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

Stone Fyodor

– aka Stone Imperial Russian Stout – Bourbon Barrel (ratebeer)
– aka Stone Fyodor’s Classic (2017) (untappd)

Brewery: Stone Brewing Co.
Country: USA
ABV: 13.5%
Style: Russian Imperial Stout
Other Notes: 43 IBUs. Small Batch Series. 2017 Series, Batch No.02. Stone Imperial Russian Stout aged in Bourbon Barrels. Brewed July 17, 2016, Stone Imperial Russian Stout is a thick, rich and sinful beer that’s heavy on the palate and massively aromatic with notes of anise, black currants, coffee and roastiness. Malts – Roasted Barley, Pale Malt, Amber Malt and Black Malt. Hops – Warrior. Unfiltered and aged 14 months in American Oak Kentucky Bourbon Barrels

Brewer Description: (from bottle) This profoundly complexed beer will overwhelm all but the most stalwart beer fanatics with its level of intensity. Rich coffee, bitter and milk chocolate characteristics abound, while dark charred oak, rich vanilla and caramel from the bourbon barrels synergistically elevate and further enhance the ultra-intense taste of the original beer. The name we chose for this heady creation “Fyodor”, is a tip of the hat to Fyodor Dostoyevsky, one of the greatest, most influential novelists of Russia’s Golden Age.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.69
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.6

Intro: A 500ml corked and caged bottle, 2017 Series, Batch No.02, bottled in October 2017. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: It poured black in colour with a thin brown head that dissipated almost immediately and left only sparse to no lacing.
Aroma: Roasted malts, chocolate, dark fruits, prunes, raisins, molasses, oak, with touches of bourbon and vanilla.
Taste: Sweet, boozy, bourbon, light roast, chocolate, coffee, molasses, dark fruit, plum, prunes, raisins.
Mouthfeel: Full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Sweet and boozy, which is not a preferable combination for me as I find it too rich, and not easy to drink, even if just sipping. I preferred Stone Mikhail a lot more as I felt that was much more balanced.

Gweilo x Culmination Fruitburst

Brewery: Gweilo Brewery x Culmination Brewing
Country: Hong Kong
ABV: 5.8%
Style: Fruit Beer
Other Notes: 15 IBUs. Collaboration with Culmination

Brewer Description: (from can) Brewed with our friends at Culmination Brewing, Fruitburst is a beer erupting with tart tropical fruits. We’ve used a light wheat base and pumped it full of guava, peach and passionfruit purees shipped over from Culmination’s home state of Oregon. The result is a juicy burst of fruit with a tangy kick.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.65
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.5

Intro: A 330ml can with a best before date of 20th August 2020. Poured into a Holy Mountain tulip glass.
Appearance: A cloudy peachy orange colour with quite a bit of sediment. A big three finger white head that dissipated quite quickly and only left some sparse lacing.
Aroma: Fruity, guava, unripe banana, peach, apricot, and passionfruit.
Taste: Fruity, moderate to light sweetness, guava, passionfruit, tangy.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate to light carbonation.
Overall: Enjoyable aroma, and the simple fruity flavours were pretty good.

Gweilo x Mikkeller Skyline IPA

Brewery: Gweilo Brewery x Mikkeller ApS
Country: Hong Kong
ABV: 5.5%
Style: New England / Hazy IPA
Other Notes: 25 IBUs. Collaboration with Mikkeller. Collectively redefining

Brewer Description: (from can) Brewed with our friends at Mikkeller, Skyline IPA delivers a huge hit of citrus, backed up by subtle notes of pineapple and mango. These intense flavours are the result of a 25g/L dry hop of Amarillo, Azacca and Galena. We use wheat, oats and London Ale yeast to give Skyline a juicy mouthfeel.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.7
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.4

Intro: A 330ml can with a best before date of 4th September 2020. Poured into a Holy Mountain tulip glass.
Appearance: Poured a hazy golden orange colour with a two finger white head that had decent retention and left some nice lacing.
Aroma: Tropical and citrusy fruit forward. Mango, pineapple, orange juice and grapefruit zest.
Taste: Fruity, unripe mango, moderate bitterness, citrusy orange rind, grapefruit zest, spicy hop burn on the finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, moderate carbonation, rather uncomfortable spicy hop burn finish.
Overall: Great aroma, but taste and mouthfeel were affected by a rather uncomfortable hop burn, which is quite strange for me since I’m usually ok with hop burn and don’t necessarily consider it a problem. In this case though, the spiciness definitely affected my enjoyment.

Mikkeller Spontan Nelson

Brewery: Mikkeller ApS
Country: Denmark
ABV: 7.3%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: Brewed by Mikkeller at De Proef Brouwerij, Belgium

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Blended Wild Ale aged in oak barrels.

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

Intro: A 750ml bottle with a best before date of 17th March 2026. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A cloudy amber orange colour with an almost three finger off white head that had decent retention while leaving some nice lacing.
Aroma: Funky, brett, white wine, grapes, oak, green apple and a touch herbal.
Taste: Light sour, funky, brett, oak, lemon peel, light bitterness, with hints of wine, grapes and apple peel.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate to soft carbonation.
Overall: This was interesting. I preferred the aroma more than the taste though, as there was some bitter notes that weren’t my favourite. Still worth a try.

To Øl LikeWeisse (Director’s Cut)

Brewery: To Øl
Country: Denmark
ABV: 10.5%
Style: Sour Ale
Other Notes: Brewed & bottled by To Øl at De Proef Brouwerij, Belgium

Brewer Description: (from bottle) We bring to you a director’s cut version of our Berliner Weisse “LikeWeisse”. This is the absolute extended version where all the obscure details are present and the pure essence is presented to you. This is a 10.5% ABV dry hopped wheat sour ale.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.44
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.2

Intro: A 375ml foiled, corked and caged bottle, with a best before date of 26th February 2020. Poured into a Holy Mountain tulip glass.
Appearance: A murky cloudy copper colour with a very thin sparse clear head and no lacing.
Aroma: Lightly tart, sour, barleywine-ish, dark fruit, plum, prunes, apple juice, grapes, caramel and toffee.
Taste: Sour, light tartness, dark fruit, plum, prunes, apple juice, grape, syrupy, oak, lemon, lightly malty.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Possibly past it’s prime, but still within best before date. Doesn’t feel anywhere near 10.5% ABV as the alcohol is well hidden. Carbonation was way too soft for my liking and was my main negative.