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

Cloudwater Here’s Another Thing To Think About

Brewery: Cloudwater Brew Co.
Country: England
ABV: 8%
Style: American Double IPA
Other Notes: Aroma & Flavour – Orange pulp and dried apricot, leading to pithy grapefruit and big, sticky pine notes. Body – Clean and smooth with a restrained sweetness followed by a long, dry and bitter finish. Aftertaste – Lingering pine, pithy citrus and resinous hop notes

Brewer Description: (from can) Think about a Californian sunset. Think about a lush, dense, coniferous forest. Or let all thoughts gradually slip from your head as you savour this bold, yet clean and deceptively drinkable, West Coast-style Imperial IPA.

Bright & resinous. Punchy yet clean, balancing bold hop flavours and subtle sweetness with a dry, bitter finish.

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

Intro: A 440ml can, canned on 11th March 2020, and a freshest flavour before date of 30th May 2020. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A slightly hazy golden colour with a two finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly, but left some thick fluffy lacing.
Aroma: Orange, doughy, stone fruit, grapefruit zest, papaya, and notes of pine.
Taste: Lightly bitter and lightly sweet, orange pulp, citrus pith and zest, piney, with a light dry spicy finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: An interesting West Coast Double IPA with a nice balance between sweet and bitter.

Cloudwater Small Pale

Brewery: Cloudwater Brew Co.
Country: England
ABV: 2.5%
Style: American Pale Ale
Other Notes: Aroma & Flavour – Juicy tangerine and zesty grapefruit, soft white peach and resinous hop notes. Body – Medium-bodied and velvety with soft carbonation. Aftertaste – Lingering juicy orange and peach with a light, peppery bitterness

Brewer Description: (from can) This beer combines our love of British beer heritage and the technical challenges of brewing lower-strength beer that’s big-bodied and full-flavoured. This is a great choice for times when you’re taking it easy, but still want a big hoppy hit from a dry-hopping rate most commonly seen in much stronger beers.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.42
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.2

Intro: A 440ml can, canned on 4th March 2020, and a freshest flavour before date of 24th May 2020. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A hazy straw golden yellow colour with a two finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly and left only sparse lacing.
Aroma: Aromas are a bit weak, but there is sweet mandarin and citrus zest.
Taste: Biscuit malt, lightly bitter, orange, citrus zest, notes of unripe mango, and hints of pepper.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Aromas and flavours were not as strong as I hoped for, and the regular Pale Ale at 3.7% abv just seemed more crushable to me with what I felt was a lighter body and more spritzy carbonation.

Cloudwater Pale Ale

Brewery: Cloudwater Brew Co.
Country: England
ABV: 3.7%
Style: American Pale Ale
Other Notes: Aroma & Flavour – Mango, pineapple and tangerine, with a light, lasting malt character. Body – Light to medium body with spritzy carbonation. Aftertaste – Soft and juicy orange, low bitterness

Brewer Description: (from can) Our Pale Ale is a beer for everyday moments, whether it’s a conversation with friends or quiet relaxation after work, and aims to provide balance between bold flavour and easy drinkability. It’s full of rounded tropical fruit flavours with a soft, juicy finish and low bitterness.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.75
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.5

Intro: A 440ml can, canned on 2nd March 2020, and a freshest flavour before date of 22nd May 2020. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A hazy darkish orange colour with a two finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly but left some nice lacing.
Aroma: Sweet mandarin, orange, with notes of mango, pineapple and grass.
Taste: Orange, biscuit, malty, with notes of tropical fruit, and a lightly bitter finish.
Mouthfeel: Light bodied with moderate spritzy carbonation.
Overall: Light and refreshing for a hot day. Maltiness is a bit strong and the fruit kind of gets lost in this.

Carbon Brews x Heroes Hot Solo

Brewery: Carbon Brews x Heroes Beer Co.
Country: Hong Kong
ABV: 9.3%
Style: American Imperial Stout
Other Notes: 51 IBUs. Malts – Pale, Oats, Wheat, Carafa st2, Carafa st3, Carared, Carabohemian and Chocolate. Hops – Ekg and Sabro. Yeast – Chico. Others – Lactose, Cacao, Nutmeg, Cinnamon, Vanilla and Chipotle. Experience – Dark chocolate, cinnamon, chipotle

Brewer Description: (from can) BA Mexican hot chocolate stout.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.79
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.7

Intro: A 330ml can, with a best before date of 23rd July 2020. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Black in colour with a one finger tanned head that dissipated fairly quickly and left some sparse spotty lacing.
Aroma: Milk chocolate, vanilla, oak, and a touch of spice, maybe its cinnamon.
Taste: Smoked milk chocolate, vanilla, oak, bourbon, leather, and a light chili spice on the throat.
Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Much better than Cherrbacca (which was released on the same day) in my opinion. Imperial Stouts with a splash of chili spice usually works for me, and continues to do so here. More roast and less pastry, and I’d probably like it even more.

Carbon Brews x Heroes Cherrbacca

Brewery: Carbon Brews x Heroes Beer Co.
Country: Hong Kong
ABV: 9.6%
Style: American Imperial Stout
Other Notes: 51 IBUs. Malts – Pale, Oats, Wheat, Carafa st2, Carafa st3, Carared, Carabohemian and Chocolate. Hops – Ekg and Sabro. Yeast – Chico. Others – Lactose, Cacao, Cherry and Vanilla. Experience – Cherry, dark fruits, vanilla, chocolate

Brewer Description: (from can) BA black forest cake stout.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.42
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.3

Intro: A 330ml can, with a best before date of 23rd July 2020. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Dark dark brown to black in colour with a one finger tanned head that had good retention and left some nice spotty lacing.
Aroma: Roasty, chocolate, vanilla, artificial cherry, oak, and light cherry and rubber notes.
Taste: Light roast, chocolate cake, vanilla, light bourbon spice, with hints of dark fruit.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Not too sweet, so that’s a good thing, and there’s chocolate cake, but I’m not really getting black forest. I’m not fond of the cherry addition here and I think that it could have been a better Milk Stout or something, without the cherry.