Category Archives: 4 – Good (buy)

4 - Good (buy), American IPA, Beer Reviews, Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, USA

Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA

Friday, 14 August 2015 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
Country: USA
ABV: 7.2%
Style: American IPA
Other Notes: 65 IBUs

Brewer Description: (from bottle) At Sierra Nevada we take hops seriously. Torpedo Extra IPA starts with the world’s finest whole-cone hops and intensifies their flavors with a little magic from our “Hop Torpedo”. The torpedo is a revolutionary method of dry hopping that brings this beer alive with a rush of complex hop aromas and flavors not found in any other beer.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.12
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 12 fl oz bottle with a packaged date of 14th May 2015 and poured into a Spiegelau IPA glass.
Appearance: The beer poured a very nice deep clear copper colour with a one and a half finger slightly off white head that dissipates slowly to a thin soapy layer while leaving some nice stringy lacing.
Aroma: Pine and citrus grapefruit dominate with a hint of orange.
Taste: Sweet malts, caramel to start followed by citrus grapefruit and pine and hints of tropical fruits.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with medium to high carbonation.
Overall: A nice IPA that is crisp and refreshing. I would buy this again.

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

To Øl First Frontier IPA

Tuesday, 4 August 2015 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: To Øl
Country: Denmark
ABV: 7.1%
Style: American IPA
Other Notes: Hops – Warrior, Simcoe, Centennial. Brewed at De Proef Brouwerij, Belgium.

Brewer Description: (from website) First Frontier” We all got pieces of crazy in us, some bigger pieces than other” The thing about First Frontier is the hops. Easy… This is an IPA “the American way”, no sticky-sweet malt profile, just the real deal potent and aromatic hops. The result is a refreshingly dry, fresh and bitter IPA, heavily dryhopped with the three American hop varieties warrior, simcoe and centennial, dealing a punch of citrus, peach and grapefruit from the deepest of our hearts directly to ya face. Just added a bit of caramel malt; merely to harness and balance the alcohol.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.87
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.7

Intro: A 330ml bottle dated best before 1st October 2016 and poured into an IPA glass.
Appearance: The beer poured a slightly hazy golden orange with a huge cream head that dissipated slowly leaving lots of stringy lacing.
Aroma: Piney hops with some pineapple and citrus grapefruit. Light caramel malts to finish.
Taste: Taste follows the nose with citrus grapefruit and caramel dominating followed by a piney hop finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with light to medium carbonation.
Overall: This IPA is worth a try. While not at the top of its style, it is still very refreshing on a hot summer day.

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

Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier Dunkel

Wednesday, 29 July 2015 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan
Country: Germany
ABV: 5.3%
Style: German Dunkelweizen
Other Notes: 14 IBUs

Brewer Description: (from website) Our dark wheat beer is impressive with its creamy white foam. A fruity-fresh sweetness and hints of mature bananas harmonise with delicious flavours of roasted malt, sparkling and full-bodied with a light caramel taste on the first sip. An excellent accompaniment from hearty meals and game to chocolate and nut desserts. Brewed according to our centuries-old brewing tradition on the Weihenstephan hill.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.22
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 500ml bottle with a best before date of 16th September 2015 and poured into a weizen glass.
Appearance: The beer poured a hazy copper colour with a nice three finger cream head that stuck around for a long time leaving some spotty lacing.
Aroma: Mainly caramelised banana with hints of bready malts, caramel and a tinge of pear.
Taste: Bready malt base followed by ripe banana, bubblegum and caramel. Hints of grape and raisin in the finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with medium crisp carbonation.
Overall: A very nice dunkelweizen that is very easy to drink. I would buy this again if it was available in Hong Kong, but for now, I will just have to keep bringing it back from Thailand and South Korea.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgian Witbier, Belgium, Brouwerij van Hoegaarden

Hoegaarden Original White Ale

Friday, 24 July 2015 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Brouwerij van Hoegaarden
Country: Belgium
ABV: 4.9%
Style: Witbier

Brewer Description: (from website) 500 years of hard work went into making this beer that features the aroma of orange peel, coriander and herbs that the merry monks imported from sunny Curacao. Speaking of which: pouring Hoegaarden is just like letting the sun fall into your glass: light yellow and naturally murky. And the soft foam adds a cloudy finish. And then there’s the soft taste, light and slightly sweet and sour and with subtle citrus notes… ah, just go ahead and taste it instead of reading about it!

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.8
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.6

Intro: A 330ml bottle with a best before date of 2nd March 2016 and poured into a Hoegaarden pint glass.
Appearance: The beer poured a hazy straw yellow with a one finger white head that dissipates slowly into a thin creamy layer with nice curtain like lacing.
Aroma: Starts with wheat bready malt aromas before leading into some banana, honey, spice and bubblegum.
Taste: Some breadiness at the beginning followed by banana, honey sweetness and a tinge or citrus orange and clove to finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with medium to high carbonation.
Overall: A good beer that is refreshing and quite tasty. Internationally, it is probably the most recogniseable and easily accessible witbier. In Hong Kong its price is very competitive as most good craft is at least double the price.

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

Anderson Valley Highway 128 Blood Orange Gose

Thursday, 23 July 2015 kitch Leave a comment

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

Brewer Description: (from can) Copious additions of blood orange during fermentation impart tangy citrus notes and a slight sweetness to compliment the salinity and tartness typically found in a Gose style ale.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.93
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.8

Intro: A 12 fl oz can poured into a pint glass.
Appearance: The beer poured a slightly hazy golden orange colour with a two finger white head that dissipated quickly with no lacing.
Aroma: Strong tangy citrus and candy like orange and lemon.
Taste: Tart and tangy sour orange with a salty finish.
Mouthfeel: Light bodied with medium carbonation.
Overall: I enjoyed this. It’s a great drink for a hot summer day as it goes down easy and is very refreshing with its tart, tangy and salt finish. I prefer this over Anderson Valley’s regular Gose.

words of another dreamy traveller