Category Archives: 4 – Good (buy)

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.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, BFM (Brasserie des Franches-Montagnes), Farmhouse Saison, Switzerland

BFM Degustator √227

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Brewery: BFM (Brasserie des Franches-Montagnes)
Country: Switzerland
ABV: 6%
Style: Belgian Saison
Other Notes: 2015 vintage

Brewer Description: (from bottle) (translated from French as best as I could) Infusion of blackcurrant and market raisins in two barrels of Saison √225.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.96
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.8

Intro: A 375ml bottle, 2015 vintage, bottled in March 2016, and with a notched best before date of March 2020. Poured into a Holy Mountain tulip glass.
Appearance: A lightly hazy golden orange colour with a big just over two finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly to a thin layer, but left lots of nice lacing.
Aroma: Sour, tart, oak, funk, white grape, blackcurrant, hint of lemon rind.
Taste: Sour, oak, straw, funk, white grape, blackberry, with only a hint of blackcurrant and lemon.
Mouthfeel: Medium to light bodied with moderate to soft carbonation.
Overall: I enjoyed this the more I drank it. It was balanced and tasty although the blackcurrant was perhaps a little light and the carbonation too soft.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, FiftyFifty Brewing Company, Stout - Imperial, USA

FiftyFifty Imperial Eclipse Stout Java Coffee

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Brewery: FiftyFifty Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 11%
Style: American Imperial Stout
Other Notes: 2016 vintage, Lavender (sparkly) wax – Java Coffee

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Java Coffee bottle run no.2 2016. Stout brewed with honey, aged in oak barrels.

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

Intro: A 22 fl. oz. waxed bomber, 2016 vintage. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Dark dark brown to black in colour with a orangey dark brown hue and a one finger tanned head that dissipated fairly quickly but left lots of nice lacing.
Aroma: Roasty, dark malt, coffee, chocolate, with a splash of piney notes and licorice.
Taste: What you’d expect from the aroma with lots of roastiness, coffee, chocolate, oak, hints of licorice, pine and a light bitterness on the finish.
Mouthfeel: Creamy, medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Not as thick and heavy as I hoped for, for this style, but otherwise, aroma was brilliant and flavours were balanced and went well together. Not sure the honey was showing, but nevertheless, this was good.