Category Archives: 4 – Good (buy)

4 - Good (buy), American IPA, Beer Reviews, Stone Brewing Co., USA

Stone Vengeful Spirit IPA

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Brewery: Stone Brewing Co.
Country: USA
ABV: 7.3%
Style: American IPA
Other Notes: 57 IBUs. Hops – Herkules, Mosaic, Loral and Mandarina Bavaria. Special Ingredients – Pineapple and Mandarin orange

Brewer Description: (from can) We’ve often been inspired to brew beers on a theme. In 2007 it was black IPAs. 2008 saw Belgian-influenced IPAs and more than once it’s been Triple IPAs. It’s been fun to dive deep, and you’ve ridden those waves right along with us, But like you, we also crave new breaks to surf. Right now, it’s tropically-inspired IPAs as represented both by this flavoured ale, Stone Tangerine Express IPA and others we’ve got waiting in the wings… With Stone Vengeful Spirit IPA we employ a bit of tropical mythology to pay homage to our ever present gargoyle. Since 1996 he’s had our backs, and yours, by representing an aggressive intolerance for commoditized beer. He constantly inspires us to forge ahead with resolve-even with the omnipresent forces of forceful evil. Vengeful spirits can be awesome when they’re on your side.

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

Intro: A 12 fl. oz. can, canned on 22nd September 2017, and an enjoy by date of 22nd September 2018 (which seems a bit long for an IPA from Stone… I thought it was supposed to be 3 months or something). Poured into a Holy Mountain tulip glass.
Appearance: A hazy golden orange colour with a one finger white head that had good retention and left nice lacing.
Aroma: Tropical and citrusy with mandarin, citrus pith, mango and pineapple along with a good dose of nice biscuit malt.
Taste: Quite similar to the aroma with mandarin, orange rind and pineapple. Sweet malt and fruitiness to begin while there is some light bitterness on the finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium to light bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Nice and easy to drink with good fruit flavours and a nice balance between sweet and bitter.

4 - Good (buy), American Double IPA, Beer Reviews, Evil Twin Brewing, USA

Evil Twin Every Day, Once A Day, Give Yourself An IPA

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Brewery: Evil Twin Brewing
Country: USA
ABV: 9%
Style: American Double IPA
Other Notes: Brewed and canned by Overshores Brewing Co., East Haven, CT, USA

Brewer Description: (from can) India Pale Ale brewed with lactose and vanilla added.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.23
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 1 pint can, canned on 6th October 2017, with the words: “This one’s for you kidz” printed on the bottom. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A murky dark orange colour with a two finger frothy white head that had pretty good retention and left some nice lacing.
Aroma: Citrusy and tropical strong with lots of mango, peach, apricot, grapefruit peel, orange rind and a hint of vanilla.
Taste: Orange juice, mango, peach, pineapple, citrus peel with a touch of vanilla. Finish is lightly sweet and bitter.
Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with moderate to low carbonation.
Overall: Wonderful fruit aromas while very easy and relaxing to drink. I wasn’t sure how the vanilla would match with IPA’s, but in this case, it balances very well with the tropical and citrus fruits.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Clown Shoes Beer, Stout - Russian Imperial, USA

Clown Shoes Blaecorn Unidragon

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Brewery: Clown Shoes Beer
Country: USA
ABV: 12.5%
Style: Russian Imperial Stout
Other Notes: Brewed and bottled by Mercury Brewing Co., Ipswich, MA.

Brewer Description: (from bottle) What should we call our Russian Imperial Stout? Black Unicorn? Soul Dragon? Nahhh. Let’s combine them and create the ultimate mythical creature: Blaecorn Unidragon! Imbued with a monstrous amount of dark malt and aggressive hops, Blaecorn Unidragon is a powerful and complex brew designed to improve with age.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.01
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.9

Intro: A 22 fl. oz. bomber, bottled on 14th January 2016. Poured into a snifter.
Appearance: Black in colour with a one finger dark tan head that had pretty good retention and left some nice lacing.
Aroma: Roasted malts, chocolate, cocoa, espresso, liquorice, anise, pine with a hint of citrus peel and char.
Taste: Roasty, char, chocolate, cocoa and liquorice with some piney hops coming through at the end.
Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with low carbonation.
Overall: Nice to sip, and even after almost two years, the hops are still coming through quite clearly on the finish, it kind of reminded me a bit of a strong Black IPA.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Evil Twin Brewing x Westbrook Brewing Co., Stout - Imperial, USA

Evil Twin x Westbrook Imperial Mexican Biscotti Cake Break

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Brewery: Evil Twin Brewing x Westbrook Brewing Co.
Country: USA
ABV: 10.5%
Style: American Imperial Stout

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Ale with coffee, cinnamon, almonds, cocoa nibs, vanilla and habanero peppers added.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.47
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.4

Intro: A 22 fl. oz. bomber with no bottled on or best before date. Poured into a snifter.
Appearance: It was a slick motor oil black colour with pretty much no head or lacing.
Aroma: Cocoa, chocolate, coffee, nutty, liquorice (maybe), spicy pepper with hints of cinnamon.
Taste: Rich milk chocolate, coffee, vanilla, cinnamon with habanero pepper lightly lingering on the finish.
Mouthfeel: Creamy, medium to full bodied with low carbonation.
Overall: Really nice, a great sipper with very nice creaminess and lingering but not overpowering spiciness.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Denmark, Lambic - Fruit, Mikkeller ApS

Mikkeller SpontanCherryFrederiksdal

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Brewery: Mikkeller ApS
Country: Denmark
ABV: 7.2%
Style: Belgian Lambic (Fruit)
Other Notes: Sour ale brewed with Frederiksdal cherries & aged in oak barrels. Brewed and bottled by Mikkeller at De Proef Brouwerij

Brewer Description: (from website) With cherries from the award winning Frederiksdal plantation (situated on the island of Lolland in the very south of Denmark) we proudly present the perfect combination of berries and sour ale;. Spontancherry, aged on oak barrels. With countless notes of flavor and mouthfeel sensations ranging high and low on multiple scales, this is as delicate as it comes.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.29
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.2

Intro: A 375ml bottle with a best before date of 21st January 2026. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A dark ruby purple colour with a thin half finger pink-purple (like beetroot) colour head that dissipated quickly while leaving sparse to no lacing.
Aroma: Tart cherry, raspberry, light funk and a hint of almonds.
Taste: Tart cherry and dark berries with light funk, vinegar and oak. Sweeter to begin, while sour on the finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Nice, tasty and very easy to drink.