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

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), 8 Wired Brewing Co., Beer Reviews, IPA - New England / Hazy, New Zealand

8 Wired Juice Control

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Brewery: 8 Wired Brewing Co.
Country: New Zealand
ABV: 6.2%
Style: New England / Hazy IPA
Other Notes: Hazy IPA

Brewer Description: (from can) Lose yourself for a minute to the dance of juicy hops, sweet grains and tropical yeast. Let self control fade away to juice control with this gloriously hopped hazy IPA.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.36
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.2

Intro: A 440ml can with a best before date of 23rd January 2020. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A lightly hazy golden colour with a two finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly while leaving some nice sticky lacing.
Aroma: Quite weak, but there’s lemon zest, pear, pineapple, tea, pine with a light floral character.
Taste: Mild flavours, citrus rind, zest, tea, grass, pine with hints of mango. Finish is lightly bitter.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Aroma and taste were really quite weak. There were hints of juice, but that’s about it, just a hint. Flavours and aroma just weren’t strong enough.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), American Pale Ale, Beer Reviews, Cloudwater Brew Co., England

Cloudwater A•W18 Brewed All Season Pale

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Brewery: Cloudwater Brew Co.
Country: England
ABV: 4%
Style: American Pale Ale
Other Notes: Autumn-Winter 18. 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 season-long Pale Ale is a beer for everyday moments, whether it’s conversation with friends or quiet relaxation after work, and aims to provide balance between bold flavour and easy drinkability. It’s full of rounded flavours of mango, pineapple and tangerine with a soft juicy finish and low bitterness.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.62
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.6

Intro: A 440ml can, canned on 28th January 2019. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A lightly hazy golden colour with a two finger white head that had pretty good retention and left some nice fluffy lacing.
Aroma: Pineapple, mandarin peel, soapy, floral with hints of mango.
Taste: Slightly underripe mango, pineapple, citrus rind, lemon zest, with hints of pine and a herbal / floral touch.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Easy drinking but I’m not big on floral notes.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Belgian Strong Dark Ale, Hong Kong, Moonzen Brewery

Moonzen Harvest Moon (Cherry)

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Brewery: Moonzen Brewery
Country: Hong Kong
ABV: 9%
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Harvest Moon (Cherry) is a silky and full-bodied Belgian Strong Ale fermented with cherries, French oak and cocoa. With hints of tawny leaves and withered hedges, all perfectly balanced to enjoy on a cozy day.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.41
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.3

Intro: A 330ml bottle with no clear bottled on or best before date. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A cloudy ruby amber brown colour with a two finger beige head that had good retention, but eventually settled to a nice replenishing layer while leaving some curtain like lacing.
Aroma: Booze, cherry, plum, apple juice, roasty, cocoa.
Taste: Boozy, herbal, lemon, grass, oak with some light roast, plum skin, apple juice and cherry.
Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: I easily preferred the plum version of Harvest Moon more. In this version, the booze and herbs dominate the flavour while the nice dark fruits I was getting in the plum version were only in the background, almost like an afterthought here.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Australia, Beer Reviews, Farmhouse Saison, La Sirène Brewing

La Sirène Farmhouse Red

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Brewery: La Sirène Brewing
Country: Australia
ABV: 6.5%
Style: Belgian Saison
Other Notes: Store upright & decant to a wide brimmed glass

Brewer Description: (from bottle) La Sirène Farmhouse Red (Est 2012) is a refreshing Red Ale that has been co-fermented with organic rose flowers to give this acid-forward beer a fresh floral vibe, coupled with nectarine-like yeast characters. Pouring a wonderful red colour & built upon a solid malt backbone, this artisanal ale exhibits vibrant natural acidity courtesy of the indigenous wild bacteria living within our brewery’s walls.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.61
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.5

Intro: A 375ml bottle, with an enjoy before date of August 2019. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed Zenne glass.
Appearance: A slightly hazy reddish brown colour with a big three finger off white head that had good retention and left some nice spotty lacing.
Aroma: Lightly tart, candied cherry, yoghurt with hints of toffee and balsamic vinegar.
Taste: Lightly sour, tart, mild fruit, cherry, plum, mixed berries, almost like watery red fruit juice.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft to moderate carbonation.
Overall: Nice aroma but taste didn’t quite match. Sour and tartness was good, but the fruit (red fruit, dark fruit, mixed berries), while there, were rather weak. Carbonation was also softer than I’d hope for.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Farmhouse Saison, Hong Kong, Yardley Brothers Brewing

Yardley Brothers Single Batch Red and Oak

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Brewery: Yardley Brothers Brewing
Country: Hong Kong
ABV: 10%
Style: Belgian Saison
Other Notes: 15 IBUs

Brewer Description: (from facebook post) Six-month Cabernet Sauvignon French oak barrel-aged Saision.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.66
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.6

Intro: A nice looking 640ml black bottle that was capped and waxed. Bottle was one out of a total of 250. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy amber copper orange colour with a big three finger off white head that disappeared almost immediately to nothing other than a fast replenishing ring around the glass while leaving no lacing.
Aroma: Tart, grape, plum, fig, apple and wood.
Taste: Tart, lightly sour, plum skin, prunes, apple juice, wine, whisky, oak and some light spice and booze on the finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate fizzy carbonation.
Overall: Self described Saison… well definitely not of the classic type, but perhaps closer to a Belgian Strong Pale Ale. The aroma was nice and made me think of wonderful fruity sours, but taste, while not as fruity, has an interesting light whisky finish.