Category Archives: 4 – Good (buy)

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Green Flash Brewing Co., Porter - Baltic, USA

Green Flash Cosmic Ristretto

Saturday, 11 June 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Green Flash Brewing Co.
Country: USA
ABV: 8.2%
Style: Baltic Porter
Other Notes: 45 IBUs. Brewed with espresso

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Intergalactic infusion. Live long and drink Cosmic Ristretto. This highly revered brew will go down in history as one of the first graduates of our Genius Lab program into our front line. Marvel at its rich black appearance with bruleed edges and mocha-colored beer foam. Savor its smooth, espresso flavor and breathe in its chocolate, coffee, and sweet malt aromas. Don’t fight its gravitational pull. This bold, complex, java-centric Baltic Porter with espresso is irresistible. Houston, we have a problem, my glass is empty.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.06
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 22 fl oz bottle with a best by date of 10th August 2016 and poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: It poured a clear dark brown colour with a reddish hue and a one finger beige head that dissipated fairly quickly to a thin ring of lacing.
Aroma: Dark fruits especially grape, bubblegum and roasty espresso with a hint of chocolate and vanilla.
Taste: Lots of coffee and espresso with a light char. Hint of dark fruit sweetness, mostly grape, plum and prunes as well as a hint of bittersweet chocolate and vanilla.
Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: A solid Baltic Porter with nice coffee and espresso notes.

4 - Good (buy), American Pale Ale, Beer Reviews, Three Floyds Brewing Co., USA

Three Floyds Alpha King

Wednesday, 8 June 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Three Floyds Brewing Co.
Country: USA
ABV: 6.66%
Style: American Pale Ale
Other Notes: 68 IBUs

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Alpha King is a bold yet balanced American Pale Ale with slight sweetness and aggressive citrus hoppiness.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.16
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 12 fl oz. bottle bottled on March 31st 2016 and poured into a mini Mikkeller long stemmed tulip glass.
Appearance: It poured a clear copper colour with a one finger off white head that had decent retention and left nice lacing.
Aroma: A bit light but grapefruit and pine come through along with some caramel malt.
Taste: Bitter citrus grapefruit, lemon and orange peel, sweet lemon tea, lightly sweetened tea, pine and caramel malt in the background.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Nice and well balanced. Good mix of bitter and sweet.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Cascade Brewing, USA, Wild Ale

Cascade Noyaux

Tuesday, 7 June 2016 kitch Leave a comment

– Note: Apologies for the dark photos.
– 8th June 2016 edit: Found some much better and clearer photos on my phone.

Brewery: Cascade Brewing
Country: USA
ABV: 9.29%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: 2014 project

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Noyaux is a blend of sour Blond ales aged in oak wine barrels for up to 24 months with fresh raspberries and apricot noyaux.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.44
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.3

Intro: A 750ml corked and caged bottle from 2014 project, poured into a To Øl teku glass.
Appearance: It poured a slightly hazy strawberry red colour with a half finger white head that dissipates fairly quickly but leaves nice lacing.
Aroma: Funk, oak, raspberries, lemon and a hint of apricot.
Taste: Sour, tart, oak, raspberry and strawberry.
Mouthfeel: Dry, medium bodied with high carbonation.
Overall: Very nice funk, easy to drink and definitely does not feel like 9.29% abv. I did not know what apricot noyaux was but apparently it is from apricot kernels. I guess this explained the lack of apricot I was expecting in the taste.

4 - Good (buy), American Pale Ale, Beer Reviews, Founders Brewing Company, USA

Founders Mosaic Promise

Monday, 6 June 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Founders Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 5.5%
Style: American Pale Ale
Other Notes: 50 IBUs.

Brewer Description: (from website) Mosaic Promise showcases two unique ingredients: Mosaic hops and Golden Promise malt. The versatility of the hop’s pleasing aroma and flavor characteristics and the traditional barley’s depth of flavor comprise this clean, rich, golden beer. We can brew complex beers with the best of them, but we recognize that there is also beauty in simplicity.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.03
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.9

Intro: A 12 fl oz bottle with a best by date of 1st July 2017 and poured into a Duvel tulip glass.
Appearance: It poured a slightly hazy golden straw yellow with a two finger white head that had decent retention and left nice spotty lacing.
Aroma: Tropical pineapple, hint of mango, and a lot of citrus grapefruit, lemon zest, pine and grass.
Taste: Strong bitter citrus grapefruit and lemon, pine and a hint of tropical mango and light bready malt.
Mouthfeel: Crisp, medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Very crisp and refreshing with nice bitter citrus notes.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, German Hefeweizen, Live Oak Brewing Company, USA

Live Oak HefeWeizen

Wednesday, 1 June 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Live Oak Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 5.3%
Style: German Hefeweizen
Other Notes: 10 IBUs. Bavarian-style weissbier

Brewer Description: (from website) Modeled after the classic wheat beers of Bavaria, Hefeweizen is cloudy and straw-coloured with a meringue-like head that lingers to the bottom of the glass. Brewed with an ample volume of wheat malt and few hops, this beer features a unique yeast strain that produces harmonious notes of clove, banana, and vanilla throughout this effervescent brew. A traditional interpretation of a classic style, this idiosyncratic Bavarian beer is perfectly at home here in Texas.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.33
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.2

Intro: A 12 fl oz. can with no canned on or best before date. Poured into a Riedel weizen glass.
Appearance: It poured a hazy straw yellow colour with a three finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly and left almost no lacing.
Aroma: Sweet overripe bananas, clove, banana bread and some light wheat.
Taste: Much like the aromas, there is sweet overripe banana, light clove and peach, pear, banana bread and a hint of wheat.
Mouthfeel: Crisp, mid to light bodied with moderate to high carbonation.
Overall: Wow, this was an amazing Hefeweizen. Probably one of the best in this style.

words of another dreamy traveller