Category Archives: Country

4 - Good (buy), American IPA, Beer Reviews, Council Brewing Co., USA

Council Hazing Cane

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Brewery: Council Brewing Co.
Country: USA
ABV: 6.6%
Style: American IPA
Other Notes: Double dry hopped India Pale Ale. Hops – Ekuanot, Mandarina Bavaria & Mosaic

Brewer Description: (from Council Kearny Mesa tap list menu) The mandarin orange aroma and flavour stands out in this delicately balanced tropical fruit bomb.

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

Intro: A 1 pint can with no canned on or best before date. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A hazy golden straw orange colour with an almost three finger white head that had good retention and left some nice lacing.
Aroma: Juicy, mango, apricot, passionfruit, orange, orange rind, pine and grass.
Taste: Juicy, orange zest, mandarin, mango, peach, light bitterness, orange rind, pine and grass.
Mouthfeel: Medium to light bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Enjoyable with good tropical and citrus juiciness, light bitterness and nicely balanced.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Abnormal Beer Company, American IPA, Beer Reviews, USA

Abnormal New Money (Vic Secret)

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Brewery: Abnormal Beer Company
Country: USA
ABV: 7%
Style: American IPA
Other Notes: Hazy India Pale Ale. Hops – Nugget, Cascade, Citra, Simcoe and Vic Secret

Brewer Description: (from can) This Hazy IPA is a showcase of some of the most hipster millennial hops one can acquire. In this edition of our rotating series, we bring you Vic Secret, and no we didn’t dry hop with any lace or glitter. Strong fruity character and resiny pine dominate on the nose and flavor, finishing juicy and creamy. Remember, a nickel ain’t worth a dime anymore… unless you’re talking about New Money IPA. The symbol above is the currency symbol for bitcoin, the pioneer of cryptocurrency which, like this beer, is an innovative take on an existing paradigm.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.54
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.4

Intro: A 1 pint can, canned on 16th July 2018, ‘Love spell’. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A hazy golden straw orange colour with a two finger white head that dissipated quickly while leaving some sparse lacing.
Aroma: Witbier like with strong sweet banana, clove and coriander. Lightly herbal with hints of pear, grass and citrus zest. Not at all what I was expecting.
Taste: What a strange one to describe. Less Witbier tones, although it’s still there with the banana and clove. I want to say the major flavour I get is pear juice. Hints of floral and grass as well as honey here and there.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Not at all what I was expecting. Based on aroma and flavour, it seems closer to a Witbier than an IPA let alone NEIPA, but the aroma and flavours were very apparent and not bad at all. Worth a try.

4 - Good (buy), Abnormal Beer Company, American IPA, Beer Reviews, USA

Abnormal Boss Pour

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Brewery: Abnormal Beer Company
Country: USA
ABV: 7%
Style: American IPA
Other Notes: West Coast India Pale Ale. Hops – Cascade, Simcoe, Nugget, Citra and Mosaic

Brewer Description: (from can) Feel like a boss? You will when you crack open our flagship West Coast Style IPA, Boss Pour. Waves of Pacific Northwest hops are supported by American 2-row and copious amounts of English specialty base malts. Bright citrus and a touch of dank hop character are the ones in charge here, and will surely be good for the end of your daily grind. So step on up, be a Boss.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.16
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 1 pint can, canned on 16th July 2018, ‘Kiki, do you love me??’. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A hazy golden straw orange colour with a two finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly but left some nice lacing.
Aroma: Mandarin, mango, orange zest, pineapple, dank, pine and grass.
Taste: Bitter, citrusy orange zest, grapefruit peel and rind, light sweetness, mandarin, tropical fruit, pineapple, pine, grass and hints of mango.
Mouthfeel: Medium to light bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: A nice West Coast IPA. Good bitterness and good tropical and citrus fruit flavours.

4 - Good (buy), American Double IPA, Beer Reviews, North Park Beer Company, USA

North Park Gimme A 2nd

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Brewery: North Park Beer Company
Country: USA
ABV: 8.5%
Style: American Double IPA
Other Notes: Hazy Double IPA

Brewer Description: (from can) Wow, have 2 years gone by already?! Time to party with our first limited can release! We double dry-hopped this one to the point of absurdity with Simcoe, El Dorado, Mosaic, Idaho 7, and Citra, weighing in at seven pounds of hops per barrel. The result is a juicy and aromatic explosion, bursting with tropical fruits, citrus, berries, stone fruit, and dank, piney resins.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.35
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.2

Intro: A 1 pint can, canned on 18th June 2018, ‘Let’s Party!!’. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A very cloudy dark orange colour with a two finger white head that had pretty good retention and left some nice lacing.
Aroma: Grapefruit, citrus rind and pith, mango, apricot and some light berries.
Taste: Lightly sweet, juicy, grapefruit, mango, apricot, orange, pine, grass and orange zest.
Mouthfeel: Creamy, medium to full bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: A very nice and juicy DIPA with pretty much no bitterness.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Hong Kong, Stout - Imperial, Young Master Brewery

Young Master Add Oil 2018

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Brewery: Young Master Brewery
Country: Hong Kong
ABV: 9.2%
Style: American Imperial Stout
Other Notes: 18 Grams specialty coffee. 40 IBUs. Robust, roasty, silky

Brewer Description: (from can) Bourbon Barrel Aged Coffee Imperial Stout.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.15
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 330ml can, with a best before date of 10th December 2019, ‘dbl espresso’. Poured into a snifter.
Appearance: Black in colour with a just over one finger dark beige head that had pretty good retention and left spotty lacing.
Aroma: Roasty malts, milk chocolate, vanilla, caramel, oak, coffee and bourbon.
Taste: Roasted malts, milk chocolate, caramel, bourbon and oak with a touch of coffee.
Mouthfeel: Rich, creamy, medium to full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: A nice rich and creamy sipper. As far as I can remember, since I tried but did not review the original version, but this Bourbon BA version was much better with more complexity.