Category Archives: 4 – Good (buy)

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brouwerij Boon x Mikkeller ApS, Lambic - Gueuze

Boon x Mikkeller Goût Américain Oude Geuze

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Brewery: Brouwerij Boon x Mikkeller ApS
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6.5%
Style: Belgian Lambic (Gueuze)
Other Notes: 100% Boon Lambic. Collaboration between Boon and Mikkeller

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Acetic sting, an off-flavor to us, an acquired taste for others. Such as with this blend of 1, 2 & 3 yr old lambic now, in the past some champagne bottles would be given the name “Goût Americain” (“American taste”) when they were typified by a high amount of volatile acidity. With this in mind, we developed this limited edition both high in acidity while maintaining a delicate balance that is both complex and fruity. Pair this special blend with sharp cheeses or simply as an aperitif.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.99
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.9

Intro: A 750ml corked and caged bottle with a best before date of 19th February 2039. Poured into a Boon stemmed glass.
Appearance: A mostly clear golden colour with a two finger white head that had dissipated quite quickly while leaving only sparse lacing.
Aroma: Funky, barnyard, oak, straw, grass, with hints of apple, lemon peel and apricot.
Taste: Moderate sweetness and acidity, white wine, grapes, oak, straw, lemon, with hints of funk and a touch of sourness on the finish.
Mouthfeel: Dry, medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: It was sweeter and less funkier in taste than I expected, but still refreshingly enjoyable with nice fruity notes of grape and lemon.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Denmark, Mikkeller Baghaven, Wild Ale

Mikkeller Baghaven Polly 2019

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Brewery: Mikkeller Baghaven
Country: Denmark
ABV: 6.8%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: 2019 vintage, aged 36 months

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Blended Danish Wild Ale aged on fresh kiwi berries and guava.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.26
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 750ml corked and caged bottle, 2019 vintage, bottle 425 of 500, with a best before date of March 2029. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy golden colour with a big two and a half finger white head that dissipated quickly and left only sparse lacing.
Aroma: Tart, light funk, fruity, guava, stone fruit, peach, oak and acetone.
Taste: Sour, tart, acidic, guava, stone fruit, peach, kiwi, oak, and a hint of funk.
Mouthfeel: Dry, medium bodied with moderate to high carbonation.
Overall: Nice easy drinking Wild Ale with good tropical fruit notes especially guava.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Hong Kong, Wild Ale, Young Master Brewery

Young Master The Grand Master

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Brewery: Young Master Brewery
Country: Hong Kong
ABV: 7.3%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: 5 IBUs. Bottle 74 of 204. Chardonnay BA Méthode Traditionnelle

Brewer Description: (from website) A blend of foeder and chardonnay barrel aged sours different vintages grand master is a delightfully complex yet very drinkable sour. Initial lemony brightness with hints orange blossom gives way to fuller texture from ageing coconut vanilla notes coating the palate. Its balanced acidity gradually becomes more apparent light acetic bite adding complexity. Its vinuous throughout has satisfying medium dry finish. Happy 40th birthday, Grand Master (Rohit)!

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.02
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 750ml bottle, with no clear bottled on or best before date. Bottle 74 of 204. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy golden straw yellow colour with a one finger white head that had decent retention while leaving some nice lacing.
Aroma: Lemon, peach, tart, coconut, vanilla, oak, white wine.
Taste: Sweet, Chardonnay, white wine, oak, vanilla, coconut, light tartness, lemon, lime, vinous, grape, with an oaky vanilla finish.
Mouthfeel: Creamy, medium to light bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Easy to drink. Very Chardonnay like, quite creamy, lots of oak and vanilla, and vinous. If that’s your thing, you’d enjoy this.

4 - Good (buy), American Brut IPA, Beer Reviews, Heroes Beer Co. x Young Master Brewery, Hong Kong

Heroes x Young Master Dom Houblon French 75

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Brewery: Heroes Beer Co. x Young Master Brewery
Country: Hong Kong
ABV: 7%
Style: American Brut IPA

Brewer Description: (from can) Bière issue d’une collaboration entre les pantalons rouges et les saucisses.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.12
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 330ml can, canned on 11th October 2019 and with a best before date of 11th July 2020. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A very lightly hazy golden colour with a one finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly but left some nice lacing.
Aroma: Fruity, peach, apricot, grape, sweet white wine with hints of citrus zest.
Taste: Tropical and citrus fruitiness, peach, apricot, sweet malts, citrus zest, light bitterness, grape, sweet-ish white wine (but not dessert wine sweet).
Mouthfeel: Crisp, light bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Not sure it’s really Brut IPA like, but I preferred this over the pêche version and the original version. I was never really a fan of the Brut IPA, but this was pretty interesting.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, IPA - Black, Stone Brewing Co., USA

Stone Stygian Descent

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Brewery: Stone Brewing Co.
Country: USA
ABV: 11.6%
Style: American Black IPA
Other Notes: 90 IBUs. Small Batch Series. 2016 Series, Batch No.02. Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous Black IPA Ale aged in Rye Whiskey Barrels & Bourbon Barrels. Brewed May 3, 2016, Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous Black IPA practically named itself. The perfect melding of dark malts with a downright indecent amount of hops forges a complex flavor profile of assertive dark roastiness and big, bright hop notes for a singularly sublime experience. Malts – Pale, Caramel and Carafa III. Hops – Chinook, Amarillo and Simcoe. Unfiltered and aged 5 months in American Oak Templeton Rye Whiskey Barrels and Kentucky Bourbon Barrels

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Small Batch Brewer Cecil Menasco thought it would be an ingenious experiment to age our dark and deeply hopped Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous Black IPA in rye whiskey barrels…and he was right. This time our small batch crew, never a self-satisfied bunch, added bourbon barrels. The result is transcendent: perfectly balanced dark chocolate, oak, dried fruit and citrus tones. As it warms, the spicy rye and sweet bourbon barrel notes complete this masterful transformation.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.19
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 500ml corked and caged bottle, 2016 Series, Batch No.02, bottled in October 2016. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: Dark brown to black in colour with a two finger tanned head that had great retention and left lots of nice lacing.
Aroma: Hoppy with some light roast, pine, chocolate, coffee and a touch boozy.
Taste: Roasty, chocolate, coffee, oak, bourbon, hoppy, pine, orange zest.
Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Despite the high ABV%, this was pretty easy to drink as there was good balance between the roast and hops, and although there was some booziness in the aroma, it was well hidden in the taste.