Category Archives: 4 – Good (buy)

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Hanssens Artisanaal, Lambic - Gueuze

Hanssens Oude Gueuze

Wednesday, 23 November 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Hanssens Artisanaal
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6%
Style: Belgian Lambic (Gueuze)

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Each bottle matured for over three years.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.35
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.3

Intro: A 375ml corked and caged bottle with a notched bottled on dating of November 2015, poured into a Cantillon gueuze glass.
Appearance: It poured a slightly hazy golden colour with an almost two finger white head that dissipated quickly to a thin layer while leaving no lacing.
Aroma: Sour, tart, funky and oaky with hints of apple and lemon.
Taste: Sour and tart to start followed by lemon, pear and sour apple fruitiness. The finish has some light funk, a touch of vinegar and nice oakiness.
Mouthfeel: Dry, acidic, medium to light bodied with moderate to high carbonation.
Overall: One of the more sour Gueuze’s out there, but still very nice and enjoyable.

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

Almanac Peach de Brettaville

Thursday, 17 November 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Almanac Beer Co.
Country: USA
ABV: 6.5%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: Farm to barrel

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Farmhouse ale aged in wine barrels with peaches.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.27
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 375ml bottle, bottled in November 2015, and poured into a Cantillon ballon glass.
Appearance: It poured a cloudy golden straw orange colour with a one finger white head that dissipated quickly and left only sparse to no lacing.
Aroma: Tart, mildly funky, light oak with some peach, pineapple and lemon. Think along the lines of sour peach ring gummy candy.
Taste: Sour and tangy with only light funkiness. Fruity peach with a sharp citrus lemon and orange peel flavour and acidity. There is also a touch of vinegar, white wine and earthy oak.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with high carbonation.
Overall: This is good. A very nice sour from Almanac that is tasty and easy to drink.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project, USA, Wild Ale

Crooked Stave Petite Sour Pure Guava

Tuesday, 15 November 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project
Country: USA
ABV: 5.5%
Style: American Wild Ale

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Mixed fermentation ale aged in oak with tropical fruits.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.13
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.9

Intro: A 375ml bottle bottled in August 2015, poured into a Cantillon ballon glass.
Appearance: It poured a hazy golden colour with a less than one finger white head that dissipated almost immediately and leaves only sparse to no lacing.
Aroma: Funk, sour, tartness and oak. Tropical fruit, mostly guava, passionfruit and mango.
Taste: Sour, tart and funky. Fruit is a bit light, but its there. Citrus lemon followed by some tropical guava and grapes. Lightly oaky on the finish.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with moderate to high carbonation.
Overall: Nice tart sourness but the fruit especially guava (since that is in the name) was on the light side.

4 - Good (buy), Avery Brewing Company, Beer Reviews, Pumpkin Ale, USA

Avery Pump[KY]n

Monday, 14 November 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Avery Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 15%
Style: Pumpkin Ale
Other Notes: Porter brewed with Pumpkin & Spices (nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice, clove) Aged in Bourbon Barrels

Brewer Description: (from bottle) What’s in a name? Sometimes the simplest can be the most descriptive, and in this case, derisive and divisive! After much internal debate (ad nauseum! Bourb[KY]n, anyone?), we decided a single letter change was the best way to embody the Bourbon barrel-aging that adds layers of complexity to an already exquisitely spiced pumpkin porter.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.31
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 12 fl oz foiled bottle, Batch No.2, bottled on 7th November 2015. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: It poured a clear dark brown amber colour with pretty much no khaki coloured head, but some sparse spotty lacing.
Aroma: Pumpkin pie, vanilla, cinnamon and a hit of boozy bourbon.
Taste: Sweet and spicy. Pumpkin pie, caramel, brown sugar, clove, cinnamon, nutmeg and all-spice with notes of oak and bourbon booziness.
Mouthfeel: Lightly syrupy, full bodied, alcohol warming with light to moderate carbonation.
Overall: Wow this was nice. A Pumpkin Ale that’s perhaps approaching a Winter Warmer. Great pumpkin pie spice flavours and good use of the barrel. Its quite boozy at 15% and you do get it in the aroma and taste yet at the same time, I like it, which is rare for me. Perhaps it just works for this particular style. If more Pumpkin Ales were like this, I would definitely go for the style. Good job by Avery on this one.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Gose - Fruit, Philippines, The Cebruery

Cebruery Guimaras Gose

Thursday, 10 November 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: The Cebruery
Country: Philippines
ABV: 4.3%
Style: Gose – Fruit
Other Notes: 7 IBUs. Hundreds of kilos of mangos

Brewer Description: (from bottle) First brewed in the 16th century near Leipzig, whose local water source was heavy in salts, the light, sour wheat beer that became known as Gose gets its characteristic tartness from a mixed yeast/Lactobacillus fermentation. We’re committed to bringing this historic style back from the brink of extinction but with a local twist, utilizing locally sourced souring bacteria, Filipino sea salt, and adding hundreds of kilos of mangoes to each and every batch. The interplay of salty and sour pairs beautifully with the subdued biscuity pilsner malts, earthy citrus zest of the coriander, and our unique combination of dry hops for that little something extra.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.85
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.8

Intro: A 330ml bottle with no visible bottled on or best before date. Poured into a d’Achouffe tulip glass.
Appearance: It poured a cloudy golden straw orange colour with a two finger white head that had decent retention but not much lacing.
Aroma: Not too strong, but what I do get is lightly doughy with fruity mango and pineapple.
Taste: Sour, tart, mango with some light saltiness.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: I like it. It is refreshing, easy to drink and has lots of mango, which I enjoy.

words of another dreamy traveller