Category Archives: 4 – Good (buy)

4 - Good (buy), Almanac Beer Co., Beer Reviews, Stout - Imperial, USA

Almanac Coffee Barbary Coast

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Brewery: Almanac Beer Co.
Country: USA
ABV: 10%
Style: American Imperial Stout
Other Notes: Imperial Stout brewed with coffee, cacao nibs, vanilla beans, chili peppers, sea salt and oak. Brewed with coffee roasted by Sightglass and cacao nibs from Dandelion Small Batch Chocolate

Brewer Description: (from can) Every great city has its wild side, and in 19th century boomtown San Francisco, that was The Barbary Coast. All manner of debauchery ran unchecked here for decades. But from this chaotic cauldron emerged San Francisco’s vibrant jazz culture and a rich legacy of poets, artists, writers and entertainers. Inspired by this creative tradition, this decadent imperial stout was brewed with oak staves, sea salt, a hint of spicy chili, Dandelion Chocolate’s cacao nibs and Sightglass Coffee. Pair with rich chocolate cake and a flair for the adventure!

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.35
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 16 fl oz can, canned on 13th December 2016. Poured into a snifter.
Appearance: Black in colour with a very thin brown head that dissipated quickly and left sparse to no lacing.
Aroma: Light dark fruit followed by milk chocolate, roasty coffee and vanilla with perhaps some light spice.
Taste: Milk chocolate, cacao and coffee with a hint of chili pepper spiciness and salt.
Mouthfeel: Smooth, creamy, medium bodied with moderate to low carbonation.
Overall: Very nice flavours of chocolate and coffee which was well balanced with chili and salt.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, England, Stout - Russian Imperial, The Wild Beer Co.

Wild Beer Wildebeest

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Brewery: The Wild Beer Co.
Country: England
ABV: 11%
Style: Russian Imperial Stout
Other Notes: Chocolate + Crushed Espresso + Vanilla

Brewer Description: (from bottle) We believe exceptional brewing stems from imagination and passion, it’s not just a process. Never average, every Wild brew is a result of Wild minds conceiving, creating and crafting beers that explore the boundaries of your palate. Brewing doesn’t need to be confined by rules, tradition or ingredients; by adding a Wild 5th ingredient or process to our beers we want to give you a truly memorable drinking experience, altering your perceptions and thrilling your taste buds. Drink Wildly Different.
Beer is not just meant for refreshment. Some beers can be ideal for contemplation and speculation, the liquid equivalent of the lotus position. Such a beer is Wildebeest, our Imperial Espresso Chocolate Vanilla Stout, a judicious selection of pale and dark malts to which is added highest quality Valrhona cocoa nibs, vanilla pods and freshly roasted coffee beans hand selected by Andy Tucker at Clifton Coffee Roasters. This helps to produce a rich, elegant, creamy, soothing confection of aromas and flavours that can only improve with time. We would describe it as a dessert in a glass.
Warning: Wildebeest is best enjoyed sipped from your favourite brandy snifter, whilst sitting comfortably in a plush armchair. Preferably next to a roaring fire while the weather does its worse outside.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.22
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 330ml bottle with a best before date that is not legible anymore but is sometime in 2018. Poured into a snifter.
Appearance: Black in colour with pretty much no head and only sparse spotty lacing.
Aroma: Sweetish milk chocolate, coffee, cocoa and vanilla.
Taste: Sweet, light dark fruit, bittersweet chocolate, cocoa, espresso. coffee, cream and hints of vanilla.
Mouthfeel: Creamy, smooth, medium to full bodied with low carbonation.
Overall: Nice and easy to drink. Doesn’t feel like 11% abv at all.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Farmhouse Saison, Prairie Artisan Ales, USA

Prairie Brett C.

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Brewery: Prairie Artisan Ales
Country: USA
ABV: 8.1%
Style: Belgian Saison
Other Notes: Conditioned with brettanomyces claussenii. Brewed and bottled by Krebs Brewing Co., Krebs, Oklahoma

Brewer Description: (from bottle) A farmhouse ale brewed with Cascade and Citra hops, and a touch of sea salt.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.99
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.9

Intro: A 16.9 fl oz (500ml) bottle with a Julian bottled on date of 17315, meaning it was bottled on 22nd June 2015. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A lightly hazy golden straw colour with an almost two finger white head that had decent retention but left only sparse lacing.
Aroma: Tropical peach, apricot, pineapple, wood, citrusy orange, hints of lemon peel and the right amount of funk.
Taste: Semi-sweet orange, lemon, dried mango, dried apricot, honey, dates and prunes with light oak and funk. Not getting much of the sea salt that was added.
Mouthfeel: Dry-ish, medium bodied with high carbonation.
Overall: Nice and enjoyable with it not being overly sweet and having funkiness that is not overpowering. The high carbonation assists it in being refreshing on a hot day.

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

Epic Son of a Baptist

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Brewery: Epic Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 8%
Style: American Imperial Stout
Other Notes: Novo Coffee – Epic Espresso Blend. Malts – Ultra-Premium Muntons Marris Otter, 2-Row Brewers Malt, Black Malt, Crystal Malt, Chocolate Malt, Roasted Barley, Cara-Aroma and Demerara Sugar. Hops – Nugget, Chinook and Cascade

Brewer Description: (from website) Son of a Baptist is an 8% ABV imperial stout. It is not barrel aged like its father, Big Bad Baptist; instead its flavor profile was designed to highlight the complex and often unique flavors of small batch coffees. Instead of sourcing a coffee that would play well in a beer we sought out creative and innovative roasters, then asked them which beans they’re passionate about. Each resulting release of Son of a Baptist is widely different depending on the coffee selected. Some are fruity and sweet with notes of jam and chocolate, others are rich and earthy with a big roasted finish. Each limited release will return to the Roaster’s home market where the beer and the coffee can be sampled side by side.

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

Intro: A 12 fl oz can with no clear canned on or best before date. Novo Coffee – Epic espresso blend. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: It was dark brown to black in colour with a just over one finger light brown head that had good retention and left lots of nice lacing.
Aroma: Roasted malt, coffee, dark chocolate with hints of brown sugar and a light char.
Taste: Roasted malt, coffee, milk, bittersweet chocolate and caramel. Sweetish to begin, while lightly bitter on the finish.
Mouthfeel: Creamy and velvety smooth, medium bodied with low carbonation.
Overall: Nice tasting and great to drink, but definitely preferred the barrel aging of its father, Big Bad Baptist.

4 - Good (buy), Almanac Beer Co., Beer Reviews, USA, Wild Ale

Almanac Vanilla Cherry Dogpatch

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Brewery: Almanac Beer Co.
Country: USA
ABV: 7.6%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: Farm to barrel. Barrel aged in oak

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Sour red ale aged in wine barrels with cherries and whole vanilla beans.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.46
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.4

Intro: A 375ml bottle, released in May 2017. Poured into a Holy Mountain tulip glass.
Appearance: A lightly hazy pinkish orange colour with a one finger white head that dissipated quickly and left sparse to no lacing.
Aroma: Sweet and tart cherry, vanilla, oak and red gummy candy.
Taste: Very similar to the aroma with sweet and tart cherry, vanilla, oak and a light citrus tang.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: This was really nice and enjoyable. The vanilla and oak mixed really well with the cherries.