Category Archives: 5 – Excellent (must buy)

5 - Excellent (must buy), Beer Reviews, New England / Hazy Double IPA, Other Half Brewing, USA

Other Half Double Dry Hopped Double Mosaic Daydream

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Brewery: Other Half Brewing
Country: USA
ABV: 8.5%
Style: New England / Hazy Double IPA
Other Notes: 30 min or less. Double Dry Hopped Imperial Oat Cream India Pale Ale. Hops – Mosaic. Others – Lactose, Mosaic Lupulin Powder, and Oats

Brewer Description: (from website) Smidge of lactose, heap of oats, and a mountain of Mosaic and Mosaic lupulin.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.63
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.4

Intro: A 1 pint can, canned on 7th May 2020. Poured into a Holy Mountain tulip glass.
Appearance: A hazy yellowish orange colour with a just over two finger white head that had good retention and left lots of nice lacing.
Aroma: Sweet peach and apricot ice cream, mango, citrus zest, grapefruit rind, with notes of melon and dankness.
Taste: Light to moderate sweetness, overripe mango, orange creamsicle, mandarin, grapefruit rind and zest, light to moderate lasting bitter finish.
Mouthfeel: Smooth, light to moderate bodied with moderate to soft carbonation.
Overall: Very nice and smooth. Sweet and bitter balance is perfect with lots of tropical and citrus fruits.

5 - Excellent (must buy), Beer Reviews, Belgian Saison, Hill Farmstead Brewery, USA

Hill Farmstead Arthur

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Brewery: Hill Farmstead Brewery
Country: USA
ABV: 6.2%
Style: Belgian Saison
Other Notes: Pale Malt, American and European hops, ale yeast, and our well water

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Arthur (1922-2005) was our grandfather’s youngest brother; Hill Farmstead Brewery rests upon the land that was once home to him and his 13 siblings. In his honor, this Farmstead ale is crafted from American malted barley, European and American hops, our distinctive farmhouse yeast and water from our well. Unfiltered and naturally carbonated, this is the ale that I dream to have shared with Arthur.

Hill Farmstead Brewery is the culmination of travel and insight, of friendships and explorations, and of realizing a sense of one’s place. Upon the hand hewn land of our forebears, we honor eight generations of Greensboro ancestry by thoughtfully engaging with our heritage and with our distinctive beers. This offering is our effort to revive, diversify, and prolong the memory of the Hill Farmstead.

Share. Consider. Enjoy…

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.73
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.7

Intro: A 750ml bottle, bottled on 23rd May 2018. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen Zenne glass.
Appearance: A very nice lightly hazy golden colour with a two finger white head that had good retention and left nice lacing.
Aroma: Funky, tart, mango, stone fruit, malt, bready, citrus, lemon juice and pepper.
Taste: Sweet, tart, lightly sour, stone fruit, peach, citrusy, lemon juice, grass, funk, with hints of peppery spice.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate spritzy carbonation.
Overall: I love Arthur every time I get a chance to try it. One of my favourite from Hill Farmstead, and one of my favourite in the Saison / Farmhouse style. The aroma and flavours just come together so well that it’s a joy to drink.

5 - Excellent (must buy), American Imperial Stout, Beer Reviews, Evil Twin Brewing, USA

Evil Twin Harlan’s Even More Jesus

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Brewery: Evil Twin Brewing
Country: USA
ABV: 12%
Style: American Imperial Stout
Other Notes: Imperial Stout aged in red wine barrels. Produced and bottled for Evil Twin Brewing by Westbrook Brewing Co., Mount Pleasant, SC

Brewer Description: (from bottle) A few times in the history of craft beer it has happened that a highly praised beer rises beyond mortal stardom into a higher godly league. Usually the recipe to make such heavenly drops is thick fudge-like body, pitch black color, amazingly overwhelming aromas of chocolate, coffee, dark fruits and muscovado sugar. We took this beer to the next level and barrel aged it on rare barrels from a cult winery in California.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.5
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.4

Intro: A 22 fl. oz. bomber with no bottled on or best before date. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Black in colour with a thin brown head that dissipated fairly quickly, but left some nice spotty lacing.
Aroma: Roasty, ashy, chocolate, cocoa, coffee, dried dark fruit, vinous red wine, and cherry notes.
Taste: Roasty, ashy, burnt sugar, vinous red wine, chocolate, cocoa, caramel, dark fruit, with a lightly bitter finish.
Mouthfeel: Smooth, creamy, warming, full bodied, with soft carbonation.
Overall: Wow, this is easily my favourite Even More Jesus variant. The sweetness is very nicely balanced with the bitter smoky ash, roast and chocolate. So smooth and a very nice sipper that hides the ABV well.

