Category Archives: 3 – Indifferent (might buy, probably drink)

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Belgian Pale Ale, Belgium, Brouwerij Haacht NV

Tongerlo 6 Blonde

Wednesday, 8 July 2015 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Brouwerij Haacht NV
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6%
Style: Belgian Pale Ale

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Abbey beer brewed with the approval of the Norbertins of Tongerlo. This beer was refermented in the bottle for a more refined aroma and a broader, richer taste palette. Contains barley malt.

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

Intro: A 330ml bottle with a best before end date of 4th June 2016 and poured into a D’Achouffe tulip glass.
Appearance: It poured a slightly hazy copper colour with a huge three finger head. Most of it dissipated within a minute but it left some thick lacing on the glass.
Aroma: Some slight funk at first followed by some fruity banana and apples, caramel and honey. There are also some bread, cracker malt aromas.
Taste: Flavour is sweet banana and honey first, but there’s definitely candied sugar, bubblegum and caramel mixed in.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, medium to high carbonation, sticky.
Overall: This was not bad but perhaps slightly too sweet for me. Leffe is also a tad too sweet for me, but I still may prefer Leffe slightly more.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, Stout, USA

Sierra Nevada Coffee Stout

Thursday, 25 June 2015 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Sierra Nevada Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 6.2%
Style: American Stout
Other Notes: 53 IBUs

Brewer Description: (from bottle) A cup of joe and a bold beer can thwart the winter cold, so we blended them for the ultimate warmer. Our Coffee Stout is a fusion of dark roasted malts and rich, cold-brewed coffee for layers of bittersweet, fruity, dark chocolate and caramel-like flavors.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.71
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.8

Intro: A 12 fl oz bottle with a packaged date of 28th October 2014, and poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: The beer poured opaque black with a nice one finger light mocha coloured head that dissipated in about 2 minutes leaving nice spotty lacing.
Aroma: Strong vanilla aromas with dark chocolate, roasted malts and coffee.
Taste: Dark bittersweet chocolate, roasted malts, coffee and some light caramel.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, mild but prickly carbonation, creamy and smooth.
Overall: This was less than 8 months old but I’m thinking the coffee in it may already be less pronounced. The problem is that it’s not that easy for me to find it fresh in Hong Kong. It doesn’t have the crisp fresh coffee bean bite like that of Founders Breakfast Stout that I really enjoy. Having said that, if I could find it again (fresher of course) then I would be sure to give it another shot.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan, Beer Reviews, Germany, Lager - Munich Dunkel

Weihenstephaner Tradition Bayrisch Dunkel

Wednesday, 24 June 2015 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan
Country: Germany
ABV: 5.2%
Style: Munich Dunkel Lager
Other Notes: 24 IBUs

Brewer Description: (from website) Our reddish brown dark lager “Tradition” with its mild aroma of hops smells like roasted malt and impresses with its sweet caramel flavor which is followed by a slight bitterness. Goes well with hearty dishes, such as roasts, poultry and game. Brewed according to our centuries-old brewing tradition on the Weihenstephan hill.

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

Intro: A 500ml bottle with a best before date of 2nd July 2015 bought in Bangkok, Thailand, carried back to Hong Kong and poured into a Duvel tulip glass.
Appearance: The beer poured a deep dark copper/amber brown with a slightly off white two finger head that dissipates over about a minute leaving some nice lacing.
Aroma: Light aromas of sweet and roasted malts, brown sugar and overripe plums.
Taste: Some bready roasted malts, dark fruits especially plum and also a hint of chocolate and caramel. As it warms, more grape and bubblegum appears in the flavour.
Mouthfeel: Light bodied, light carbonation and smooth but seems a bit thin (watery).
Overall: This went down easy but perhaps a tad bit ‘watery’. I prefer their Hefeweissbier Dunkel more.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), American Pale Ale, Beer Reviews, Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, USA

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

Monday, 22 June 2015 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Sierra Nevada Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 5.6%
Style: American Pale Ale
Other Notes: 38 IBU

Brewer Description: (from bottle) In 1980, we created a beer highlighting the bold pine and citrus flavors of whole-cone Cascade hops. Today, our all-natural, bottle-conditioned Pale Ale is recognized worldwide as a classic.

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

Intro: A 12 fl oz bottle with a packaged date of 17th March 2015 and poured into a pint glass.
Appearance: The beer poured an extremely clear copper colour with a two finger slightly off-white head that dissipates fairly quickly leaving some stringy lacing.
Aroma: Mainly a piney smell along with some citrus lemon and grapefruit. Some bready malts also come through.
Taste: Pine hop taste along with some bread, biscuit and caramel malt. There’s also a hint of orange and some bitter finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: I’d drink this pale ale again, but I do prefer my pale ales with a slightly less pine, and more tropical fruit flavours instead.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Belgian Quadrupel, Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, USA

Sierra Nevada Ovila Abbey Quad – Plums

Monday, 15 June 2015 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Sierra Nevada Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 10.2%
Style: Quadrupel
Other Notes: 21 IBU, Specialty Ovila series brewed in collaboration with the monks of the Abbey of New Clairvaux in Vina, CA.

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Ovila Abbey Quad is heady with aromas of caramel, rich malt, and dark fruit – balanced by the spiciness and delicate fruity notes of a traditional Belgian yeast. This complex beer is a collaboration between Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. and the monks from the Abbey of New Clairvaux. It features sugar plums grown on the grounds of the Abbey, and harvested by the monks in Vina. We hope you enjoy this collaboration ale.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.72
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.7

Intro: A corked and caged 12.7 fl oz bottle, packaged and bottled on 19 November 2014 and poured into a Chimay goblet.
Appearance: The beer poured a deep dark brown (near black) colour with a one finger tanned head that dissipated fairly quickly leaving a small amount of lacing.
Aroma: Brown sugar, toffee some toasted malts and chocolate followed by dark fruits, plums, raisins and cherry.
Taste: Roasted malts, brown sugar, chocolate, coffee, dark fruits of plums, figs and cherry.
Mouthfeel: Full bodied, low carbonation, creamy, smooth, some alcohol warmth.
Overall: I was surprised and a little disappointed at the amount of roasty malts, chocolate and coffee that comes through in the taste as I prefer my quads to be more on the fruity side.

words of another dreamy traveller