Category Archives: 4 – Good (buy)

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Stone Brewing Co., Stout - Russian Imperial, USA

Stone Mikhail

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Brewery: Stone Brewing Co.
Country: USA
ABV: 13.5%
Style: Russian Imperial Stout
Other Notes: 43 IBUs. Small Batch Series. 2017 Series, Batch No.03. Stone Espresso Imperial Russian Stout aged in Bourbon Barrels. Brewed July 17, 2016, Stone Imperial Russian Stout is a thick, rich and sinful beer that’s heavy on the palate and massively aromatic with notes of anise, black currants, coffee and roastiness. Malts – Roasted Barley, Pale Malt, Amber Malt and Black Malt. Hops – Warrior. Adjunct – Ryan Brother’s Espresso Roast Coffee. Unfiltered and aged 14 months in American Oak Kentucky Bourbon Barrels

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Intense coffee characteristics abound from both the dark malts and the espresso, while rich caramel-like and vanilla notes from the bourbon barrel aging adds layers of complexity, a touch of sweetness and a vibrant dark fruit finish. Since this is an unusual take on our traditional imperial Russian stout, “Mikhail” pays homage to Mikhail Bulgakov, whose novel The Master and Margarita is considered the foremost of Soviet satires.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.39
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.3

Intro: A 500ml corked and caged bottle, 2017 Series, Batch No.03, bottled in October 2017. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: It was black in colour with a half finger brown head that dissipated quickly and left only sparse to no lacing.
Aroma: Light roast, milk chocolate, damp coffee grounds, espresso, oak and vanilla.
Taste: Moderate roastiness, milk chocolate, coffee, espresso, oak, bourbon, vanilla and a lightly herbal bitterness.
Mouthfeel: Creamy, full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Really enjoyable drinking, as its rich and smooth with velvety chocolate, and nice barrel notes expressing bourbon and vanilla.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Stone Brewing Co., Stout - Russian Imperial, USA

Stone Espresso Totalitarian

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Brewery: Stone Brewing Co.
Country: USA
ABV: 10.6%
Style: Russian Imperial Stout
Other Notes: Imperial Stout brewed w/ Espresso

Brewer Description: (from can) Bespoke totalitarianism for the proletariat diaspora. Imperial Russian stouts don’t actually get their name from being brewed in Russia. In fact, the style originated in England, initially brewed to suit the discerning tastes fo the nobles of the mid-18th century Russian court. Flash forward about 250 years, and here we find ourselves in a world populated by the diaspora of craft beer enthusiasts that also have a finely tuned palate for this richly intense style. Fortunately, you neither need to be Russian nor of noble birth to enjoy this intensely rich, deeply complex stout. To further bespoke the bejesus out of this, we brewed with a beautiful espresso roast coffee. It’s as fit for savouring fresh on a warm spring afternoon as it is for aging deep in a Muscovite cellar.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.37
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.2

Intro: A 12 fl. oz. can, canned on 23rd February 2019. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: It poured black in colour with a two finger brown head that had pretty good retention and left nice lacing.
Aroma: Roasted malts, espresso, coffee bean and dark chocolate.
Taste: Bittersweet, roasty, dark chocolate, cacao, espresso and coffee beans.
Mouthfeel: Creamy, rich, smooth, full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Really nice and smooth with great roast, chocolate and espresso notes.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Magpie Brewing Company, Sour Ale, South Korea

Magpie Juicybox – Blueberry & Yuja

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Brewery: Magpie Brewing Company
Country: South Korea
ABV: 4.5%
Style: Sour Ale
Other Notes: 5 IBUs

Brewer Description: (from can) Sour Ale w/ blueberry & yuja

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.99
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.8

