Category Archives: 4 – Good (buy)

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Deschutes Brewery, Stout - Imperial, USA

Deschutes The Abyss

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Brewery: Deschutes Brewery
Country: USA
ABV: 11.1%
Style: American Imperial Stout
Other Notes: 2016 Reserve

Brewer Description: (from bottle) It’s dark. It’s deep. It’s mysterious. This imperial stout has immeasurable depth inviting you to explore and discover its rich, complex profile. The flavor of this special brew draws you in further and further with each sip. The Abyss beckons. Enjoy the journey.

Imperial Stout brewed with black strap molasses and licorice, dry spiced with cherry bark and vanilla bean, 21% aged in oak bourbon barrels, 21% aged in oak wine barrels, and 8% aged in new Oregon oak barrels.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.38
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.3

Intro: A 22 fl. oz. bomber, 2016 Reserve, bottled on 8th December 2016. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Very dark brown to black in colour with a nice one finger brown head that had decent retention, while leaving lots of nice spotty lacing.
Aroma: Dark malt, moderate roast, chocolate, sweet notes, licorice, molasses, bourbon, oak.
Taste: Light bitterness, roasted malts, dark chocolate, light char, sweet notes, brown sugar, licorice, molasses, oak and bourbon on the finish.
Mouthfeel: Creamy, smooth, full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: An excellent classic Imperial Stout with lots of great flavours and not too sweet. A wonderful and enjoyable sipper.

3 Sons Brewing Company, 4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Sour Ale - Smoothie / Soda / Pastry, USA

3 Sons Slice of Life

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Brewery: 3 Sons Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 12%
Style: Sour Ale – Pastry
Other Notes: Collaboration with Boneflower Craft Mead Co.

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Tequila barrel aged key lime pie sour with meadowfoam honey, lime zest & graham crackers.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.27
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.2

Intro: A 750ml bottle, 2020 vintage. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A lightly hazy golden colour with a one finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly while leaving only sparse lacing.
Aroma: Dessert like, very light tartness, strong graham cracker, shredded coconut, caramel, with light notes of vanilla, honey, marshmallow, and candied lime.
Taste: Liquid dessert or cocktail, moderately sweet, lightly tart, tequila, candied lime, marshmallow, graham cracker, shredded coconut.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Pleasantly surprised and really unexpected in a good way. I suppose the reason is that I had no idea what to expect even after reading the description. But this really worked, and everything from the description just seemed to meld together, and it’s like drinking a liquid dessert. At 12% ABV, any alcohol is really well hidden, and perhaps my only negative, is that after drinking half a bottle, it does start to feel quite sweet, so share the bottle and enjoy!

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Browar Stu Mostów, Poland, Porter - Baltic

Stu Mostów WRCLW Baltic Porter Coffee Vanilla Hazelnuts NITRO

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Brewery: Browar Stu Mostów
Country: Poland
ABV: 9.1%
Style: Baltic Porter
Other Notes: 40 IBUs

Brewer Description: (from website) To the extractive base of the Baltic Porter we added extremely aromatic Madagascar vanilla sticks, roasted hazelnuts and BRAZYLIA PATROCINIO coffee beans from from our local roastery – Czarny Deszcz! In this way, we have created an incredibly delicious combination, which is bound in a dessert whole by a velvety texture obtained thanks to nitrogen saturation!

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.39
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.3

Intro: A 330ml bottle, with a best before date of 23rd December 2023. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Dark dark brown to black in colour, with a thin brown head that disappeared quickly, while leaving nice spotty lacing.
Aroma: Roasty, dark malt, coffee, chocolate, wafer biscuit, with light nutty, raisin and vanilla notes.
Taste: Roasty, bitter, dark chocolate, coffee, biscuit, nutty, hazelnut, light caramel sweetness, and notes of vanilla. Finish is an enjoyable lasting bitterness.
Mouthfeel: Creamy, velvety, smooth, medium to full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Unfortunately I did not know that this was a nitro beer until after it was poured as the word ‘nitro’ was not so obvious on the bottle to me. Therefore I didn’t do the aggressive vertical pour and didn’t get as much of the nice tiny bubbles and cascading effect as I could have. Having said that, this was a great beer, with wonderful bitterness and strong coffee and chocolate flavours.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Geuzestekerij De Cam, Lambic - Fruit

De Cam Mirabel Lambiek

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Brewery: Geuzestekerij De Cam
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6%
Style: Lambic – Fruit
Other Notes: 2020 vintage. Spontaneous fermentation purely natural. Artisan family, consciously small company (1 man only: Karel)

Brewer Description: (from bottle in Dutch) Deze lambiek schuimt niet om de fruitaroma’s 100% te kunnen proeven. 1000 kilogram Mirabellen worden in z’n geheel gedurende een jaar vergist met 1500 liter jonge lambiek. Met verdere maturatie op de eiken vaten.

(Translated to English) This lambic does not foam in order to taste the fruit aromas 100%. 1000 kilograms of Mirabelle are fermented whole over a year with 1500 liters of young lambic. With further maturation in the oak barrels.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.39
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.3

Intro: A 375ml corked and caged bottle, 2020 vintage, with a best before date of November 2040. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy golden orange colour with an almost two finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly to a nice thin cap, while leaving some nice lacing.
Aroma: Sweet plum, funky, dusty, yellow stone fruit, apricot, floral, perfumy, lemon.
Taste: Lightly sour, tart, perfumy, floral, lemon peel, stone fruit, apricot, plum, and a touch of oak.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with moderate to soft carbonation.
Overall: I don’t know what a Mirabelle plum is supposed to smell or taste like. But after researching it a bit, it seems that the perfumy and floral character that I’m getting quite strongly could be from these Mirabelle plums. I’m usually not a fan of these characteristics, but it actually works well in this case, complementing the stone fruit apricot and plum flavours. I’m getting nice funk in the aroma, but not much in the flavour, which might have made it more interesting with the perfumy notes if there was. But still, it drinks easy and I enjoyed it.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Geuzestekerij De Cam, Lambic - Fruit

De Cam Oude Kriek

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Brewery: Geuzestekerij De Cam
Country: Belgium
ABV: 7%
Style: Lambic – Fruit
Other Notes: 2019 vintage. Newer vintages are just “Kriek” without “Oude” in the name

Brewer Description: (from bottle in Dutch) Kriek schuimt niet, doordat hergisting op fles minimaal is om de fruit aroma’s maximaal te proeven. Kriek ontstaat door het samen vergisten van jonge lambiek met een hoeveelheid zure aromatische kersen. De zure kersen, Prunus Cerasus L., worden in hun geheel (geen sap) met pit in bewerking gebracht. Het gehalte aan zure kersen bedraagt ongeveer 40kg per 100 liter kriek.

(translated to English) Kriek does not foam, because refermentation in the bottle is minimal to get the maximum taste of the fruit aromas. Kriek is created by fermenting young lambic together with a quantity of sour aromatic cherries. The sour cherries, Prunus Cerasus L., are processed whole (no juice) with stone. The content of sour cherries is approximately 40 kg per 100 liters of cherries.

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

Intro: A 375ml corked and caged bottle, 2019 vintage, with a best before date of July 2040. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A mostly clear ruby red with a very thin slightly pinkish head that disappeared almost immediately, while leaving only sparse to no lacing.
Aroma: Lightly tart, cherry, cherry skin, oak, with light funky notes.
Taste: Sour, tart, cherry, oak, citrusy lemon, lightly funky.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: It’s a good kriek with lots of cherry and a nice citrusy bite. The funky notes could have been more pronounced.