Category Archives: 4 – Good (buy)

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Farmhouse Saison, Hill Farmstead Brewery (Grassroots Brewing), USA

Grassroots Brewing Arctic Saison

Leave a comment

Brewery: Hill Farmstead Brewery (Grassroots Brewing)
Country: USA
ABV: 6%
Style: Belgian Saison
Other Notes: Ale fermented in oak tanks with brettanomyces. Collaboration – Hill Farmstead Brewery x Anchorage Brewing Company

Brewer Description: (from bottle) This ale embodies the spirit of perpetual creative collaboration in conjunction with disciplined brewing endeavour. We trekked to Alaska and helped craft this rustic Saison, bringing with us the essence and imagination of our Vermont Farmstead family. Share. Consider. Enjoy…

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

Intro: A corked and caged 750ml bottle, Batch #2, bottled in March 2014. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A slightly hazy golden orange colour with a one and a half finger off white head that had good retention and left some nice lacing.
Aroma: Funky, brett, grass, hay, green apple, apricot, lemon and oak.
Taste: Light sour, funky, brett, grass, hay, herbal, green apple, lemon peel and oak with hints of apricot.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: I kept this last bottle of Batch #2 in my cellar longer than expected, but it seems it is just as good as when I last tried it in 2016. Good funk and brett balanced with some nice fruit coming through.

4 - Good (buy), Barleywine - American, Beer Reviews, England, Siren Craft Brew

Siren Maiden 2016

Leave a comment

Brewery: Siren Craft Brew
Country: England
ABV: 11.2%
Style: American Barleywine
Other Notes: 2016 vintage

Brewer Description: (from bottle) The first batch brewed at Siren was to provide the base for our first annual release. This barley wine has been aged in many different barrels, and then using expertise from the wine and whisky world, blended into what stands before you in this bottle. The first brew of 2016 is now the base for the next year’s release.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.11
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 375ml waxed bottle, 2016 vintage. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: A dark reddish brown copper colour with a thin beige head that stuck around for a bit and left some nice lacing.
Aroma: Sweet and boozy, caramel, toffee, red wine, dark fruit, raisin and prunes.
Taste: Moderately sweet, light roast, vinous, red wine, dark fruits, raisin, prunes, and a touch of caramel.
Mouthfeel: Creamy, full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Nice complex flavours. A good sipper.

4 - Good (buy), Barleywine - English, Beer Reviews, Brouwerij Kees x Brouwerij De Molen, Netherlands

Kees x De Molen Frick & Frack

Leave a comment

Brewery: Brouwerij Kees x Brouwerij De Molen
Country: Netherlands
ABV: 11.3%
Style: English Barleywine
Other Notes: Malts – Pale Smoke and Pale Crystal. Hops – Cascade and Bramling Cross

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Smokey Barleywine.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.32
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.2

Intro: A 330ml bottle, batch 17.28, with a best before date of December 2022. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: A clear copper amber colour with a one finger beige head that had pretty good retention and left lots of nice lacing.
Aroma: Malty, smoky, bacon, fruity, cherry, grape, prunes, raisin with hints of caramel.
Taste: Sweet-ish, smoky, bacon, caramel, toffee, honey, sugar syrup, cherry and prunes.
Mouthfeel: Smooth, medium to full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Surprisingly good since I’m not a fan of Barleywines. But this was very smooth and the sweetness was balanced really well by the smoke.

4 - Good (buy), Barleywine - American, Beer Reviews, Bell’s Brewery Inc., USA

Bell’s Third Coast Old Ale

Leave a comment

Brewery: Bell’s Brewery Inc.
Country: USA
ABV: 10.2%
Style: American Barleywine

Brewer Description: (from bottle) An ale for those who appreciate complexity and vintage character. Fill a snifter and enjoy it now or commit some bottles to the cellar to test your patience.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.24
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 12 fl. oz. bottle, batch 13615, packaged on 30th October 2014, so almost 5 years. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: A careful pour leaving much of the sediment in the bottle, it was a deep copper amber colour with no head but some sparse spotty lacing.
Aroma: Malty, sweet, dried berries, dark fruit, blackcurrant, plum, prunes, fig, caramel, syrupy and a touch floral.
Taste: Moderately sweet, dark fruit, plum, prunes, raisins, fig, caramel, brown sugar, candied orange liqueur and a hint of mixed berries.
Mouthfeel: Full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Yes, definitely pleasantly surprised by this as it has aged well. I’m pretty sure I meant to drink this earlier, but I simply forgot about it. In any case I’m not a huge fan of Barleywines, but this was a very nice sipper with great complexity.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, England, Stout - Russian Imperial, The Kernel Brewery

The Kernel Imperial Brown Stout London 1856

Leave a comment

Brewery: The Kernel Brewery
Country: England
ABV: 9%
Style: Russian Imperial Stout
Other Notes: ABV varies among batches

Brewer Description: Not much other descriptions I could find.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.21
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 330ml bottle, bottled on 5th February 2016 and with a best before date of 5th February 2021. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: A dark dark brown colour with a reddish hue and a thin tanned head that disappeared quickly but left lots of nice spotty lacing.
Aroma: Roasted malts, milk chocolate, caramel, coffee, chocolate milk, with hints of nuts and dark fruit.
Taste: Roasty, chocolate, coffee, chocolate milk, slight bitterness, hint of dark fruit and char.
Mouthfeel: Creamy, medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Body was perhaps lighter than I prefer, but despite this, it was still very enjoyable and great to sip.