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

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Harviestoun Brewery, Old Ale, Scotland

Harviestoun Ola Dubh 10th Anniversary

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Brewery: Harviestoun Brewery
Country: Scotland
ABV: 8%
Style: English Old Ale
Other Notes: Ale matured in whisky casks for a full two years. Special twelve year old reserve barrels – Highland Park

Brewer Description: (from bottle) This unique, tenth anniversary edition is aged for a full two years (three times longer than normal) in casks formerly used to mature Highland Park’s legendary 12 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky, allowing even more whisky flavours to imbue the ale. Let’s toast a decade of barrel-aged brewing – Slainte!

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

Intro: A 330ml foiled and capped bottle, bottle no. 09925, bottled in October 2017, and best before end of February 2021. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: A clear dark brown colour with pretty much no head and only very sparse spotted lacing.
Aroma: Chocolate, whisky, raisin, fig, wood, caramel, with light peat and smoke.
Taste: Watery, whisky, roasted malts, chocolate, raisin, caramel, fig, dried fruit, with light roast and smoke.
Mouthfeel: Light bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: My first impression was that the body was so light that it drank like watered down whisky. It was better after it warmed as the complexity and roastiness came out and balanced the wateriness to the point that it was ok and drinkable. I easily preferred the Special Reserve 21 version though, but I am looking forward to trying the other varieties. A heavier body would have improved this.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Belgian Quadrupel, Stone Brewing Co., USA

Stone Stochasticity Project Quadrotriticale

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Brewery: Stone Brewing Co.
Country: USA
ABV: 9.3%
Style: Belgian Quadrupel
Other Notes: Malts – Pilsner and Flaked Triticale. Belgian Yeast – Ardennes Strain. Special Ingredients – Dark Candi Sugar

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Trappist ales as we know them have a proud lineage dating back nearly a century. Rather than follow the footsteps of the monks who forged the quadruple – the warmest and darkest of monastery offerings – we aimed to test its inherent makeup. In doing so, we added triticale, a hybrid grain combining the pleasant flavor of wheat with the elemental durability and spice of rye, to breathe new life into the malt bill. Because of this, this reimagined brew comes across differently than its classic Belgian predecessors, and beautifully so. Lower in sweetness, but rich with flavors mirroring dried fruit, it’s a modern interpretation of one of the most historically sacred styles on Earth.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.68
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.5

Intro: A 22 fl. oz. bomber, bottled on 9th June 2014. Poured into a Chimay goblet glass.
Appearance: A clear brown orangey colour (almost rusty) with a thin beige head that settled to a very thin layer over the top with nice curtain like lacing.
Aroma: Plum, prune skin, grape juice, caramel, toasted toffee with hints of clove and banana.
Taste: Sweet, toasted caramel, plum skin, prunes, grape juice and hints of booze.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Aroma was great, and while the taste wasn’t bad, it was perhaps too sweet for my taste.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Knee Deep Brewing Company, Porter - Imperial, USA

Knee Deep Imperial Tanilla

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Brewery: Knee Deep Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 10%
Style: American Imperial Porter
Other Notes: 48 IBUs. Imperial Porter brewed with vanilla beans

Brewer Description: (from can) Imperial Porter brewed with vanilla beans, which compliments this wonderfully balanced yet full-bodied brew with aromas of chocolate, vanilla and espresso.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.53
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.4

Intro: A 12 fl. oz. can with no canned on or best before date. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: A deep dark brown colour with a nice two finger beige to light tanned head that had pretty good retention and left lots of nice lacing.
Aroma: Light roast, coke, chocolate and light smoke.
Taste: Roasted malts, chocolate, cocoa, coffee, light herbal and light bitterness.
Mouthfeel: Moderately creamy, medium bodied with low carbonation.
Overall: This was ok. The roastiness, chocolate and coffee base was good, but the herbal and bitterness didn’t do anything for me. I was also hoping for the vanilla to really come through, whereas I pretty much did not get any in the end.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Knee Deep Brewing Company, Stout - Milk / Sweet, USA

Knee Deep Stoutello

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Brewery: Knee Deep Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 6%
Style: Milk / Sweet Stout
Other Notes: 40 IBUs. Chocolate Hazelnut Milk Stout

Brewer Description: (from can) Stout brewed with cacao nibs and natural flavor added.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.75
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.6

Intro: A 1 pint can with no canned on or best before date. Poured into a Spiegelau Stout glass.
Appearance: Dark dark brown in colour with a two finger mocha brown head that had pretty good retention while leaving behind some lacing.
Aroma: Roasty, nutty, hazelnut, chocolate and mocha.
Taste: Moderate sweetness, chocolate, light roasted malts, coffee, hazelnut, lightly bitter finish.
Mouthfeel: Rich, smooth, medium bodied with moderate to low carbonation.
Overall: Aromas were great while taste was decent. I think that if the roastiness and nuttiness could have been stronger, it would have been even better.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), American IPA, Beer Reviews, Denmark, Mikkeller ApS

Mikkeller Henry & Sally’s IPA

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Brewery: Mikkeller ApS
Country: Denmark
ABV: 6%
Style: American IPA
Other Notes: Brewed by Mikkeller at Gweilo Brewery, Hong Kong

Brewer Description: Not much in the way of official description I could find.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.43
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.4

Intro: A 330ml can, with a best before date of 2nd November 2019. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A moderately hazy golden yellow colour with a two finger white head that had decent retention while leaving some nice lacing.
Aroma: Lemon tea, apricot, lemon zest, pine and grass.
Taste: Grapefruit, apricot, floral, pine, lemon zest and grass.
Mouthfeel: Medium to light bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: An easy drinking IPA, although the floral notes weren’t my favourite. The one good thing was that Mikkeller brewing some of their recipes in Hong Kong means it should be easier to get some fresher beers.