Category Archives: 4 – Good (buy)

American Solera Old Dishoom

Brewery: American Solera
Country: USA
ABV: 8.5%
Style: English Old Ale

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Old ale aged in Sherry casks.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.13
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 12.7 fl. oz. bottle, 2016 vintage. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: A clear brownish colour with an orange tinge, and a one finger tanned head that dissipated fairly quickly to a thin layer, while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Lightly tart, dark fruit, raisin, prunes, plum, fig, red grape, with a hint of wood, caramel and sherry.
Taste: A mix of Flanders Oud Bruin and Old Ale. Lightly tart, with lots of dried dark fruit, raisin, prunes, fig, plum, red grape, with a splash of oak, caramel and sherry.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate to soft carbonation.
Overall: Not your traditional Old Ale, but what appears to be some blend of Flanders Oud Bruin and Old Ale, lends itself to a nice enjoyable sipper.

Garage Project Oh What A Lovely Day Let’s Go Out And Pick Some… Hop Bine

Brewery: Garage Project
Country: New Zealand
ABV: 6.8%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: Foraged flowers, spontaneous ferment no.5

Brewer Description: (from bottle) The latest release in our ongoing series of foraged flower ferments. For this brew, freshly harvested whole bines were plunged into a light golden base wort creating a spontaneous fermentation using only the wild yeast present on the hops. The beer was then allowed to age and develop for a year in oak barrels before being infused with another dose of fresh hops from the next harvest. The result of this brewery outing is a complex yet clean citrus like sour, bursting with a delightful fresh hop aroma.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.09
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.9

Intro: A 750ml bottle, bottled on 23rd May 2019. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A clear golden straw colour with a two finger white head that had decent retention, while leaving some nice lacing.
Aroma: Sour, tart, light funk, lychee, apricot, and white grapes.
Taste: Sour, tart, white grape, apricot, citrus notes, leafy, and a touch of vinegar.
Mouthfeel: A touch acidic, light bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Although maybe slightly on the acidic side, the nose and taste were enjoyable.

Firestone Walker Stickee Monkee

Brewery: Firestone Walker Brewing Co.
Country: USA
ABV: 12.5%
Style: Belgian Quadrupel
Other Notes: 26 IBUs. Malts – 2 Row, Munich, Carmel, Torrified Wheat, Belgian Candi Sugar, Brown Sugar and Roast Barley. Hops – Styrian Golding

Brewer Description: (from 2017 vintage box) Since founding our brewery in 1996, we have specialized in the rare art of fermenting beer in oak barrels. In the Fall of 2006, we embarked on a program to barrel age a series of vintage strong ales that would later be used as components of a blended beer. That blend would become our first Anniversary Ale, “10”. After the release of “10”, we released limited amounts of the component beers on draft only. Many of these beers gained a cult following that craft beer fans raved about and begged for us to put in bottle. Stickee Monkee was one of these beers. We present the 2017 vintage of Stickee Monkee, a barrel-aged Quad. It has been said that the only constant is change and the same is true for barrel-aged beers. Cut from a similar recipe, this barrel-aged Quad evolves and shows a different face each year; a result of time spent aging in the barrel. Turbinado brown sugar from Mexico adds wonderful flavors that are reminiscent of Belgian candi sugar. It has a full body and lush texture with barrel expression all over; toasted oak, coconut, leather and rich cigar tobacco. This Central Coast Quad is a one-of-a-kind sipping beer build to last and will reward careful aging for years to come.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.22
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 12 fl. oz. bottle, 2017 vintage. Poured into a Chimay goblet glass.
Appearance: A cloudy murky dark brown colour with a thin beige head that dissipated quickly, but left some spotty lacing.
Aroma: Sweet dark malt, toffee, caramel, dark fruit, plum, prunes, raisin, bourbon, oak, vanilla, and a splash of coconut.
Taste: Moderately sweet, caramel, toffee, dark fruit, raisin, dates, prunes, brown sugar, oak, vanilla, coconut, with hints of bourbon, booze and cocoa on the finish.
Mouthfeel: Smooth, full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: At times it felt a little on the sweet side, but the aroma and flavours are complex and enjoyable, and as a sipper, it was good.

Lervig Perler For Svin

Brewery: Lervig Aktiebryggeri
Country: Norway
ABV: 6.3%
Style: New England / Hazy IPA
Other Notes: Hops – Azacca, Mosaic and Simcoe

Brewer Description: (from can) A holy offering of Azacca, Mosaic and Simcoe hops give this IPA a forbidden fruit juiciness. Enjoy our pearls!

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.14
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 330ml can, with a best before date of 1st May 2020. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A hazy golden colour with a two finger white head that had great retention and left nice lacing.
Aroma: Very citrusy, grapefruit juice, citrus rind and zest, with a splash of mango and pineapple.
Taste: Lightly sweet, tropical mango, calamansi, citrus zest and rind, hints of pine, and a balanced light bitter finish.
Mouthfeel: Light bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Enjoyable juicy tropical and citrus flavours with a good balance between sweet and bitter.

Stigbergets Trouble Sleep

Brewery: Stigbergets Bryggeri
Country: Sweden
ABV: 12%
Style: American Imperial Stout

Brewer Description: (from can in Swedish) Bryggt med kaffe från Per Nordby.

(translated to English) Brewed with coffee from Per Nordby.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.18
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 330ml can, with a best before date of 7th November 2020. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Black in colour with a thin brown head that dissipated fairly quickly but left some lacing.
Aroma: Light roast, coffee, chocolate, cocoa, and vanilla, with hints of toffee, caramel and dark fruit.
Taste: Roasty, dark chocolate, coffee, with hints of vanilla and a nice lasting bitter finish.
Mouthfeel: Rich, medium to full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Enjoyable sipper with nice coffee and dark chocolate notes.