Category Archives: 4 – Good (buy)

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Cascade Brewing, USA, Wild Ale

Cascade Kriek

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Brewery: Cascade Brewing
Country: USA
ABV: 7.1%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: Northwest sour ale. Ale aged in oak barrels with cherries. 2015 project

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Kriek is a blend of sour red ales aged in oak wine barrels for up to 17 months with cherries.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.14
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.9

Intro: A 750ml corked and caged bottle, 2015 project. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A lightly hazy deep amber red colour with a one finger beige head that dissipated quickly but settled to a thin layer while leaving some nice lacing.
Aroma: Tart, cherries, oak, maybe some mixed berries.
Taste: Sour, tart, cherries, oak and a hint of spices.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Nice cherry flavours, slightly acidic, but not overly so.

4 - Good (buy), 8 Wired Brewing Co., Beer Reviews, New Zealand, Stout - Imperial

8 Wired iStout Unchained Imperial Stout

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Brewery: 8 Wired Brewing Co.
Country: New Zealand
ABV: 12%
Style: American Imperial Stout
Other Notes: 3 year wine barrel aged. 2016 vintage

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Our highly rated imperial stout, iStout, aged for 3 years in Pinot Noir barrels with added brettanomyces. Roasty and boozy as the original but also funky, dry, wild and unchained.

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

Intro: A 500ml bottle, 2016 vintage. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Dark dark brown to black in colour with a big two finger tanned head that had pretty good retention and eventually settled to a thin layer, while leaving some nice lacing.
Aroma: Light roast, cocoa, leather, brett, oak, lightly vinous and a touch herbal.
Taste: What you’d expect from the aroma, light roast, cocoa, funky, brett, tart, vinous, and oak.
Mouthfeel: Creamy, medium to full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Nice aroma and flavours although the Imperial Stout parts are probably overpowered by the brett and vinous aspects. This is really drinkable but I’m unsure I’d still call this an Imperial Stout.

4 - Good (buy), 8 Wired Brewing Co., Beer Reviews, New Zealand, Stout - Imperial

8 Wired Batch 2.18 Oak Aged Imperial Stout

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Brewery: 8 Wired Brewing Co.
Country: New Zealand
ABV: 11%
Style: American Imperial Stout
Other Notes: Fermented in open oak vats with dates, jaggery and vanilla beans

Brewer Description: (from bottle) The most regal of stouts. Brewed to commemorate the 18th batch of our new brewery in Warkworth, New Zealand.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.97
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.9

Intro: A 500ml bottle with no bottled on or best before date. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Black in colour with a dark brown hue and a thin brown head that dissipated quickly, but left lots of fine spotty lacing.
Aroma: Roasty dark malts, chocolate, molasses, licorice, prunes, oak, vanilla and a light char.
Taste: What you’d expect from the aroma, roasty, chocolate, prunes, plum, molasses, licorice, oak, vanilla and some light ash.
Mouthfeel: Creamy, full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Nice enjoyable sipper, with good balance of roast, dark fruit and light sweetness.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Highland Park Brewery, USA, Wild Ale

Highland Park Occupied Space

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Brewery: Highland Park Brewery
Country: USA
ABV: 6.2%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: Batch 3

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Sour Blond Ale barrel aged with Masumoto nectarines.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.25
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 1 pint 0.9 fl. oz. bottle, batch 3. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy straw yellow colour with a one finger white head that dissipated quickly and left only sparse to no lacing.
Aroma: Lightly tart, juicy nectarines, peach, apricot, stone fruit, light funk and a tinge of citrus.
Taste: Lightly sour, tart, nectarines, peach, apricot, unripe mango, stone fruit, and lemon with only a hint of oak and funk.
Mouthfeel: Light bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Nice stone fruit aroma and flavours that are both tasty and balanced.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Farmhouse Saison, Highland Park Brewery, USA

Highland Park Help Yourself

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Brewery: Highland Park Brewery
Country: USA
ABV: 6.5%
Style: Belgian Saison
Other Notes: Batch 2

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Rustic Saison aged in guava and passionfruit barrels.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.11
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.9

Intro: A 1 pint 0.9 fl. oz. bottle, batch 2. Poured into a Holy Mountain tulip glass.
Appearance: A lightly hazy golden straw yellow colour with a two finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly but left some sparse spotty lacing.
Aroma: Tart, guava, lemon, lemon zest, oak, light funk, with hints of grain and passionfruit.
Taste: Lightly sour, tart, guava, lemonade, lemon zest, oak, light funk, and a hint of passionfruit.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Nice balanced flavours of guava and lemonade. I enjoyed it.