Category Archives: 4 – Good (buy)

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, German Hefeweizen, New Glarus Brewing Company, USA

New Glarus Bubbler

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Brewery: New Glarus Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: unknown
Style: German Hefeweizen

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Suits stride, Toes skip, Heels click staccato expedition rhythms. Labor and Workers and Shoppers alike pause to share Downtown Bubblers on Wisconsin blocks. The Bubbler Hefeweiss you hold in your hand sparkles with democratic spirit combining Wisconsin Wheat alongside European Pilsner Malt. Choice American hops partner with imported hops, even yeasts blend together in our Open Top fermenters. 100% naturally carbonated and hazy, expect this living beer to pour an exuberant effervescent gold. Bubblers beat in our hearts- it’s a Wisconsin thing. Cheers!

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.36
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.2

Intro: A 12 fl oz bottle with no clear bottled on or best before date. Poured into a Reidel weizen glass.
Appearance: A hazy golden straw yellow with a nice big two finger fluffy white head that had excellent retention and left lots of lacing.
Aroma: Nice strong clove, banana, bubblegum and wheat.
Taste: Much like the aroma, wheat, clove, banana and bubblegum flavours that combine well.
Mouthfeel: Crisp, light bodied with high to moderate carbonation.
Overall: This was so tasty. It’s been a while since my last Hefeweizen and drinking Bubbler just makes me want to go out and buy more Hefe’s.

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

Bellwoods Jelly King Strawberry Rhubarb

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Brewery: Bellwoods Brewery
Country: Canada
ABV: 5.6%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: Dry-Hopped Sour w/ strawberry and rhubarb

Brewer Description: (from website) This limited edition version of Jelly King includes a large dose of strawberry and rhubarb purees, blended on top of a mixed fermentation sour ale. In addition, we added a complimentary dose of Citra-Mosaic-Cascade in the dry hop. The result is juicy, sour, and bursting with jammy aroma and flavour that comes enrobed in a dusty rose hue. A classic combo served on top of a sour beer for your pleasure.

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

Intro: A 500ml bottle with no bottled on or best before date, poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A cloudy guava pink colour with a two finger white head that dissipated quickly and left sparse to no lacing.
Aroma: Sweet jelly fruitiness, strawberry, peach and apricot. Mixed berry instant jello.
Taste: Very juicy, moderate tartness, lightly sour. Strawberry, rhubarb, lemon and peaches.
Mouthfeel: Medium to light bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Really tasty stuff, and I felt that the addition of strawberry, rhubarb and dry hopping improved upon the base beer Jelly King quite a bit. Perfect for a hot summer day.

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

Almanac Valley Of The Heart’s Delight

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Brewery: Almanac Beer Co.
Country: USA
ABV: 7%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: Farm to barrel

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Sour blonde ale aged in wine barrels with apricots & strawberries

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.28
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.2

Intro: A 375ml bottle, released in February 2017. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A hazy golden yellow orange colour with a one finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly to a ring around the glass that lingers and left some sparse lacing.
Aroma: Oak, strawberry, apricot, peach, tart mixed berries, with some funk, leather, straw and white wine.
Taste: Tart and tangy lemon, apricot and strawberry, followed by a touch of oak, vanilla, funk and leather.
Mouthfeel: Medium to light bodied with moderate prickly carbonation.
Overall: It was very tasty and complex. I’m not usually too fond of wine barrel aging, but the addition of apricots and strawberries matched it well, and probably took it up a notch. Very enjoyable.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Brasserie Popihn, France, German Berliner Weisse

Popihn Berliner Weisse Framboise

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Brewery: Brasserie Popihn
Country: France
ABV: 4%
Style: German Berliner Weisse

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Framboise.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.15
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.9

Intro: A 330ml bottle, bottled on 21st June 2017 and with a best before date of 21st December 2017. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A lightly hazy golden colour with a one finger white head that dissipated quickly and left sparse to no lacing. Lots of energetic upward streaming bubbles.
Aroma: Lightly tart raspberries, hard candy and strawberries with perhaps a touch of wheat.
Taste: Sour, berry fruitiness and a touch of lemon. The raspberries are there, but not as strong as in the aroma.
Mouthfeel: Crisp, light bodied with high prickly carbonation and a dry finish.
Overall: Easy to drink, nice and refreshing.

4 - Good (buy), Against The Grain Brewery, Beer Reviews, Brown Ale - Imperial, USA

Against The Grain Jackyale

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Brewery: Against The Grain Brewery
Country: USA
ABV: 9.5%
Style: Brown Ale – Imperial
Other Notes: 35 IBUs. Stave It For Later Barrel Series. Bourbon barrel aged Imperial Brown Ale

Brewer Description: (from website) Double brown ale aged in bourbon barrels in honor of the greatest rock and roll band on this or any other time: JACKYL. Drinking this fine beer will make you feel like the sun is shining down on you, and the heat of love’s flames, down on you. You’ll love the thought of me coming… down on you. This is only weird if you make it that way. PS. We won’t make any beers about pussy rock ballads, I promise!

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

Intro: A 750ml bottle with no bottled on or best before date that I could see. Poured into a snifter.
Appearance: A clear dark brown colour with a half finger beige head that dissipated fairly quickly but settled to a ring around the glass. There is only sparse to no lacing.
Aroma: Coffee beans, chocolate, caramel, vanilla and oak with only a hint of bourbon.
Taste: Sweet and roasty. Caramel, molasses, vanilla, oak and bourbon with hints of milk chocolate.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate prickly carbonation.
Overall: Perhaps a little bit too sweet for me, but the nice bourbon and oak flavours do make up for that minor flaw.