5 - Excellent (must buy), Beer Reviews, Belgian Lambic (Fruit), Belgium, Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen

3 Fonteinen Intens Rood

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– aka 3 Fonteinen Intense Red Oude Kriek (ratebeer & beeradvocate)

Brewery: Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen
Country: Belgium
ABV: 5.9%
Style: Belgian Lambic (Fruit)

Brewer Description: (from bottle in Dutch) 3 Fonteinen “Intens Rood” wordt bekomen door het macereren van hand-geplukte volle krieken op jonge traditionele lambik gedurende minstens zes maanden, in een verhouding van één kilo per liter. Daarna wordt de kriekenlambik geassembleerd met jonge lambik tot een intensiteit van min, 450 gram fruit per liter wordt bekomen. Na minstens zes maanden flesrijping onstaat een intense Oude Kriek die doet denken aan een rond pinot noir. Natuurlijk fruit, zonder toevoeging van sappen, siropen, of suikers. Ongefilterd en ongepasteuriseerd.

Deze specifieke botteling van Intens Rood heeft niet minder dan 7 maanden fruitmaceratie gekregen en heeft een finale fruitintensiteit van 480 gram krieken per liter.

(translated to English) 3 Fonteinen “Intense Red” is obtained by macerating full hand-picked cherries on young traditional lambic for at least six months, in a ratio of one kilo per liter. The cherry lambic is then assembled with young lambic until an intensity of minimum 450 grams of fruit per liter is obtained. After at least six months of bottle aging, an intense Oude Kriek is created that is reminiscent of a round pinot noir. Natural fruit, without the addition of juices, syrups, or sugars. Unfiltered and unpasteurized.

This specific bottling of Intense Red has received fruit maceration for no less than 7 months and has a final fruit intensity of 480 grams of cherries per liter.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.5
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.4

Intro: A 750ml corked and caged bottle, blend n°35, season 16/17, bottled on 21st June 2017, with a best before date of 26th October 2037. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A very nice clear ruby red colour with a one finger pinkish head that dissipated quickly and left only sparse to no lacing.
Aroma: Light tartness and light funk, cherry and oak.
Taste: As you’d expect from the aroma, sour, tart, cherry, cherry pie, oak and a splash of lemon.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Very nice intense cherry flavours. It was not as sweet as I remember it to be, but actually, the good amount of tart and sourness was a good balance to the cherry pie and oak notes.

5 - Excellent (must buy), Beer Reviews, Belgian Lambic (Fruit), Belgium, Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen

3 Fonteinen Oude Kriek with Honey

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Brewery: Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen
Country: Belgium
ABV: 7.1%
Style: Belgian Lambic (Fruit)
Other Notes: Oude kriek with honey

Brewer Description: (from bottle) (in French) 3 Fonteinen Oude Kriek est le résultat de la macération de griottes cueillis à la main dans du lambic traditionnel, pendant au moins quatre mois et avec fermentation en bouteille. Du fruit naturel, sans jus, sirops ou sucres ajoutés. Non-filtré et non-pasteurisé.

(in Dutch) Deze specifieke Oude Kriek heeft bijna 6 maanden gemacereerd op volle krieken. De finale fruitintensiteit is 370 gram fruit per liter afgewerkte fruitlambik. Tijdens de assemblage werd lokale honing toegevoegd.

(translated to English) 3 Fonteinen Oude Kriek is the result of maceration of hand-picked sour cherries in traditional lambic for at least four months and with fermentation in the bottle. Natural fruit, without juice, syrups or added sugars. Unfiltered and unpasteurized.

This specific Oude Kriek has macerated almost 6 months on full cherries. The final fruit intensity is 370 grams of fruit per liter of finished fruit lambic. Local honey was added during blending.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.5
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.4

Intro: A 375ml corked and caged bottle, blend n°58, season 17/18, bottled on 17th May 2018, with a best before date of 26th October 2038. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A very nice clear ruby red colour with a half finger slightly pinkish head that dissipated that dissipated quickly and left only sparse spotty lacing.
Aroma: Lightly tart, cherry, oak and hints of marzipan.
Taste: Lightly sour, tart, cherry, oak, cherry pie, soft honey sweetness, with hints of lemon and a touch of cinnamon.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: I preferred this version with honey over the original. Not sure I really got any honey in the aroma and taste, but there was a definite sweetness that wasn’t in the original, that brought out the fruitiness and cherries and made it very enjoyable.