Category Archives: 4 – Good (buy)

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

8 Wired Le Fût

Friday, 6 January 2017 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: 8 Wired Brewing Co.
Country: New Zealand
ABV: 6.7%
Style: Belgian Flanders Red Ale
Other Notes: 2013 vintage. Aged in Wine Barrels

Brewer Description: (from bottle) A complex sour red ale brewed in the Flemish tradition and aged in French oak barrels for two years. Blended from 15 unique barrels to create the perfect combination of acidity and sweetness, funk and fruitiness.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.04
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.9

Intro: A 500ml bottle, 2013 vintage. Poured into a Cantillon ballon glass.
Appearance: A clear copper red colour with a one finger light tanned head that dissipated quickly, but leaves some nice lacing.
Aroma: Cherry, vinous red and white wine, oak and wet wood with a touch of balsamic.
Taste: Lightly sour, tart, cherry, raisins, oaky wood, vinous red wine, soft funk and a red wine vinegar plus pepper punch at the end.
Mouthfeel: Dry, medium to light bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: I thought that there was less fruit and a more oaky vinous character than traditional Flanders Red Ales, but in this case, that was to be expected since it was aged in wine barrels. Enjoyable, I like it!

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Omnipollo x Buxton Brewery, Porter - Imperial, Sweden

Omnipollo x Buxton Original Texas Pecan Ice Cream

Thursday, 5 January 2017 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Omnipollo x Buxton Brewery
Country: Sweden
ABV: 10%
Style: American Imperial Porter
Other Notes: Brewed and bottled by Buxton Brewery & Omnipollo at Buxton Brewery

Brewer Description: (from website) Imperial pecan oatmeal porter brewed with caramel sauce, a heavy hand of vanilla and lactose sugar.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.5
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.3

Intro: A 330ml bottle with a best before date of 25th October 2021. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: A dark brown colour with a half finger brown head that dissipates fairly quickly while leaving nice spotty lacing.
Aroma: Mocha, chocolate fudge, vanilla, nutty pecan pie and a touch of liqueur.
Taste: Caramel, chocolate brownie, praline, fudge, vanilla, dark sugar, pecan nut, hazelnut, and cacao. A touch of dark fruit and coffee liqueur warmness on the finish.
Mouthfeel: Creamy, full bodied with low carbonation.
Overall: A very nice dessert type beer that has great aroma and taste.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Fruit Beer, Omnipollo x Buxton Brewery, Sweden

Omnipollo x Buxton Original Lemon Meringue Ice Cream Pie

Wednesday, 4 January 2017 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Omnipollo x Buxton Brewery
Country: Sweden
ABV: 6%
Style: Fruit Beer
Other Notes: Brewed and bottled by Buxton Brewery & Omnipollo at Buxton Brewery

Brewer Description: (from website) This beer sits right between sour and sweet. In my mind it is the closest we’ve ever come to balance. Kettle-soured and brewed with added lactose, it is then conditioned on buckets of lemon juice. Perfect, like lemon meringue ice cream pie.

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

Intro: A 330ml bottle with a best before date of 25th October 2018. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A hazy yellow and lightly orange colour with a half finger white head that dissipated quickly and had sparse to no lacing.
Aroma: Sour, tart, extremely under ripe mango and lemon.
Taste: Sour, tangy, tart, juicy, lemon, orange and mango.
Mouthfeel: Light bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Although it seems quite simple as a sour beer with juicy fruitiness, it is also tasty and refreshing. I feel I could drink quite a few of these all day.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Stone Brewing Co., Stout - Milk / Sweet, USA

Stone Xocoveza

Sunday, 1 January 2017 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Stone Brewing Co.
Country: USA
ABV: 8.1%
Style: Milk / Sweet Stout
Other Notes: 50 IBUs. Hops – English Challenger and East Kent Golding. Brewed with cocoa, coffee, peppers, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg

Brewer Description: (from bottle) There’s nothing like making a beer so beloved that people feel compelled to campaign for its return. So, in the spirit of the holiday season, we are very pleased to give our fans the number one item on their wish lists. That, as illustrated by the avalanche of social media requests, is Stone Xocoveza, an insanely delicious take on Mexican hot chocolate brewed with cocoa, coffee, pasilla peppers, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. First brewed in 2014 with San Diego homebrewer Chris Banker after his recipe was named the winner of our annual homebrew competition, this beer is layered with smooth roastiness, chocolate and a touch of spice. This creamy, semisweet mocha stout has gone from initially being a one-time offering to a yearly tradition thanks entirely to you. Happy holidays from all of us to all of you… and feel free to continue enjoying it long into the winter months, as this gem will age beautifully and is definitely not exclusive to the holidays!

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.08
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 330ml bottle, bottled on 2nd October 2016, and poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Dark brown in colour with a one finger brown head that dissipated fairly quickly but left nice lacing.
Aroma: Milk chocolate, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, nuttiness and peppers.
Taste: Lots of cinnamon upfront with nutmeg and mild chili pepper spiciness. Chocolate, coffee and vanilla follow.
Mouthfeel: Full bodied with low carbonation.
Overall: I was worried that this would be too sweet, but that turned out to be unfounded. The adjuncts were nice and gave it a nice winter/holiday feel to the beer. I would get this every winter and perhaps even age a few to see what happens.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Harviestoun Brewery, Old Ale, Scotland

Harviestoun Ola Dubh Special Reserve 21

Friday, 30 December 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Harviestoun Brewery
Country: Scotland
ABV: 8%
Style: English Old Ale
Other Notes: Aged in Highland Park 21 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky casks.

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Aged in selected oak casks, formerly used to mature Highland Park’s beautifully balanced 21 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky.

(from tag) Ola Dubh (or ‘Black Oil’) is so named because it is gloopy and viscous. This limited release has been matured in casks from Orkney’s award-winning Highland Park distillery to add complementary whisky notes to what is already an amazing brew. It is chocolatey with a roasty, bittersweet aftertaste.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.94
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.8

Intro: A 330ml foiled and capped bottle, bottle no. 00214, bottled in April 2014, and best before end of May 2017. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: A clear dark brown colour with pretty much no head and only very sparse spotted lacing.
Aroma: Chocolate, whisky, wood and vanilla with maybe a touch of coffee.
Taste: Dark chocolate, roasty malts and coffee bean, whisky and vanilla with a hint of sweet dark fruit, raisin, plum and prunes on the finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with low carbonation.
Overall: Nice roastiness and vanilla with subtle but clear whisky notes makes this go down easy. Definitely on the lookout for the other years now.

words of another dreamy traveller