Category Archives: 4 – Good (buy)

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, IPA - Black, Surly Brewing Company x Three Floyds Brewing Co. x Real Ale Brewing Company, USA

Surly x Three Floyds x Real Ale Blakkr

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Brewery: Surly Brewing Company x Three Floyds Brewing Co. x Real Ale Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 9.99%
Style: American Black IPA
Other Notes: Collaboration beer. Surly version.

Brewer Description: (from can) This double black as night IPA is too massive for just one brewery’s efforts. BLAKKR took the trinity of Real Ale Brewing Co., Surly Brewing Co. & Three Floyds Brewing Co. to actualize this crushing ale. Cheers.

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

Intro: A 1 pint can canned on 26th January 2016 and poured into an oversized wine glass.
Appearance: It poured a dark dark brown colour with an orange hue and a slightly less than one finger tanned head that dissipated fairly quickly but left nice lacing.
Aroma: A mix of piney and citrus orange hops and roasty dark chocolate.
Taste: Starts sweet-ish citrusy orange followed by caramel malt, light roast coffee and chocolate plus a hint of char before ending with a lasting pine and juicy citrus light bitterness.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate to low carbonation.
Overall: A nicely balanced Black IPA that hides it’s high ABV well.

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surly x three floyds x real ale blakkr 4

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brasserie de Blaugies x Hill Farmstead Brewery, Farmhouse Saison

Blaugies x Hill Farmstead La Vermontoise

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Brewery: Brasserie de Blaugies x Hill Farmstead Brewery
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6%
Style: Belgian Saison
Other Notes: Collaboration beer

Brewer Description: A spelt saison brewed with Amarillo hops and made in collaboration with Hill Farmstead.

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

Intro: A 750ml bottle with a best before end year of 2018 and poured into a Cantillon Iris ballon glass.
Appearance: It poured a very nice clear golden colour with a two finger white head that had pretty good retention and left nice lacing.
Aroma: Farmhouse mustiness, straw, hay, red apple, honey, lemon zest and a hint of banana esters.
Taste: Cereal grains, honey, herbal, grassy, zesty lemon with a hint of peach and peppery spice.
Mouthfeel: Dry, light bodied with high lively prickly carbonation.
Overall: A solid saison from Blaugies and Hill Farmstead.

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4 - Good (buy), Anderson Valley Brewing Company, Beer Reviews, Gose - Fruit, USA

Anderson Valley Briney Melon Gose

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Brewery: Anderson Valley Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 4.2%
Style: Gose – Fruit
Other Notes: Malt – Pale Two Row and Malted White Wheat. Hops – Bravo.

Brewer Description: (from website) Born from our passion for experimentation, our Briney Melon Gose boasts a thirst-quenching tartness that is perfectly balanced by subtle watermelon flavors and aromas. Gentle additions of sea salt create a refreshing harmony between the acidity and fruity sweetness leading to clean, dry finish.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.95
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.8

Intro: A 12 fl oz can with either a best before or canned on date that is not legible but should still be good. Poured into a Duvel tulip glass.
Appearance: It poured a slightly hazy golden colour with one finger white head that dissipated quickly but left some stringy lacing.
Aroma: Lightly sour, a bit tangy with a hint of honeydew melon.
Taste: Salty, definitely salty and lightly sour before a nice refreshing kick of honeydew melon and watermelon. The finish is a light lasting sourness.
Mouthfeel: Crisp, light bodied with moderate to high carbonation.
Overall: I wasn’t impressed with my first sip, but I think I grew to like it more and more. Refreshing and easy to drink.

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4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Brown Ale - Imperial, Clown Shoes Beer, USA

Clown Shoes The Barista

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Brewery: Clown Shoes Beer
Country: USA
ABV: 8.5%
Style: Brown Ale – Imperial
Other Notes: Brewed with Espresso, Oatmeal and Milk Sugars. Brewed and bottled by Mercury Brewing Co., Ipswich, MA.

Brewer Description: (from bottle) A Clown Shoes legend, Brown Angel, put away her dancing shoes to focus on extracting espresso, brewing coffee, and pouring latte art with zen-like focus. The Barista Breakfast Brown is crafted with Maris Otter malt, flaked oatmeal, cold brewed espresso, milk sugars and the spirit of angel wings.

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

Intro: A 22 fl oz bomber bottled on 18th January 2016 and poured into a Duvel tulip glass.
Appearance: It poured a dark brown colour with a darkish orange hue and a slightly more than one finger khaki creamy head that had decent retention and left nice lacing.
Aroma: Roasty espresso and brown sugar with hints of hazelnuts, almonds and chocolate milk.
Taste: Sweet-ish brown sugar, toffee and cacao nibs. Espresso was there but surprisingly not as much as expected considering how strong it was in the aromas. There was also a light nuttiness in the background.
Mouthfeel: Medium to light bodied with light carbonation.
Overall: This was pretty good. The aromas were nice and the taste was pretty good although I was hoping for more coffee. On top of that, it was pretty light bodied whereas I was expecting something thicker and closer to being mid to full bodied.

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clown shoes the barista 4

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Founders Brewing Company, IPA - Black, USA

Founders Dark Penance

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Brewery: Founders Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 8.9%
Style: American Black IPA
Other Notes: 100 IBUs. Malts – Crystal and Midnight Wheat. Hops – Chinook and Centennial.

Brewer Description: (from bottle) A heavy malt foundation includes Crystal malt for sweetness and just enough Midnight Wheat malt to push the color to black. The bitterness is huge, but balanced by malt sweetness. The hop flavors and aromas range from citrus to floral to pine thanks to a delicious blend of hand-selected Chinook and Centennial hops.

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

Intro: A 12 fl oz bottle bottled on 14th September 2015 and poured into an oversized wine glass.
Appearance: It poured a deep dark dark brown colour with a one finger tan head that dissipated fairly quickly to a thin layer but left nice spotty lacing.
Aroma: Sweet roasty malt with some light pine and citrus orange in the background.
Taste: Light roasty coffee and chocolate with nice spikes of pine and citrus bitterness which lingers on the finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: A nice Black IPA that balances the sweetness, roast and bitterness.

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founders dark penance 4