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

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Farmhouse Saison, The Lost Abbey, USA

Lost Abbey Carnevale

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Brewery: The Lost Abbey
Country: USA
ABV: 8%
Style: Belgian Saison
Other Notes: Brett Saison

Brewer Description: (from bottle) For centuries Venetians lightened the dark of winter with an elaborate upending of social order. In donning a disguise for Carnevale, for one night a pauper could become a prince, a learned man a fool, a proper lady a passionate lover… and no one would be wiser. This beer is our tribute to that grand celebration of the unexpected. A saison-style blonde ale with American hops and… well, that’s all you really need to know. Now put on your mask, raise your glass, and toast to the magic of a winter’s night mystery. Lo Carnevale!

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.83
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.7

Intro: A corked and caged 1 pint 9.4 fl. oz. bottle, vintage 2018. Poured into a Holy Mountain tulip glass.
Appearance: A hazy golden orange colour with a big three finger white head that had decent retention but eventually settled to a thin layer, while leaving nice lacing.
Aroma: Pear, apple, bubble gum, Belgian candi sugar, yeast, with floral and spice notes.
Taste: Sweet-ish, Belgian yeast, brett, bubble gum, pear, grapefruit, notes of spice and a touch boozy.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Sweeter and more boozy than I normally prefer, but still very drinkable.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Farmhouse Saison, Germany, Kemker Kultuur

Kemker Schätzken

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Brewery: Kemker Kultuur (Brauerei J. Kemker)
Country: Germany
ABV: 6.3%
Style: Belgian Saison
Other Notes: Dinkelbier edition

Brewer Description: (from bottle in German) Fruchtiges Dinkelbier mit feiner Säuer, in Bordeaux-Fässern gereift.

(translated to English) Fruity spelt beer with fine acidity, aged in Bordeaux barrels.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.74
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.5

Intro: A 750ml bottle, with a best before date of 1st November 2020. Poured into a Holy Mountain tulip glass.
Appearance: A hazy golden dark orange colour with a big three finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly but left lots of lacing.
Aroma: Sour, lemon peel, honey, bready malt, farmhouse funk, with notes of peach and apricot on the finish.
Taste: Light to moderate sweet and sour, bready, lemon peel and zest, farmhouse notes, with a touch of pepper spice.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate but spritzy carbonation.
Overall: Not sure I’m getting much of the Bordeaux barrel, but still enjoyable.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Brazil, Cervejaria Dádiva, Wild Ale

Dádiva Brewer’s Cut

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Brewery: Cervejaria Dádiva
Country: Brazil
ABV: 4.7%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: American Sour

Brewer Description: (from bottle in Portuguese) Acidez lática. Frutas amarelas. Complexidade de brettanomyces. Turbidez média-alta. Coloração laranja escuro, 10 meses de acidificação em barris de Dark Sour.

(translated to English) Lactic acidity. Yellow fruits. Complexity of brettanomyces. Medium-high turbidity. Dark orange colour, 10 months of acidification in barrels of Dark Sour.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.71
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.4

Intro: A 375ml corked and caged bottle, with a best before date of July 2021. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy golden orange colour with suspended sediment and a half finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly and left some sparse spotty lacing.
Aroma: Tart, apricot, plum, oak, with a hint of vinegar.
Taste: Sour, tart, plum, apricot, oak.
Mouthfeel: Medium to light bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: An easy to drink, simple sour. Aroma was nice, but I would have preferred more carbonation as it felt flat to me.

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

Equilibrium South Street Imperium

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Brewery: Equilibrium Brewery
Country: USA
ABV: 8%
Style: New England / Hazy Double IPA
Other Notes: Double India Pale Ale

Brewer Description: (from website) Juice experiments are well underway here to explore some of the new toys we have at our new South Street facility. We had two leading theories on how to best use one of our new toys, both rooted in solid science, preliminary results both looked good… but different. So we thought… lets try both! We brought back the South Street version of the familiar companion set Experimentum and Imperium (Latin for Experiment and Control). Both feature our DIPA sized 2-Row Fractal fermentation, fractal grain bill, and a hop bill of Citra, Mosaic, and Sabra. These beers are parallel in recipe but not process. The difference focuses on two distinct uses of an exclusive piece South Street equipment and Experimentum utilizes our coveted Energy treatment process #twovariables. Both beers have a candy-like-tiki-cocktail aroma. South Street Imperium has notes and flavors of assorted citrus, peach, and crushed Pez candy with dank and slightly resinous finish and punchy rollercoaster of #EQJuice. South Street Experimentum offers flavors of bright tropical fruit, deep navel orange characteristics with mango and papaya in a distinctly succulently soft body while and crossing the finish line with our EQJuice. With the same ingredients but two different processes, a showdown is underway. Which one do you prefer?

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.92
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.8

Intro: A 1 pint can, canned on 28th May 2020. Poured into a Holy Mountain tulip glass.
Appearance: A hazy orange colour with a nice two finger white head that had excellent retention and left lots of great lacing.
Aroma: Citrusy orange zest and pith, peach candy, guava, pineapple, with notes of melon.
Taste: Orange, orange juice, with notes of peach gummy candy, dankness, and onion.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Aroma was nice, but taste didn’t quite match for me. I preferred Experimentum just that slightly more.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Bière de Champagne / Bière Brut, Garage Project, New Zealand

Garage Project Pas De Deux

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Brewery: Garage Project
Country: New Zealand
ABV: 11.6%
Style: Bière de Champagne / Bière Brut
Other Notes: Garage Project + Nautilus. Methode Aro Bière 2016

Brewer Description: (from bottle) A duet of perfect unison – strong blonde wort and the finest clear pressed pinot juice from Nautilus Estate’s sparkling vineyard. First blended and fermented together using a mixture of Belgian beer and champagne yeasts, then bottled and allowed to condition ‘sur lie’ for 18 months before being riddled and disgorged in the traditional method. The result of this intricate, painstaking process is a seamless union of beer and sparkling wine. A true pas de deux.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.91
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.7

Intro: A corked and caged 750ml bottle, Methode Aro Bière 2016, poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A lightly hazy golden colour with a one finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly to a thin ring around the glass, while leaving some nice lacing.
Aroma: White grape, grape gummy candy, with ice wine notes.
Taste: Moderately sweet, vinous, white grape, candy sugar, with notes of apple, caramel and booze.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate to low spritzy carbonation.
Overall: This was interesting, maybe more of a sipper for me, as the sweetness and booze combo is not my favourite.