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

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Craftbros Brewing Co., IPA - New England / Hazy Double, South Korea

Craftbros LIFE NE Double IPA – HK Junk

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Brewery: Craftbros Brewing Co.
Country: South Korea
ABV: 8.2%
Style: New England / Hazy Double IPA
Other Notes: 45 IBUs. This beer is made in collaboration with HK Craft Beer Co. in Hong Kong, partner of Craftbros. Scene of boats on the water in Hong Kong, China, 1960. Photo by John Dominis

Brewer Description: (from can) Dry hopped with Galaxy, Enigma and Citra. The wooden junk is not only used to move goods across Victoria Harbour, but also the home for many people in old Hong Kong. They are also docked in typhoon shelters for people to sell and stock up supplies.

My rating: 3+
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.99
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.9

Intro: A 500ml can, canned on 26th August 2022, poured into a winebar glass.
Appearance: A hazy orange colour with a half finger white head that had decent retention while leaving some nice lacing.
Aroma: Cantaloupe and orange zest with maybe notes of grass.
Taste: Melon, cantaloupe, orange zest and rind, with a light bitter finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Aroma and flavours were a little one dimensional, but it was still quite nice as it was balanced.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Czech Republic, Lager - Märzen / Oktoberfest, Métaphore x Pivovar Lajka

Métaphore x Lajka Mars 2021

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Brewery: Métaphore x Pivovar Lajka
Country: Czech Republic
ABV: 5.5%
Style: Lager – Märzen / Oktoberfest

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Märzen beer with local organic spelt. Brewed in March and aged in a cellar till October in freshly emptied biodynamic Pinot Noir barrels from Burgundy. Brewed with organic local malt, hops and raw spelt. Homage to those early times, when beers were made in a season for the season and the notion of time had a different meaning. A collaboration with dear friend Jan K. of Pivovar Lajka with whom we share the mutual love for the classic and rustic beers. Here we present you with Mars. The resulting beer is the reflection of the love of both brewers for classic beers and their affinity for delicately rustic beers. Not quite Märzen, not quite Bière de Garde. This malty little rustic beer with a sense of time and place is ready for you to enjoy here and now.

My rating: 3+
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.85
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.7

Intro: A 750ml bottle, with a best before date of 1st November 2022. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A clear dark copper amber colour with a two finger white head that had excellent retention and left lots of nice lacing.
Aroma: Sweet malty, caramel, apple, red wine grapes, and wood.
Taste: Sweet malt, bready, caramel, plums, with light vinous notes.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Easy drinking with the Pinot Noir barrels making an interesting impact on the aroma and flavours.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Finback Brewery, IPA - New England / Hazy Double, USA

Finback Oscillation 030

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Brewery: Finback Brewery
Country: USA
ABV: 8.5%
Style: New England / Hazy Double IPA
Other Notes: It happened before and it will happen again. Cyclical, multiple, infinite. This is a series of DIPAs, vibrating over and over and over again. Each one different. Each one the same.

Brewer Description: New England DIPA DDH with Simcoe, Mosaic, Zappa, Nelson Sauvin & Strata.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.89
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.8

Intro: A 1 pint can, with no clear canned on or best before date. Poured into a winebar glass.
Appearance: A hazy light orange colour with an almost two finger white head that had decent retention while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Candied tropical fruit, pineapple, mango, pine, and a touch herbal.
Taste: Tropical and citrus fruity, candied fruits, pineapple, mango, papaya, melon, orange, grapefruit peel, light bitterness.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft to moderate carbonation.
Overall: Good flavours and aromas, but a touch on the sweet side for me.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), American Milkshake Double IPA, Beer Reviews, Phase Three Brewing Company x Weldwerks Brewing, USA

Phase Three x Weldwerks Tropical District

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Brewery: Phase Three Brewing Company x Weldwerks Brewing
Country: USA
ABV: 8.2%
Style: IPA – Milkshake Double

Brewer Description: (from can) Milkshake India Pale Ale – guava // coconut // lactose // mosaic // sabro.

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

Intro: A 1 pint can, canned on 5th July 2022. Poured into a winebar glass.
Appearance: A hazy murky orange pinkish colour with a one finger dark orange head that dissipated fairly quickly, while leaving sparse to no lacing.
Aroma: Guava, coconut, papaya, orange, with some cream soda notes.
Taste: Sweet, tropical fruit forward, coconut, guava, pineapple, orange, vanilla, and some booze.
Mouthfeel: Creamy, medium bodied, with soft carbonation.
Overall: The aroma was nice and I would love to see guava in beer more. But perhaps the combination of the sweet, richness and some booze, did not make it entirely easy drinking.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, England, Mills Brewing, Wild Ale

Mills Still

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Brewery: Mills Brewing
Country: England
ABV: 4.2%
Style: Wild Ale
Other Notes: Mills Brewing make beer with minimal modern intervention, relying on local wild yeast cultures and the influence of nature to ferment.

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Still is a single barrel bottling of four year old beer, brewed in March 2018. The wort was made using a turbid mash and underwent an extended boil with large quantities of aged hops. After two nights in our coolship, the wort was transferred to a single 500 litre barrel for four years fermentation and maturation. The resulting beer was bottled still without carbonation.

My rating: 3-
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.43
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.3

Intro: A 750ml corked and capped bottle, bottled in March 2022, with a best before date of March 2032. Poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A clear copper orange colour with pretty much no head and no lacing.
Aroma: Funky, oak, orange zest, and green apple.
Taste: Funky, tart, sour, cheesy, leather, light apricot, with a citrus zesty bitter finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with no carbonation.
Overall: Aroma was nice, but I definitely missed the carbonation, which I feel affected the taste and the overall experience for me, but as per the name, I knew what I was getting into.