Category Archives: Country

5 - Excellent (must buy), American IPA, Beer Reviews, Brasserie Dieu du Ciel x The Alchemist, Canada

Dieu du Ciel x The Alchemist Moralité

Wednesday, 30 March 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Brasserie Dieu du Ciel x The Alchemist
Country: Canada
ABV: 6.9%
Style: American IPA
Other Notes: Hops – Simcoe, Citra and Centennial.

Brewer Description: (from website) The concept of Morality is perhaps a subjective one, as the history of alcohol in Quebec may demonstrate. This IPA is brewed with a dare-we-say excessive quantity of Simcoe, Citra and Centennial hops. The dry finish is highly aromatic and slightly resinous, invoking tropical fruits atop dominant hop bitterness. Moralité was crafted at our Montreal location in 2012 in collaboration with John Kimmich of The Alchemist brewery in Vermont, USA.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.55
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.4

Intro: A 341ml botte with a bottled on date of 2nd September 2015 and poured into a Spiegelau IPA glass.
Appearance: It poured a bright golden orange colour with a two finger white head that leaves nice spotty lacing.
Aroma: Nice strong citrus orange and grapefruit with a hint of peach, apricot and pine.
Taste: Citrus orange fruitiness and pine mixed with grapefruit and orange peel lasting bitterness.
Mouthfeel: Dry, medium bodied with medium carbonation.
Overall: Yum, a very nice collaboration with The Alchemist. Very nice fruitiness and bitterness that works well together and is balanced. Something that I would definitely be on the lookout for and purchase again, especially if I can find it fresher.

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

Alpine Pure Hoppiness

Tuesday, 29 March 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Alpine Beer Company
Country: USA
ABV: 8%
Style: American Double IPA

Brewer Description: (from bottle) This mega-hopped, West Coast-Style India Pale Ale will take you to hop heaven! We’ve used hops in the boil, more hops in the giant hopback, and added to that, an incredible amount of dry-hopping for that cutting edge “hop bite.” Onve you’ve tasted this unique beer, all others pale in comparison. Drink better beer so… drink Alpine Ale or go to bed!

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.3
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.2

Intro: A 12 fl oz bottle with a best by date of 10th May 2016, poured into a Spiegelau IPA glass.
Appearance: It poured a slightly hazy orange colour with puffy three finger off white head that had good retention and left lots of nice sticky lacing.
Aroma: Citrusy mandarin orange, slightly candied, piney hops and some light tropical fruit. The finish is a very nice strong floral.
Taste: Starts lightly sweet with mango and orange. The finish is a strong lasting grapefruit pith bitterness with some light caramel.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with medium carbonation.
Overall: A very nice bitter DIPA. Great balance between the malts and hops.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, BrewDog, IPA - Black, Scotland

BrewDog Arcade Nation

Monday, 28 March 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: BrewDog
Country: Scotland
ABV: 5.2%
Style: American Black IPA
Other Notes: Hops – Simcoe, Amarillo and Citra.

Brewer Description: (from bottle) West Coast America ups sticks and heads out east. Pac-mania is back and this time it’s gone over to the dark side. A pistol black hop bomb packs the roasted malty punch of a stout and the hop laden incendiary hit of an IPA. Roasty, coffee and chocolate notes duke it out with citrus, mango and pine. Insatiably flavoursome, insanely drinkable, immensely satisfying. This light bodied hero punches like something twice its size. A Donkey Kong let loose on Rainbow Island. This all-out American hybrid should run for President. Stack up the quarters. Vote Arcade Nation – Game over.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.49
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.3

Intro: A 330ml bottle with a best before date of 7th January 2017 and poured into an oversized wine glass.
Appearance: It poured a dark dark brown colour with a less than one finger tanned head that had poor retention but left some spotty lacing.
Aroma: Fruit strong, citrus, grapefruit, pineapple and pine. In the background there is roasty malts and a hint of coffee.
Taste: Bitter grapefruit pith and its not very juicy. There is some roastiness in the background, but its not really there.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with light carbonation.
Overall: Seemed to be closer to an IPA instead of a Black IPA. Would have preferred to have more roastiness as this had very little. This was just ok.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, English Golden Ale, Garage Project, New Zealand

Garage Project Hāpi Daze

Saturday, 26 March 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Garage Project
Country: New Zealand
ABV: 4.6%
Style: English Golden Ale
Other Notes: Hops – Motueka, Wai-iti, Riwaka and Nelson Sauvin.

Brewer Description: (from can) Hāpi the Maori word for hop, inspires this truly Pacific pale ale. Brewed with New Zealand barley and the best of the Kiwi hop harvest, Motueka, Wai-iti, Riwaka and Nelson Sauvin. Assertively hoppy – exceptionally drinkable.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.87
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.7

Intro: A 330ml can with a best before date of 30th October 2016 and poured into a Duvel tulip glass.
Appearance: It poured a clear dark golden slightly copper colour with a two finger off white head that doesn’t stick around much but left nice stringy lacing.
Aroma: Strong tropical fruits of mango, pineapple, kiwi, guava, papaya and honeydew melon.
Taste: Bitter start with some stone fruit mango followed by a light bready grainy malt.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with medium carbonation.
Overall: A nice refreshing light beer with interesting tropical notes. However unfortunately the taste doesn’t follow the impressive aroma as I prefer less malt character and I think a higher carbonation will go well with the lightness.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Brown Ale - Imperial, Prairie Artisan Ales, USA

Prairie Okie

Thursday, 24 March 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Prairie Artisan Ales
Country: USA
ABV: 12%
Style: Brown Ale – Imperial
Other Notes: 50 IBUs. Brewed and bottled by Krebs Brewing Co., Krebs, Oklahoma.

Brewer Description: (from website) Okie is an imperial brown ale aged in whiskey barrels. Notes of toffee and brown sugar are infused with sweet notes of bourbon, vanilla, oak and molasses.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.45
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.3

Intro: A 12 fl oz bottle with a Julian bottled on date of 15215, meaning it was bottled on 1st June 2015. It was poured into a Moonzen teku glass.
Appearance: It poured a cloudy dark reddish brown colour with a less than one finger tanned head that dissipated quickly and left some sparse lacing.
Aroma: Rich bourbon, oak, caramel, toffee, vanilla and roasted malt.
Taste: Much like the aroma, sweet toffee, caramel and vanilla with a hit of bourbon and oak. There was also a hint of dark fruits, plum, raisin and fig on the finish.
Mouthfeel: Mid to full bodied but leaning more towards full with low carbonation.
Overall: A very nice brown ale as the bourbon, oak and sweet notes of toffee and caramel went well together. The 12% is not felt at all and goes down easy. Brown ale is not a style that has a great name, but this brew definitely redeems it.

words of another dreamy traveller