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

Beavertown Bloody ‘Ell

Brewery: Beavertown Brewery
Country: England
ABV: 7.2%
Style: American IPA
Other Notes: Blood Orange IPA. 55 IBUs. Malts – Extra Pale. Hops – Magnum, Citra, Simcoe and Amarillo

Brewer Description: (from website) A smack of citrus with hints of warm blood orange aromas brought on by refined malt bill and loads of juicy hops. All hail Bloody ‘Ell.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.63
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.5

Intro: A 330ml can with a best before date of 17th July 2017. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A lightly hazy golden yellow orange colour with a two finger white head that had pretty good retention and left nice lacing.
Aroma: Mandarin and orange rind with hints of pine and grapefruit.
Taste: Sweetish and zesty orange and mandarin with a hint of honeydew and pine. Finish is lightly lasting bitterness.
Mouthfeel: Lightly crisp, medium to light bodied with moderate to light carbonation.
Overall: Nicely refreshing for a hot summer day and surprised that it’s 7.2% ABV as it definitely doesn’t feel that high. For me, I would have preferred slightly more carbonation and a stronger bitterness though.

Young Master Ich Bin Ein Lichtenhainer

Brewery: Young Master Brewery
Country: Hong Kong
ABV: 4.7%
Style: German Lichtenhainer
Other Notes: Smokey Sour. 19 IBUs. Malts – Pilsner, Beechwood Smoked Barley and Wheat. Hops – Noble Style Hops

Brewer Description: (from website) Recreation of an ancient beer style that until recently was all but forgotten, “Ich Bin Ein Lichtenhainer” is savory yet refreshing. It starts off with a nose of charred beechwood with a backdrop of lactic tartness. This interplay between smoke and acidity continues on the palate and ultimately finishes dry. Despite big, complex flavors its surprisingly sessionable. It takes a few sips to get to know the unique personality of this beer, then it becomes moreish and the next day flavors haunt. It is a great food beer with acidity acting as a counter-balance to fat and sweetness while the smoke stands up to robust flavors and takes it up a notch. Pair it with pork belly, grilled meat, apple pie, maple donuts or over-ripe washed rind cheese.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.58
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.6

Intro: A 946ml crowler, filled on 25th May 2017. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A clear golden yellow colour with a two finger white head that had pretty good retention and left nice lacing.
Aroma: Smokiness mixed in with hints of passionfruit like tartness.
Taste: Similar to the aroma but the other way around with fruity tartness mixed with hints of smoke and a light lemon finish.
Mouthfeel: Light bodied, moderate to high carbonation with a dry-ish finish.
Overall: If you aren’t familiar with this style, its aroma and taste of smoke and tartness is unique and takes a while to get used to. The more I drank, the more I grew to like this beer, to the point where I felt that the smoke and fruity tartness blended well together. Nice and easy to drink.

Young Master Cha Chaan Teng Gose

Brewery: Young Master Brewery
Country: Hong Kong
ABV: 4.5%
Style: Gose – Fruit
Other Notes: 18 IBUs. Malts – Barley and Wheat. Hops – Noble style hops

Brewer Description: (from website) A classic sour and salty Gose brewed with salted lime commonly found in local Cha Chaan Tengs in Hong Kong and often served with lemon sodas. A perfect refreshing respite from the local humid weather, this beer will please beer geeks and novices alike. We kettle soured it with probiotic bacteria for a day, fermented it with ale yeast and matured with some salted lime.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.55
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.4

Intro: A 946ml crowler, filled on 25th May 2017. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku.
Appearance: A clear pale golden copper colour with an almost two finger white head that dissipated quickly to nothing, and no lacing.
Aroma: Tart, sour, salted lime, lemon, bready malt and wheat.
Taste: Sour and salty, mainly salted lime and lemon with strong bready malt and wheatiness.
Mouthfeel: Medium-light bodied with only moderate to light carbonation.
Overall: Nice and refreshing especially for a hot summers day. If you haven’t tried it before, the salted lime may take some getting used to. But luckily, I’ve grown up with it. The one thing for me is that this would have been even better with higher carbonation.

Against The Grain 35K

Brewery: Against The Grain Brewery
Country: USA
ABV: 7%
Style: Milk / Sweet Stout
Other Notes: 25.5 IBUs

Brewer Description: (from can) Wiggity Woooo! We’re putting in a swimming pool! And if there’s enough left over, we’re gonna fly you all down here to help us dedicate it. This is not your typical ‘Jelly of the Month Club’ milk stout. This stout is silky, smooth, and sweet. And it’s worth the $35K, but you can only have a little ‘cause the rest is ours!

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

Intro: A 1 pint can with no clear canned on or best before date. Poured into a Spiegelau Stout glass.
Appearance: Pours a very dark brown, near black colour with a three finger mocha coloured head after an aggressive pour, that dissipated fairly quickly while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Roasted malts, molasses, coffee and chocolate with a light smokiness.
Taste: Sweet milk coffee that was on the watery side, with a hint of caramel, chocolate, vanilla and maybe smoke.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with low carbonation.
Overall: It’s easy to drink as it’s quite light, but it was also on the watery side. Some stronger coffee or even smokiness would have improved this Stout.

New Belgium x De Koninck Lips of Faith – Flowering Citrus Ale

Brewery: New Belgium Brewing x Brouwerij De Koninck
Country: USA
ABV: 7.4%
Style: Fruit Beer
Other Notes: Ale brewed with hibiscus, rose and citrus fruit

Brewer Description: (from bottle) No need to jet to Antwerp when you can open up a bouquet of Flowering Citrus Ale. Thanks to our friends at De Koninck Brewery, we brewed up a summery ale bursting with key lime and whole lemons that mingle with the fragrance of hibiscus, rose petals and strawberry-tinged Mistral hops. Open up and let Belgian summer bloom.

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

Intro: A 12 fl oz bottle with an enjoy by date of 25th June 2017. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A lightly hazy golden colour with a two finger white head that had decent retention and left lots of nice lacing.
Aroma: Bready malt, honey, citrusy lemon with hints of flowers.
Taste: Tangy and sweet citrusy orange and lemon, bready malt with a light herbal and flowery flavour.
Mouthfeel: Light bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: This was refreshing and very easy to drink. I’m surprised its 7.4% ABV as it felt like something easily under 5%. Great for a hot summers day.