Category Archives: 4 – Good (buy)

4 - Good (buy), Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan, Beer Reviews, German Doppelbock, Germany

Weihenstephaner Korbinian

Wednesday, 30 September 2015 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan
Country: Germany
ABV: 7.4%
Style: German Doppelbock
Other Notes: 32 IBUs

Brewer Description: (from website) Our Korbinian, the full-bodied, dark Doppelbock with light brown foam, wins beer-lovers over with a balance of fruity hints of plums and figs, a dark malt aroma – reminiscent of toffee, nuts and chocolate. Its roasted flavour goes well with smoked meat and fish as well as venison and poultry. Brewed according to our centuries-old brewing tradition of the Weihenstephan hill.

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

Intro: A 500ml bottle with a best before date of 3rd October 2015 and poured into a Riedel weizen glass.
Appearance: Poured a clear very dark brown colour with hints of ruby and a one finger chestnut coloured head that dissipated quite quickly with only light spotty lacing.
Aroma: Malty, treacle, brown sugar, milk chocolate and hints of vanilla.
Taste: Similar to its aromas, there’s malt, burnt sugar, brown sugar, caramel, chocolate and a hint of dark fruit like prune.
Mouthfeel: Creamy, velvety, mid to full bodied with low carbonation.
Overall: A very nice doppelbock from a great brewer. Just falls behind Celebrator in my book, but definitely something I’d drink again.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brouwerij Rodenbach N.V., Flanders Red Ale

Rodenbach

Tuesday, 29 September 2015 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Brouwerij Rodenbach N.V.
Country: Belgium
ABV: 5.2%
Style: Flanders Red Ale
Other Notes: Aged in oak vats with 3/4 young beer and 1/4 beer matured two years in oak.

Brewer Description: (from website) Rodenbach is the unique “Flanders Red-Brown Beer”, recognised as a traditional local product. Mixed main fermentation and maturation in oak casks (“foeders”) give it the same sweet-sour flavour and complex fruitiness as wine. Rodenbach consists of 3/4 young beer and 1/4 beer matured two years in oak. Rodenbach is highly refreshing and appetising: the perfect aperitif!

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

Intro: A 330ml bottle with a best before date of 3rd October 2015 and poured into a Duvel tulip glass.
Appearance: Poured a dark reddish brown colour with a thin tanned head (although on my second bottle, an extremely aggressive pour gave me a one finger head) that leaves plenty of stringy lacing.
Aroma: Nice strong tart cherry and grape aromas with hints of vinegar and oak.
Taste: Tart cherry with hints of vinegar and grape bubblegum.
Mouthfeel: Dry, light to medium bodied with medium carbonation.
Overall: The most basic of the Rodenbach line, this was very good. It was very refreshing, nice on the palate and easy to drink.

4 - Good (buy), American IPA, Beer Reviews, Stone Brewing Co., USA

Stone Go To IPA

Wednesday, 23 September 2015 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Stone Brewing Co.
Country: USA
ABV: 4.5%
Style: American IPA
Other Notes: A vibrant hop-bursted session IPA.

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Since Day One, we’ve been abundantly forthright and fully transparent about our lust for hops. It’s led us to craft man an IPA, most of them imperial – some intense for their time and all timeless in their intensity. For Stone Go To IPA, we are embracing our hop obsession in a new way, funnelling an abundance of lupulin-borne bitterness into a “session” IPA delivering all the fruity, piney character of a much bigger IPA. To accomplish this, we employed “hop bursting” a technique wherein an irrational amount of hops is added during the final phase of the brewing process to coax out extreme flavors and aromas while also imparting a burst of desirably pleasant bitterness. The result is an alpha-acid-rich beer that you can enjoy more of without missing out on the assertive hop character you, like us, crave. So, sit back and go two with your new everyday go-to IPA and bask along with us in the glory of the almighty hop.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.42
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.2

Intro: A 12 fl oz bottle with a bottled date of 20th July 2015 and an enjoy by date of 18th October 2015. Poured into a Spiegelau IPA glass.
Appearance: It poured a clear golden orange colour with a one finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly but left a lot of spotty lacing.
Aroma: Very nice blend of tropical fruit, citrus and pine aromas. Strong mango, peach and apricot along with some light grapefruit and orange zest and hints of pine. Only a very light breadiness in the background.
Taste: Like the aroma, taste is tropical and citrus fruits. Mango and apricot to begin with followed by some orange and finishing with grapefruit bitterness which is lasting.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with mid to high carbonation.
Overall: A very nice IPA from Stone. The aromas are stunning and it is very easy to drink.

4 - Good (buy), American IPA, Beer Reviews, Denmark, To Øl

To Øl Garden of Eden

Thursday, 17 September 2015 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: To Øl
Country: Denmark
ABV: 6.4%
Style: American IPA

Brewer Description: (from bottle) A salute to the beauty beyond man. An IPA at 6,4% brewed with a wide amount of tropical fruit. As fruity as it is fresh and hoppy.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.24
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 330ml bottle with a best before date of 24th September 2016 and poured into a D’Achouffe tulip glass.
Appearance: It poured a hazy golden orange colour with a two finger white frothy head that eventually collapses in on itself after a minute or two leaving thick frothy lacing.
Aroma: A little dank at the beginning but gives rise to some tropical fruits, mainly guava, mango and passion fruit. There are also hints of lemon and pine.
Taste: Very tropical fruit like, especially get mango, passion fruit, guava and peach. There is a slight bitterness in the middle with citrus grapefruit coming through, but its definitely more fruity than bitter.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with medium to high carbonation.
Overall: A self described IPA, I can understand why its listed as a fruit beer on both beer advocate and ratebeer. It is very fruity which makes it very easy to drink. However, I do prefer my IPAs to have more bitterness at least in the finish, but I think overall it does retain enough IPA characteristics for me to still consider it an IPA.

4 - Good (buy), American Pale Ale, Beer Reviews, Omnipollo, Sweden

Omnipollo Mazarin

Saturday, 12 September 2015 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Omnipollo
Country: Sweden
ABV: 5.6%
Style: American Pale Ale
Other Notes: Brewed by Omnipollo at De Proef Brouwerij (Belgium)

Brewer Description: (from website) Mazarin is my take on a “thinker’s beer”. Rather than being big and undecipherably complex I wanted to create something that would calm a hop yearning nerve without fuddling the brain too much. In other words, a lavishly hopped ale of judicious ABV – an Extra Special Pale Ale if you will.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.21
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 330ml bottle with a best before date of 9th April 2016 and poured into a pint glass.
Appearance: The beer poured a hazy golden orange colour with a two finger white head that has good retention and leaves a thin foamy layer with nice stringy lacing.
Aroma: Very nice aromas of citrus grapefruit, mandarin and orange followed by tropical pineapple, passion fruit and mango. It finishes with a hint of floral pine.
Taste: There’s a very light caramel malt in the background but strong citrus grapefruit, orange and pineapple. There are also hints of mango and honey while finishing with a grassy pine light bitterness. As it warms, the caramel malts and pine finish were more pronounced.
Mouthfeel: Medium to light bodied with medium carbonation.
Overall: Wow, this reminded me of Fatamorgana for a while there. Not quite as good in the end, but initial impressions were great. The aromas coming off this beer were stunningly nice and fruity. I would have preferred more tropical flavours considering the aromas, but overall this was still very good.

words of another dreamy traveller