Category Archives: 4 – Good (buy)

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, England, Farmhouse Saison, Mills Brewing

Mills Saison Hallertau

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Brewery: Mills Brewing
Country: England
ABV: 5.6%
Style: Farmhouse Saison
Other Notes: Mills Brewing make beer with minimal modern intervention, relying on local wild yeast cultures and the influence of nature to ferment.

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Saison Hallertau is a blend of four barrels from three worts brewed in January, March and August 2019. It was dry hopped with whole leaf Hallertau Blanc, Mandarina Bavaria and Fuggles. This beer is a bitter amber saison with a good balance of malt, yeast and hop flavour.

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

Intro: A 750ml corked and capped bottle, bottled in July 2020, with a best before date of July 2030. Poured into a Holy Mountain tulip glass.
Appearance: A slightly hazy golden orange colour with a big three finger white head that had pretty good retention, while leaving some nice lacing.
Aroma: Citrus rind, orange, funky, hay, damp wood, with some light stone fruit notes.
Taste: Similar to what you’d expect from the aroma, lightly bitter, orange, mandarin, citrus peel, funky, hay, musty, damp wood, and light tropical stone fruit.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: An enjoyable and very drinkable, nice solid funky saison.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Deschutes Brewery, Flanders Oud Bruin, USA

Deschutes The Dissident

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Brewery: Deschutes Brewery
Country: USA
ABV: 11.1%
Style: Flanders Oud Bruin
Other Notes: 2015 Reserve. 65% ale aged in French oak wine barrels and 35% ale brewed with cherries

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Introducing our wildest brew yet, The Dissident – a distinctive Belgian-style brown ale. Fermented with wild yeast, we have to isolate this brew so as not to influence the others. Otherwise, we just might have anarchy on our hands. Here’s to solitary confinement and shared exploration.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.04
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 1 pint 6 fl. oz. waxed bomber, 2015 Reserve, with a best after date of 30th October 2016. Poured into a Holy Mountain tulip glass.
Appearance: A mostly clear amber brown colour with a one finger beige head that had decent retention and left some nice lacing.
Aroma: Tart, cherry, vinous, light acetone, oak, caramel notes, and a touch of vinegar.
Taste: Lightly sour and tart, cherry, red grape, plum, vinous, oak, caramel, light boozy.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: ABV was higher than expected, although the waxed bottle probably should have hinted in that direction. There was a slight boozy feel, but despite that it was still smooth, enjoyable and easy to drink.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brouwerij Kerkom, Lambic - non-Lambic Blends

Kerkom Reuss

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Brewery: Brouwerij Kerkom
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6.5%
Style: Lambic – non-Lambic Blends
Other Notes: Lambic Blend Sour Ale

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Natural top-fermented beer, blended with old Lambic, unfiltered, and fermented in the bottle.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.07
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.9

Intro: A 750ml corked and caged bottle with a best before date of 7th April 2025. Despite all my carefulness, the cork still felt like exploding out, and it was only by some luck that I didn’t spill the bottle. Poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A slightly hazy golden orange colour with a big three finger white head that had decent retention and eventually settled to a thin cap, while leaving some nice lacing.
Aroma: Tart, funky, oak, green apple, brett, light citrus zest and notes of pepper.
Taste: Light to moderate sour, brett, funk, citrus zest, green apple, and a soft caramel touch.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Enjoyable and easy drinking with some nice Lambic characteristics.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Denmark, Mikkeller ApS, Wild Ale

Mikkeller Tenth Anniversary

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Brewery: Mikkeller ApS
Country: Denmark
ABV: 9%
Style: Wild Ale
Other Notes: 2006 to 2016. Brewed to commemorate 10 years of Mikkeller beers. Brewed by Mikkeller at De Proef Brouwerij, Belgium

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Nelson sauvin Belgian wild ale aged in champagne barrels.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.01
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.9

Intro: A 750ml foiled, corked and caged bottle, with a best before date of 8th March 2022. Poured into Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A cloudy copper amber colour with a two finger beige head that dissipated fairly quickly, but left lots of nice lacing.
Aroma: Sweet, grapes, funk, brett, oak, candi sugar, with a light vinous touch.
Taste: Sweet with a bitter finish. Grapes, champagne, funk, musty, oak, white wine vinous, lemon rind, and light mineral notes.
Mouthfeel: Dry, medium to light bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: An easy drinking wild ale with the ABV well hidden.

4 - Good (buy), American Strong Ale, Beer Reviews, The Bruery, USA

The Bruery Mélange No. 3

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Brewery: The Bruery
Country: USA
ABV: 16.3%
Style: American Strong Ale
Other Notes: Ale aged in bourbon barrels. Black Tuesday®, our Anniversary ale and our wheatwine-style ale intertwine in this time-tested exploration in the art of the blend.

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Our Mélange series is at the core of our experimentation with flavors that cannot be achieved outside of the art of the blend or by any one beer. This is one of our original mélanges at its very finest. Mélange No. 3 is a blend of three ales with the longest lineage in our bourbon barrel-aging program: Black Tuesday®, our Anniversary Series old ale and our wheatwine-style ale.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.28
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 750ml bottle, 2017 edition, bottled on 1st February 2017. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: A cloudy brown colour with an orange tint and a one finger beige/khaki head that dissipates fairly quickly, while leaving some sparse spotty lacing.
Aroma: Sweet, caramel, toffee, molasses, bourbon, dark fruit, raisins, prunes, chocolate, oak, vanilla, with light coconut notes.
Taste: As you’d expect from the aroma, sweet, bourbon, caramel, toffee, molasses, chocolate, dark fruit, raisins, prunes, oak, vanilla, and a splash of coconut and orange.
Mouthfeel: Full to medium bodied with soft to moderate carbonation.
Overall: An enjoyable sipper, with great aromas, but perhaps a touch too sweet for my palate.