Category Archives: 4 – Good (buy)

4 - Good (buy), Australia, Beer Reviews, Wild Ale, Wildflower Brewing & Blending

Wildflower St Thomas – Cherry

Leave a comment

Brewery: Wildflower Brewing & Blending
Country: Australia
ABV: 6.5%
Style: Wild Ale
Other Notes: 2020 vintage. 4300 bottles. Australian Wild Ale

Brewer Description: (from bottle) St Thomas is an Australian Wild Ale refermented with cherries. It is named for Chris and his wife’s first son. Saint Thomas Aquinas was an immensely influential 13th century philosopher and theologian. In 2020, this beer was made from amber mixed fermentation, barrel aged beer and 800kg of fresh, tree ripened Morello cherries hand picked from Thornbrook Orchard in Orange, NSW.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.97
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.9

Intro: A 375ml bottle, 2020 vintage, packaged in May 2020, with a best before date of May 2025. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy deep red colour with a one finger beige head that dissipated fairly quickly to a thin cap, while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Sweet and lightly tart cherries, sweet apple, oak, with some light funky notes.
Taste: Sweet cherries, with some tart and sour notes, oak, funky, leather, and a touch of bandaid.
Mouthfeel: Medium to light bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Wildflower continues to impress me, and this wild ale was no different. Enjoyable and easy to drink.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Scotland, Sour Ale, Vault City Brewing

Vault City Piñazo Sour

Leave a comment

Brewery: Vault City Brewing
Country: Scotland
ABV: 8.5%
Style: Sour Ale
Other Notes: Modern sour beer

Brewer Description: (from bottle) As summer hits full swing, we’re craving tropical flavours to satisfy that holiday thirst. The vibrant sweet-and-tart flavour of pineapple merges effortlessly with our citrusy sour base beer. Creamy coconut rounds out a dessert-like and truly tropical taste. A ‘pinazo’ (literal translation) is a smack in the face. Pinazo Sour offers just that, with a fresh yet decadent flavour. As the Spanish phrase goes – when life gives you pinazos, make pina coladas!

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

Intro: A 375ml bottle with a best before date of 25th February 2022. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A nice golden straw yellow colour with a one finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly, and left only sparse to no lacing.
Aroma: Tart, pineapple, peach, mango, with light coconut notes.
Taste: Sour, tart, lightly sweet, pineapple, peach, lemon, coconut, fruit cocktail.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Enjoyable fruity cocktail like sour with wonderful aroma and just really easy to drink.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Burning Sky Brewery, England, Farmhouse Saison

Burning Sky Saison Provision

Leave a comment

Brewery: Burning Sky Brewery
Country: England
ABV: 6.7%
Style: Farmhouse Saison
Other Notes: Batch 2 (2020)

Brewer Description: (from bottle) This tavern strength farmhouse beer is first fermented with Saison yeast and then with a blend of Lactobacillus and Brettanomyces whilst ageing in oak foudres. The result is tart, crisp, slightly sour and incredibly refreshing.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.25
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 750ml bottle, Batch 2 (2020), bottled on 26th August 2020, and with a best before date of 26th August 2030. Poured into a Holy Mountain tulip glass.
Appearance: A slightly hazy golden straw yellow colour with a one finger white head that dissipated quite quickly but left some nice lacing.
Aroma: Tart, lightly sweet, lemon zest, grapefruit, apricot, hay, with light floral tea notes.
Taste: Sour, tart, lemon, grapefruit, citrus sherbet, with notes of stone fruit, floral, wood and funk.
Mouthfeel: Dry, crisp, light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: A very enjoyable Saison. Balanced and really easy to drink.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Bière de Garde, England, Mills Brewing

Mills Bière de Garde

Leave a comment

Brewery: Mills Brewing
Country: England
ABV: 5.8%
Style: Farmhouse Bière de Garde
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) Bière de Garde was made from a blend of three contrasting brews produced in January, July and October 2018. The blend produced an easy drinking, dry, malt-forward taste with balancing bitterness and funk. The beer was lagered in bottle at ambient temperature over winter, before completing maturation in the summer months of 2020.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.88
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.8

Intro: A 750ml corked and capped bottle, bottled in November 2019, with a best before date of November 2029. Poured into a Holy Mountain tulip glass.
Appearance: It was a slightly hazy golden orange colour with an almost three finger frothy white head that had decent retention, and eventually settled to a thin cap, while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Tart, fruity, citrusy, orange zest, lemon sherbet, apple peel, slightly vinous, oak, hay, funky, musty wet wood.
Taste: Lightly sour, tart, grape skin, slightly vinous, lemon zest, green apple, oak, funky, musty wet wood.
Mouthfeel: Dry, medium bodied, with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Not so much opportunity to try many Bière de Garde’s, but this was enjoyable and easy to drink.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Netherlands, Tommie Sjef Wild Ales, Wild Ale

Tommie Sjef Cuvée (Chardonnay)

Leave a comment

Brewery: Tommie Sjef Wild Ales
Country: Netherlands
ABV: 7.8%
Style: Wild Ale

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Beer fermented and aged in wooden barrels with wine grapes (Chardonnay).

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

Intro: A 750ml corked and capped bottle with a best before date of 17th March 2028 (10 years). Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A slightly hazy golden colour with a one finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly to a ring around the glass, while leaving only some sparse lacing.
Aroma: Light tartness, white grape, vinous, oak, slight funk, citrus, lemon peel, juicy apple.
Taste: Tart, white grape, vinous, white wine, hay, dried grass, light funk, oak, citrus, lime.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Aroma was great, and while flavour was nice, it wasn’t as complex as I’d hoped for, but you know, if it’s good, then it’s good.