Category Archives: 4 – Good (buy)

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Prairie Artisan Ales, Stout - Imperial, USA

Prairie Deconstructed Bomb! Vanilla

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Brewery: Prairie Artisan Ales
Country: USA
ABV: 11.8%
Style: American Imperial Stout
Other Notes: Brewed and bottled by Krebs Brewing Co., Krebs, Oklahoma

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Imperial Stout Aged on Vanilla.

Decode our secret recipe! Part 4: P=S, B=E, O=R.

AFOBZQFLKP ZLKQFKRBA:
QEBK IXVBO LK QEB PXIPX XKA ZEBBPB.
KBUQ XAA QEB QLJXQLBP, LIFSBP,
LKFLKP XKA ZFIXKQOL.
PNRBBWB IFJB GRFZB LSBO QEB QLM
XKA PMOFKHIB PXIQ XKA MBMMBO FC ABPFOBA.
PQLOB FK QEB OBCOFDBOXQLO RKQFI OBXAV
QL PBOSB. PBOSB TFQE COBPE QLOQFIIX ZEFMP!

Directions continued:
Then layer on the salsa and cheese.
Next add the tomatoes, olives,
onions and cilantro.
Squeeze lime juice over the top
and sprinkle salt and pepper if desired.
Store in the refrigerator until ready
to serve. Serve with fresh tortilla chips!

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.06
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 12 fl. oz. bottle with no clear bottled on or best before date. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Dark dark brown to black in colour with a half finger mocha brown head that dissipated quickly and left only sparse to no lacing.
Aroma: Roasted malts, chocolate, cocoa, vanilla and a light nuttiness.
Taste: Similar to the aroma, with roasted malts, chocolate, vanilla and light coffee.
Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: This was good, but perhaps the only reason I preferred the Coffee version over Vanilla was because this was slightly too sweet for my palate. In the end though, the original was better than any of the deconstructed versions.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Prairie Artisan Ales, Stout - Imperial, USA

Prairie Deconstructed Bomb! Coffee

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Brewery: Prairie Artisan Ales
Country: USA
ABV: 11.8%
Style: American Imperial Stout
Other Notes: Brewed and bottled by Krebs Brewing Co., Krebs, Oklahoma

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Imperial Stout Aged on Coffee.

Decode our secret recipe! Part 1: X=E, H=O, T=A.

BGZKXWBXGML:
HGX MABKMR-HGX HNGVX VTG KXYKBXW UXTGL
HGX XBZAM HNGVX ITVDTZX VKXTF VAXXLX
HGX ITVDTZX HY MTVH LXTLHGBGZ
HGX TGW HGX ATEY VNIL LHNK VKXTF
MPH VNIL ZNTVTFHEX
HGX TGW HGX ATEY VNIL VANGDR FXWBNF LTELT
HGX VNI LAKXWWXW VAXWWTK VAXXLX

Ingredients:
One thirty-one ounce can refried beans
One eight ounce package cream cheese
One package of taco seasoning
One and one half cups sour cream
Two cups guacamole
One and one half cups chunky medium salsa
One cup shredded cheddar cheese

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.16
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 12 fl. oz. bottle with no clear bottled on or best before date. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Dark dark brown in colour with a thin mocha brown head that dissipates quickly and leaves only sparse spotty to no lacing.
Aroma: Roasted malts, chocolate, coffee and light nuttiness.
Taste: Roasty malts, roasted coffee, sweet chocolate and toffee with a hint of bitterness on the finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: A nice Imperial Stout, but I prefer the original Bomb! more. Having said that, this was the best of the Deconstructed lineup.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Firestone Walker Brewing Co., USA, Wild Ale

Firestone Walker Feral Vinifera #4

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Brewery: Firestone Walker Brewing Co.
Country: USA
ABV: 9.8%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: Wild Ale fermented with grapes. Barrel ratio: 70% French Oak & 30% American Oak

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Feral Vinifera is our foray into a new and exciting adventure in the Santa Ynez Valley that expresses our collaborative effort with local grape growers and winemakers. We have carefully fermented, matured and blended this beer with our friend Andrew Murray, proprietor and winemaker at Andrew Murray Winery. The resulting cuvée and partnership of Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Viognier, and Chardonnay grape/beer fermentation bends the mind and senses. Dried apricots, guava, and vanilla mingle with Meyer lemon and roses. A funky, savory yeast bouquet lays down a firm foundation. A flinty minerality and oaky tannic depth add to body and structure that mingle with a soft-finishing acidity and fruity esters carrying assertive vinous perfume. Cheers!

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.41
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.3

Intro: A 375ml corked and caged bottle. Batch No. 004, bottled on 20th October 2017. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A brilliant clear golden colour with a one finger white head that dissipated quickly with a half replenishing thin layer, while leaving sparse to no lacing.
Aroma: Vinous, white wine, grape, oak barrel, apricot and a touch of vanilla.
Taste: What you’d expect from the aroma, Light sour, vinous, white wine, grape, dried apricot, woody, oak, and a hint of vanilla.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Wow, doesn’t feel at all like a 9.8% ABV brew. So easy to drink with nice aromas followed by even better taste. The oak comes through nicely and is complemented well by the vinous and fruity grape, white wine and apricots.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, BFM (Brasserie des Franches-Montagnes), Italian Grape Ale, Switzerland

BFM Degustator Edizione Vin Santo

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Brewery: BFM (Brasserie des Franches-Montagnes)
Country: Switzerland
ABV: 6.5%
Style: Italian Grape Ale
Other Notes: Barrel Aged IGA Italian Grape Ale

Brewer Description: (from bottle) (translated from French as best as I could) Intense nose, roasted note, subtle, vinous, woody and honey. Velvety and ‘friante?’ beautiful texture, nervous acidity on the palate, long finish with aromas of bread and marzipan.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.02
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.8

Intro: A 375ml bottle, 2016 vintage, bottled in February 2017, and with a notched best before date of February 2019. Poured into a Holy Mountain tulip glass.
Appearance: A hazy golden orange colour with small bits of sediment and a very thin white head that disappeared almost immediately and left no lacing.
Aroma: Lightly funky, vinous, white grape, honey, oak barrel, acetone and a touch of vinegar.
Taste: Sour, acidic, vinous, grapes, white wine, oak, vinegar and every now and then I was getting a herbal element near the finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium to light bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: I haven’t had much opportunity to try Italian Grape Ales, but this was quite nice. Aroma was good, but the taste and mouthfeel had a slight harshness that would have been better without. However, the more I drank it, I grew to like it, and it was definitely interesting to drink.

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

BFM √441 Saison Rhubarbe

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

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Saison à la rhubarb.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.25
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 330ml flip-top bottle, lot 1, with a notched best before date of May 2020 on the front label. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy golden dark orange colour with a just over one finger white head that had decent retention while leaving behind some nice lacing.
Aroma: Nice funk, rhubarb, apricot, grape, lemon and wood.
Taste: Light funk, light sour, apricot, white grape, rhubarb, lemon, oak and spice on the finish.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with strong carbonation.
Overall: Great tasting rhubarb Saison with a good balance between sour, funk and fruitiness. Feels like I could just keep drinking this.