Category Archives: USA

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Firestone Walker Brewing Co., German Berliner Weisse, USA

Firestone Walker Bretta Tangerine

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Brewery: Firestone Walker Brewing Co.
Country: USA
ABV: 6.2%
Style: German Berliner Weisse
Other Notes: Berliner Weisse style fermented with tangerines. Barrel ratio: 100% French Oak

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Our region is blessed with an abundance and variety of fresh fruit. South of Barrelworks in the hills surrounding the hamlet of Ojai, there are groves of citrus-oranges, lemons, grapefruit and tangerines. We’ve been lucky to work with the Ojai native Friend’s Ranches who specialize in tangerines. Friend’s offered the W. Murcott tangerine which we zested for aroma, juiced for flavor, and then fermented with our base beer of Bretta Weisse to create a metamorphosis. Brought to life was Bretta Tangerine! A bountiful bouquet of citrus mingles with pronounced herbal notes, leading to funky, yeasty, citrus flavors. Soft cereal and oak aromas are enveloped by a firm acidity and tartness and punctuated by zesty tangerine. The finish is dry and crisp; a thoroughly enjoyable beverage. Santé!

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.88
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.7

Intro: A 375ml corked and caged bottle. Batch No. 001, bottled on 1st May 2018. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A lightly hazy golden orange colour with a one finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly to a thin replenishing layer, while leaving only sparse to no lacing.
Aroma: Funky, orange juice, mandarin, unripe mango, unripe apricot, and a touch of oak.
Taste: Light sourness, tangerine, mandarin, orange candy, oak, with a light funkiness.
Mouthfeel: Light bodied with moderate to soft carbonation.
Overall: Not up to the standard of Bretta Rose, but still nice and easy drinking with good citrus, funk and barrel notes. Carbonation could be higher for a Berliner Weisse, but the lack of, doesn’t take too much away from it.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Belgian Quadrupel, Stone Brewing Co., USA

Stone Stochasticity Project Quadrotriticale

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Brewery: Stone Brewing Co.
Country: USA
ABV: 9.3%
Style: Belgian Quadrupel
Other Notes: Malts – Pilsner and Flaked Triticale. Belgian Yeast – Ardennes Strain. Special Ingredients – Dark Candi Sugar

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Trappist ales as we know them have a proud lineage dating back nearly a century. Rather than follow the footsteps of the monks who forged the quadruple – the warmest and darkest of monastery offerings – we aimed to test its inherent makeup. In doing so, we added triticale, a hybrid grain combining the pleasant flavor of wheat with the elemental durability and spice of rye, to breathe new life into the malt bill. Because of this, this reimagined brew comes across differently than its classic Belgian predecessors, and beautifully so. Lower in sweetness, but rich with flavors mirroring dried fruit, it’s a modern interpretation of one of the most historically sacred styles on Earth.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.68
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.5

Intro: A 22 fl. oz. bomber, bottled on 9th June 2014. Poured into a Chimay goblet glass.
Appearance: A clear brown orangey colour (almost rusty) with a thin beige head that settled to a very thin layer over the top with nice curtain like lacing.
Aroma: Plum, prune skin, grape juice, caramel, toasted toffee with hints of clove and banana.
Taste: Sweet, toasted caramel, plum skin, prunes, grape juice and hints of booze.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Aroma was great, and while the taste wasn’t bad, it was perhaps too sweet for my taste.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Knee Deep Brewing Company, Porter - Imperial, USA

Knee Deep Imperial Tanilla

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Brewery: Knee Deep Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 10%
Style: American Imperial Porter
Other Notes: 48 IBUs. Imperial Porter brewed with vanilla beans

Brewer Description: (from can) Imperial Porter brewed with vanilla beans, which compliments this wonderfully balanced yet full-bodied brew with aromas of chocolate, vanilla and espresso.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.53
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.4

Intro: A 12 fl. oz. can with no canned on or best before date. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: A deep dark brown colour with a nice two finger beige to light tanned head that had pretty good retention and left lots of nice lacing.
Aroma: Light roast, coke, chocolate and light smoke.
Taste: Roasted malts, chocolate, cocoa, coffee, light herbal and light bitterness.
Mouthfeel: Moderately creamy, medium bodied with low carbonation.
Overall: This was ok. The roastiness, chocolate and coffee base was good, but the herbal and bitterness didn’t do anything for me. I was also hoping for the vanilla to really come through, whereas I pretty much did not get any in the end.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Knee Deep Brewing Company, Stout - Milk / Sweet, USA

Knee Deep Stoutello

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Brewery: Knee Deep Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 6%
Style: Milk / Sweet Stout
Other Notes: 40 IBUs. Chocolate Hazelnut Milk Stout

Brewer Description: (from can) Stout brewed with cacao nibs and natural flavor added.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.75
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.6

Intro: A 1 pint can with no canned on or best before date. Poured into a Spiegelau Stout glass.
Appearance: Dark dark brown in colour with a two finger mocha brown head that had pretty good retention while leaving behind some lacing.
Aroma: Roasty, nutty, hazelnut, chocolate and mocha.
Taste: Moderate sweetness, chocolate, light roasted malts, coffee, hazelnut, lightly bitter finish.
Mouthfeel: Rich, smooth, medium bodied with moderate to low carbonation.
Overall: Aromas were great while taste was decent. I think that if the roastiness and nuttiness could have been stronger, it would have been even better.

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

Abnormal Pink Lemonade

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Brewery: Abnormal Beer Company
Country: USA
ABV: 5.8%
Style: American Pale Wheat Ale
Other Notes: Fruited Wheat Ale. Adjuncts – Lemon zest and raspberry

Brewer Description: (from can) The name says it all! This beer tastes just like the iconic summer thirst quencher. We take our base wheat ale and add an abundance of fresh lemon zest, and red raspberry puree. The result is a well balanced, sweet and slightly tart, pink beverage that is so close to the real thing you may not go back. This beer will be released throughout the summer and then again in October for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. A portion of the proceeds will go towards Beer 4 Boobs, a fantastic organization supporting breast cancer research, treatment, and prevention.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.71
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.6

Intro: A 1 pint can with no canned on or best before date. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A very lightly hazy orange pinkish red colour with a one finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Like fruited tea. Sweet-ish, tea, raspberry and lemon zest.
Taste: Lightly sweet, floral tea, raspberry and lemon zest.
Mouthfeel: Light bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Loved the aroma which was completely my thing. However the taste seemed to be something else as I felt that it was way too floral. It’s also missing some tartness which I think would have balanced it better.