Intro: A 500ml can, canned on 1st July 2019. Poured into a Holy Mountain tulip glass.
Appearance: A hazy candy red colour mixed with a bit of purple and an almost two finger pinkish head that dissipated quickly while leaving only sparse to no lacing.
Aroma: Juicy, blueberry, yoghurt, with light citrus notes in the background.
Taste: Lightly sour, juicy, blueberry, mixed berries, and citrusy yuzu (which I just found out is the same as Yuja).
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. The thickish sediment towards the end was not a good feeling though.
Overall: Very juicy and tasty. The berry and citrus flavours complemented each other and made for easy drinking. It may not be a complex beer, but minus the bottom of the bottle, I do enjoy drinking it.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, BrewDog, Scotland, Stout - Imperial

BrewDog Dog F

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Brewery: BrewDog
Country: Scotland
ABV: 17.5%
Style: American Imperial Stout
Other Notes: 10th Anniversary Imperial Stout

Brewer Description: (from bottle & box) Dog F is very special. Before you is our liquid anniversary marking 10 years of brewing. A Decade of Dog. To celebrate, we have done what we do best – brew an incredible beer and barrel-age it to the edge of existence. Dog F is a 17.5% imperial stout brewed with copious dark malts, pure cacao and coffee, balanced on a knife-edge of Habanero chili. Our hottest Dog to date also has layers of resonance from months spent in Cognac barrels. This beer will age with grace or be the centre of the party right now – it’s your call. Thank you for being part of our Decade of Dog. But you know we have a long way to go yet…

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.39
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.3

Intro: A 330ml boxed bottle, batch 170226, with a best before date of 1st April 2027. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Dark brown in colour with a thin beige head that dissipated quickly while leaving some sparse lacing.
Aroma: Light roast, cacao, dark chocolate, caramel, coffee, toffee, light boozy (maybe cognac), and a touch of herbal chili.
Taste: Chili spice, cognac booze, caramel, toffee, light roast, with touches of chocolate and hints of coffee.
Mouthfeel: Creamy, chili bite, full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Smooth, chili spice forward. Cognac booze is there, but less than I expected considering this is 17.5% abv. The spiciness balanced the caramel and toffee sweetness. Although there was less roast and chocolate for an Imperial Stout, it wasn’t as boozy as I thought it would be, and the spiciness was prominent, but very good.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen, Lambic - Fruit

3 Fonteinen Oude Kriekenlambik

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Brewery: Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen
Country: Belgium
ABV: 5.4%
Style: Belgian Lambic (Fruit)
Other Notes: Oude Kriek but bottle fermentation did not occur

Brewer Description: (from bottle) (in French) 3 Fonteinen Oude Kriek est le résultat de la macération de griottes cueillis à la main dans du lambic traditionnel, pendant au moins quatre mois. La fermentation en bouteille n’a pas eu lieu… Du fruit naturel, sans jus, sirops ou sucres ajoutés. Non-filtré et non-pasteurisé.

(in Dutch) Deze kriekenlambik heft niet minder dan zes volle maanden fruitmaceratie gehad. Serveertips: in een Bourgogne wijnglas en op keldertemperatuur. Laat gerust rondwalsen in het glas om de aroma’s volop vrij te laten. Op uw gezondheid!

(translated to English) 3 Fonteinen Oude Kriek is the result of maceration of hand-picked sour cherries in traditional lambic for at least four months. The bottled fermentation did not take place … Natural fruit, without juice, syrups or added sugars. Unfiltered and unpasteurized.

This cherry lambic has had no less than six full months of fruit maceration. Serving tips: in a Burgundy wine glass and at cellar temperature. Feel free to roll around in the glass to fully release the aromas. Cheers!

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.34
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 375ml corked and caged bottle, blend n°32, season 16/17, bottled on 24th May 2017, with a best before date of 26th October 2037. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A deep ruby reddish purple colour with a thin pinkish head that dissipated quickly and left only sparse to no lacing.
Aroma: Tart, cherry, jammy, vanilla, cherry pie, with hints of marzipan.
Taste: Light sourness, tart, cherry, oak, with a touch of lemon juice.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Nice and enjoyable cherry notes, especially in the aroma which were dessert like and jammy. I think I’m leaning towards preferring more carbonation though.