery: Cloudwater Brew Co.
Country: England
ABV: 8.5%
Style: New England / Hazy Double IPA
Other Notes: Autumn-Winter 18. Aroma & Flavour – Ripe mango supported by peach and passion fruit, with a light, sweet malt profile. Body – Full-bodied, smooth and juicy. Aftertaste – Soft peach and mango sweetness, very low bitterness

Brewer Description: (from can) Double IPA is a style close to our hearts and one we’ve worked hard to continually refine. This beer is the result of two years’ experience in developing recipes that are deliciously drinkable at a higher ABV, delivering clean and precise flavours. Thick body and sweetness provide the platform to showcase juicy mango, peach and passion fruit.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.08
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 440ml can, canned on 29th January 2019. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A hazy mango juice orange colour with an almost two finger white head that had decent retention, while leaving some spotty lacing.
Aroma: Super ripe mango juice with hints of peach and citrus zest.
Taste: Bittersweet, grapefruit zest, orange peel, orange, mango, peach and a light spicy peppery finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with moderate to soft carbonation.
Overall: Great aroma full of juice while taste was more bitter citrus than juice. In the end the juice and bitterness were balanced, but my favourite haze’s are all juice.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Belgian Strong Dark Ale, Hong Kong, Moonzen Brewery

Moonzen Harvest Moon (Cherry)

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Brewery: Moonzen Brewery
Country: Hong Kong
ABV: 9%
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Harvest Moon (Cherry) is a silky and full-bodied Belgian Strong Ale fermented with cherries, French oak and cocoa. With hints of tawny leaves and withered hedges, all perfectly balanced to enjoy on a cozy day.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.41
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.3

Intro: A 330ml bottle with no clear bottled on or best before date. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A cloudy ruby amber brown colour with a two finger beige head that had good retention, but eventually settled to a nice replenishing layer while leaving some curtain like lacing.
Aroma: Booze, cherry, plum, apple juice, roasty, cocoa.
Taste: Boozy, herbal, lemon, grass, oak with some light roast, plum skin, apple juice and cherry.
Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: I easily preferred the plum version of Harvest Moon more. In this version, the booze and herbs dominate the flavour while the nice dark fruits I was getting in the plum version were only in the background, almost like an afterthought here.