Category Archives: 4 – Good (buy)

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Canada, Outcast Brewing, Stout

Outcast Last Minute Stout

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Brewery: Outcast Brewing
Country: Canada
ABV: 7.5%
Style: American Stout
Other Notes: Stout with vanilla, hazelnut and chocolate added. Brewed at Coulee Brew Co. for Outcast Brewing

Brewer Description: (from can) We do our best work under stress. So with this brew, we knew we wanted to brew a bold stout but had no idea what we wanted to add to it… until four days after it went into the fermenter. This stout is bold and flavourful, with a nice smooth and roasty character that lets the additives shine. There’s no minute, like the last minute.

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

Intro: A 473ml can, with a canned on date that really isn’t too visible, but I would guess 1st November 2017, ‘nearly didn’t happen’. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: A dark dark brown to black colour with a one finger tanned head that dissipated fairly quickly but left some nice spotty lacing.
Aroma: Vanilla, chocolate, cocoa, hazelnut, cream, honey with light roastiness and a touch of coffee.
Taste: Sweet-ish, light roast, vanilla, creamy coffee, hazelnut, caramel malt, biscuit, coffee and chocolate with a lightly earthy herbal finish.
Mouthfeel: Smooth, medium bodied with moderate to light carbonation.
Overall: Nice and tasty with good vanilla, creamy and nutty flavours.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, The Ale Apothecary, USA, Wild Ale

The Ale Apothecary La Tache – Fresh Hop

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Brewery: The Ale Apothecary
Country: USA
ABV: 7.09%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: Fresh Hop version. Mixed fermentation ale aged in wine barrels

Brewer Description: (from tag on bottle) the beer formerly known as La Tache. (* wild & open fermented in the woods of OR. * Mecca Grade Estate Malt + wheat + Goshie Farms hops. * barrel-aged over a year & dry-hopped in oak. * OR honey + sour wort + our yeast = 100% natural carbonation from bottle fermentation.)

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.13
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 750ml bottle, batch bottled on 20th November 2017. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy golden colour with a two finger white head that had pretty good retention and left some nice lacing.
Aroma: Tart, citrusy, lemon zest, orange rind, grass, funk, with hints of peach in the background.
Taste: Sour, tart, sour, yup I said it twice. Lemon juice and lemon with a hint of oak.
Mouthfeel: Dry, medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Refreshingly sour, and I could imagine it being way too sour for some, but I like it. This fresh hop version seems to have lost some of the tropical peach, apricot and grape flavours I was getting in the original La Tache. The result is pure citrusy lemon which I found to be very refreshing, especially on hot days.

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

8 Wired Once Upon A Time In Blenheim

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Brewery: 8 Wired Brewing Co.
Country: New Zealand
ABV: 8.5%
Style: Belgian Lambic (Fruit)
Other Notes: Barrel aged for 3 years. Ale brewed with wild Sauvignon Blanc grape juice. 100% spontaneously fermented lambic style. 2014 vintage

Brewer Description: (from bottle) This is the last barrel aged beer we brewed in Blenheim, before uprooting and setting up a new brewery in the North. A 100% spontaneous fermented and barrel aged lambic inspired beer, co-fermented with the equally spontaneous fermented Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc juice from our fine friends at Cirro Wines.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.94
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.9

Intro: A 500ml bottle, 2014 vintage, with a best before date of 24th November 2025. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A very nice clear golden colour with a two finger white head that dissipated quickly and left behind no lacing.
Aroma: Funky, barnyard, oak, vanilla, white grape and a touch of lemon juice.
Taste: Tart and sour, white grape, vinous, lemon, green apple, oak, funk and light vanilla.
Mouthfeel: Dry, medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Maybe the oak and vanilla flavours were a little strong and overpowering, but I think it was saved a bit by the Sauvignon Blanc flavours which came through nicely.

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

8 Wired Snake Charmer

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Brewery: 8 Wired Brewing Co.
Country: New Zealand
ABV: 7.7%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: Barrel aged Sour Ale with blackcurrants. 2017 vintage

Brewer Description: (from bottle) A sour ale brewed the traditional way. Aged in Pinot Noir barrels for two years with Blackcurrants and a bunch of microbes, creating a complex melange of funk, fruit and tartness.

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

Intro: A 500ml bottle, 2017 vintage, with a best before date of 19th February 2026. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A clear reddish orange colour with an almost three finger slightly off white head that dissipated fairly quickly and left only sparse to no lacing.
Aroma: Lightly tart, blackcurrant, Ribena, oak, vanilla and funk.
Taste: Pretty much exactly what you get in the aroma, sour and tart, blackcurrant, Ribena, mixed berries, oak, vanilla and funk.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with spritzy moderate to high carbonation.
Overall: Great fruit flavours with strong barrel character. Just really good to drink.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Bellwoods Brewery, Canada, Wild Ale

Bellwoods Jelly King Guava Mango Passionfruit

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Brewery: Bellwoods Brewery
Country: Canada
ABV: 5.6%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: Dry-Hopped Sour w/ Guava, Mango & Passionfruit

Brewer Description: (from website) He is a ruler, an overlord, a top dog, a crowned head. In the richly varied domain of prokaryotic microorganisms, Jelly King reigns supreme. Rather than choosing between sour or hoppy, we decided to create a beer that would be both at the same time. Showcasing the aromatic benefits of a generous dry hop (Citra, Amarillo, and Cascade), harnessing the pleasing acidity of lactic acid producing bacteria (we use a 5-strain house blend), and coming to a bottle near you without a pesky 2 year slumber in oak, Jelly King is the fermented embodiment of having your cake and eating it too. This limited edition version includes a large dose of three tropical fruits that we hold near and dear to our hearts – adding explosive aromas and flavours of tropical fruit and a deep hazy orange hue.

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

Intro: A 500ml bottle with no bottled on or best before date. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy golden orange colour with a two finger white head that dissipated quickly and left pretty much no lacing.
Aroma: Jello fruits, tart, guava, passionfruit, mango with light grapefruit zest and ginger.
Taste: Sour, tart and juicy. Guava, passionfruit, grass, light grapefruit zest and citrus peel.
Mouthfeel: Medium to light bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Another great Jelly King variant from Bellwoods. I’m loving this dry hopping and addition of fruits to the base Jelly King. Just so refreshing.