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

De Dochter van de Korenaar Embrasse Blended Oak Aged

Brewery: Brouwerij De Dochter van de Korenaar
Country: Belgium
ABV: 9%
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale
Other Notes: Aged in whiskey barrels

Brewer Description: (from website) Embrasse matures four to six months in whiskey barrels. For the blended oak aged Embrasse non-peated whiskey barrels are used. By barrel aging the beer it takes the rich tones of the whiskey and the beer gets a softer and fuller taste.

My rating: 3+
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.93
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.8

Intro: A 330ml bottle with a notched best before end date of I think July 2022. Poured into a Chimay goblet glass.
Appearance: Dark brown in colour with a one finger beige head that had decent retention, before settling to a thin replenishing cap, while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Roasted malts, chocolate, dried dark fruit, raisin, fig, caramel.
Taste: Roasty, coffee, dark chocolate, bittersweet, caramel, whiskey, with notes of dried dark fruits.
Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with moderate to soft carbonation.
Overall: Nice bittersweet flavours with the roastiness, coffee and chocolate coming through nicely.

Double A Geuzelique

Brewery: Double A Brewing
Country: Russia
ABV: 7%
Style: Wild Ale
Other Notes: Ageing time – 3 years. 650 bottles produced

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Sour ale aged in oak with fresh basil.

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

Intro: A 375ml corked and capped bottle, bottled on 12th September 2021. Poured into a red wine glass.
Appearance: A hazy dark copper colour with a very thin off white head that dissipated quickly and left only sparse to no lacing.
Aroma: Sweet, basil, red berries, oak, with notes of vinegar.
Taste: Sweet, a touch sour, basil, red berries, with a touch of oak and balsamic vinegar.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: The basil is strong and obvious, but each sip makes me think of pesto, which while not bad, was a little too savoury for me.

Double A Munt & Dragon

Brewery: Double A Brewing
Country: Russia
ABV: 7%
Style: Wild Ale
Other Notes: Ageing time – 3 years. 650 bottles produced

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Sour ale aged in oak with mint and estragon.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.62
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.5

Intro: A 375ml corked and capped bottle, bottled on 1st September 2021. Poured into a red wine glass.
Appearance: A hazy dark golden orange colour with a thin white head that dissipated fairly quickly, while leaving some spotty lacing.
Aroma: Mint, tarragon, acetone, nail varnish, with notes of oak.
Taste: Sweet and sour, mint, tarragon, oak, with a touch of vinegar.
Mouthfeel: Medium to light bodied with moderate to soft carbonation.
Overall: An interesting use of herbs, as the mint and tarragon come through nicely. However, I’m not sure why, but there was a strong acetone/nail varnish aroma that was quite overpowering and definitely a bit distracting from the rest of the beer.

Westbrook 7th Anniversary – Chocolate & Sea Salt Imperial Stout

Brewery: Westbrook Brewing Co.
Country: USA
ABV: 9.5%
Style: Stout – Imperial
Other Notes: 7th Anniversary

Brewer Description: (from bottle) For our 7th Anniversary beer we went big on the chocolate and added a little sea salt to make it interesting. Luscious notes of liquid cocoa and a smooth salinity make this beer deliciously decadent.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.95
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.8

Intro: A 22 fl. oz. bomber, bottled on 27th November 2017. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Dark dark brown to black in colour with a very thin brown head that dissipated quickly while leaving some spotty lacing.
Aroma: Roasty, chocolate, cocoa, dark fruit, prunes, vanilla, cream.
Taste: Light roast, moderately sweet, chocolate, cocoa, prunes, dates, with vanilla and caramel notes.
Mouthfeel: Creamy, full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: A nice sipper although the prune and dates flavours were a little sweet and syrupy for me.

Craftbros LIFE New England IPA – Skateboard

Brewery: Craftbros Brewing Co.
Country: South Korea
ABV: 6.5%
Style: New England / Hazy IPA
Other Notes: 29 IBUs. LIFE cover published on May 14th, 1965 featuring Pat McGee doing handstand on the newest trend item, a skateboard. Photographed by Bill Eppridge

Brewer Description: (from can) Much of it is in Korean, but what I do get is, Double Dry-Hopped with Nelson Sauvin and Wai-iti.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.94
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.8

Intro: A 500ml can, canned on 9th May 2022, poured into a winebar glass.
Appearance: A hazy pale orange colour with a one finger white head that had good retention and left nice lacing.
Aroma: Grassy and melon notes lead, followed by a wave of citrus, mostly grapefruit zest and rind, and maybe notes of grapes.
Taste: Juicy, lightly bitter, melon forward, grapefruit zest, orange and grass.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Good thirst quenching and easy to drink. Glad we’re getting them fresh in Hong Kong. Looking forward to trying more from them.