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

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), 8 Wired Brewing Co., Beer Reviews, Belgian Quadrupel, New Zealand

8 Wired Grand Cru 2011

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Brewery: 8 Wired Brewing Co.
Country: New Zealand
ABV: 11%
Style: Belgian Quadrupel
Other Notes: 2011 vintage. Pinot Noir barrel aged Strong Ale. Brewed with sultanas and funk

Brewer Description: (from bottle) This beer has been made with a little more love, care and attention than most other beers. After brewing this Belgian-inspired ale with a large dose of sultanas, we aged it in Pinot Noir barrels for more than a year. The barrel aging has added some funky sourness to an already very fruity beer, thanks to native micro flora left behind in the wood. If I should describe this beer with one word, it would be “vinous”. In fact, this may be the most wine-like beer I’ve ever tasted. So, maybe calling it “Grand Cru” – a classic wine descriptor – isn’t as preposterous as some wine snobs might claim it to be?

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.81
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.7

Intro: A 375ml bottle, 2011 vintage, and poured into a Chimay goblet.
Appearance: A cloudy dark rusty red brown colour with a just over one finger tanned head that dissipates slowly to a thin replenishing layer while leaving nice curtain lacing.
Aroma: Red wine, grape and raisin with hints of vinegar and tart cherry.
Taste: Tart and sour cherry, vinegar, lots of dark fruit, grape, plum and raisins, vinous red wine with hints of chocolate and a light black coffee bitterness on the finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: This was pretty good and definitely complex. However, lately I’ve tried quite a few wine barrel aged beers, and I’m thinking that perhaps it’s not my thing in that I don’t feel wine barrels add anything better to the base beer. It’s solid, but perhaps not “Grand Cru”.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Belgian Pale Ale, Denmark, Mikkeller ApS

Mikkeller Årh Hvad?!

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Brewery: Mikkeller ApS
Country: Denmark
ABV: 6.8%
Style: Belgian Pale Ale
Other Notes: Brewed & bottled by Mikkeller at De Proef Brouwerij

Brewer Description: (from Mikkeller blog) Originally created as a tribute to one of Mikkeller’s favourite beers, Årh Hvad is a great accompaniment to cheeses. A Belgian Ale with cloudy amber colour and white head. The taste is a combination of pepper, malt and hops. Årh Hvad finishes with notes of strawberries and nutty malt and a light hopped grapefruit finish.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.62
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.5

Intro: A 330ml bottle with a best before date of 23rd October 2023. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A hazy dark orange, copper, amber colour with a huge two finger fluffy off white head that kept growing out the glass with great retention and lots of sticky lacing.
Aroma: Tart berries, brett, funky, grape with hints of white wine and citrusy mandarin, orange on the back end.
Taste: Lightly sour to start with berries, plum, orange, pine, pepper spice and florally with a lightly bitter finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium to light bodied with low to moderate carbonation.
Overall: This was interesting as it was created as a tribute to Orval, and while there are some similarities, I still preferred Orval (which I had side by side) and which I felt had a smoother and better flavour profile.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Scotch Ale / Wee Heavy, Scotland, Tempest Brewing Co.

Tempest Old Parochial

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Brewery: Tempest Brewing Co.
Country: Scotland
ABV: 10%
Style: Scotch Ale
Other Notes: Barrel aged Imperial Scotch ale. Hops – Waimea

Brewer Description: (from website) Nostalgia and Celebration in a bottle. Raise a glass to the art of barrel aging with this rich, complex imperial scotch ale aged in Craigellachie barrels. Smoke, stone fruit, and caramel blend together on the palate with warming hum of whisky.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.64
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.4

Intro: A 330ml bottle with a best before date of 28th December 2018. Poured into a snifter.
Appearance: A cloudy brown colour with quite a bit of small to tiny sediment, a thin tanned head that dissipated quickly and some sparse spotty lacing.
Aroma: Sweet, malty, caramel, dark dried fruit, wood with some light smoke and alcohol.
Taste: Roasted malts, caramel, wood, vanilla and smoke. There is some whisky character, and light sweet dark dried fruit, mostly prunes and raisins.
Mouthfeel: Full bodied with light carbonation.
Overall: I find that not many beers taste better than its aroma, but this beer falls in that category. The sweetness coming from the aroma kind of put me off a bit. But this was not the case when I tasted it as the barrel character was clearly the main attraction (smoke, vanilla, wood) and it was a good thing (for me), that the sweetness of the dried fruit was only in the background.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), American IPA, Beer Reviews, Hong Kong, Young Master Brewery

Young Master Panama Fruit Bomb Coffee IPA

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Brewery: Young Master Brewery
Country: Hong Kong
ABV: 6.4%
Style: American IPA
Other Notes: 64 IBUs

Brewer Description: (from bottle) (my summary) Brewed in collaboration with 18 Grams Specialty Coffee using Panamanian Finca Ziska.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.4
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.3

Intro: A 330ml bottle with a best before date of 30th September 2017. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A clear copper colour with a nice two finger white head that had great retention and lots of sticky lacing.
Aroma: Ground coffee beans with some kind of nuttiness I can’t quite work out as the grapefruit and light floral aromas keep trying to push through. Doesn’t seem to quite mix together here.
Taste: Sweet-ish malt to begin, followed by freshly shelled peanuts and a lightly bitter grapefruit and pine finish.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: I’d be interested to try freshly ground Panama Finca Ziska coffee to see what it tastes like as I’m a little perplexed as to the peanut aroma and taste, which I can only assume comes from the coffee and I’m guessing, unintentional. In addition, I feel that the fruitiness is coming from the hops and not the coffee, despite the name. Lately I’ve found that coffee in IPAs seem to change taste pretty fast and are best consumed fresh as soon as possible. Maybe something happened in this case, but I do believe the bottle is quite fresh (less than 3 weeks?). But this is why I prefer bottled on dates instead of best before dates. Anyway, it’s worth a try if you can get it fresh.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), All In Brewing, Beer Reviews, Stout - Imperial, Sweden

All In Hustle Imperial Stout

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Brewery: All In Brewing
Country: Sweden
ABV: 9.8%
Style: American Imperial Stout
Other Notes: Brewed by All In Brewing at West Coast Bryggeri, Sweden

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Hazelnut Imperial Stout.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.02
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.8

Intro: A 330ml bottle with a best before date of 13th March 2019. Poured into a snifter.
Appearance: It was black in colour with a one finger dark khaki head that dissipates fairly slowly and leaves spotty lacing.
Aroma: Chocolate, roast malts and hazelnuts with hints of coffee.
Taste: Sweet chocolate, vanilla and hazelnuts with a hint of molasses and dark fruit and a light black coffee bitter finish.
Mouthfeel: Slick, medium bodied with low carbonation.
Overall: This was quite nice although the body was lighter than I hoped for.