Category Archives: 5 – Excellent (must buy)

5 - Excellent (must buy), American Double IPA, Beer Reviews, Lawson’s Finest Liquids, USA

Lawson’s Finest Sip of Sunshine

Friday, 10 June 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Lawson’s Finest Liquids
Country: USA
ABV: 8%
Style: American Double IPA
Other Notes: Brewed by Lawson’s Finest Liquids at Two Roads Brewing Co., Stratford, CT.

Brewer Description: (from can) This lupulin-laden India Pale Ale is packed with juicy tropical fruit character, bright floral aromas, and delectable layers of hop flavor. Pour mindfully, inhale deeply, and enjoy a tropical vacation in a glass. Always store cold, enjoy fresh and stay cool!

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.79
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.6

Intro: A 1 pint can canned on 1st April 2016 and poured into a Spiegelau IPA glass.
Appearance: It poured a slightly hazy golden orange colour with a big three finger frothy white head that had good retention and left nice lacing.
Aroma: Lots of fruit with orange, orange rind, grapefruit pith, lemon and pineapple. There’s also some honey and a hint of dank mustiness.
Taste: Citrusy lemon, lime, orange zest, tangerine and grapefruit bitterness plus tropical mango and peach. Nice light candied toffee and caramel sweetness in the background.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Ahh, what a stunning DIPA. I prefer Sip of Sunshine over Heady Topper, but in the end both are really good. Great balance between bitter and sweet and easily ends up as a must buy beer for me.

5 - Excellent (must buy), Beer Reviews, Jackie O’s Pub & Brewery, Stout - Russian Imperial, USA

Jackie O’s Bourbon Barrel Dark Apparition

Tuesday, 24 May 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Jackie O’s Pub & Brewery
Country: USA
ABV: 11.5%
Style: Russian Imperial Stout
Other Notes: Stout brewed with brown sugar & aged in bourbon barrels

Brewer Description: (from bottle) The hauntingly good brew in your hand is rife with dark complexities. Seven malts were used to create deep flavors of coffee, chocolate, caramel and molasses. A hint of bitterness and herbal character from carefully selected European and American hops help support the monolithic maltiness. After conditioning in stainless steel, the beer was transferred into bourbon barrels. For 8 to 12 months, Dark Apparition waited patiently in oak barrels until the time was right to spring forth with its ghostly gusto. A truly decadent brew that is intended to be poured into your favorite snifter and given time to warm up from its dark and cool resting place.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.59
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.4

Intro: A 375ml bottle of 2015 vintage and poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: It poured a deep dark black colour with a thin khaki head that dissipated almost just as quickly but leaves some nice spotty lacing.
Aroma: Strong bourbon, sweet brown sugar, chocolate fudge brownie, molasses and vanilla.
Taste: Starts with sweet molasses followed by bourbon and dark chocolate with some light toffee, caramel and coffee.
Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with low carbonation and a warming alcohol feel.
Overall: A very good Russian Imperial Stout with a nice hit of bourbon that is strong but not harsh and nicely complemented with chocolate, caramel and coffee flavours. I would definitely buy this again.

5 - Excellent (must buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brasserie Fantôme, Farmhouse Saison

Fantôme Saison

Monday, 23 May 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Brasserie Fantôme
Country: Belgium
ABV: 8%
Style: Belgian Saison
Other Notes: US label bottle. Belgian Ale brewed with spices

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Fantôme is a classic artisanal farmhouse brewery in the heart of the Ardennes Forest. Its brews are in the robust, flavorful ‘saison’ style, and recall the early days of Belgian brewing. Brewer Dany Prignon is known for his regular Fantôme Saison and for the creative and adventurous brews he makes to mark each of the four seasons. The recipes change every year, but don’t ask what makes them so tasty… the Fantôme never gives up its secrets.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.64
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.5

Intro: A 750ml US label bottle with no best before date (Belgian label bottle has a best before end date). Poured into a Duvel tulip glass.
Appearance: It poured a lightly hazy golden colour with a slightly less than two finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly but left nice streaky lacing.
Aroma: Barnyard funk, honeydew melon, banana, clove, honey, lemon and grass.
Taste: Similar to the aroma, there is musty farmhouse funk, sweet honey, banana, clove, fleshy melon with a hint of citrus lemon, grass and a bready finish.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with high carbonation.
Overall: Wow, a very nice Saison. Great aromas and mouthfeel with nice fruit and funkiness.

5 - Excellent (must buy), Beer Reviews, Belgian Dubbel, Belgium, Brouwerij der Trappisten van Westmalle

Westmalle Dubbel

Thursday, 19 May 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Brouwerij der Trappisten van Westmalle
Country: Belgium
ABV: 7%
Style: Belgian Dubbel
Other Notes: Trappist beer. As per the website, the larger 75cl bottles mature differently to the 33cl bottles. They say that in the larger bottles, you will notice a more subtle aftertaste.

Brewer Description: (from website) Westmalle Dubbel is a dark, reddish-brown Trappist beer with a secondary fermentation in the bottle. The creamy head has the fragrance of special malt and leaves an attractive lace pattern in the glass. The flavour is rich and complex, herby and fruity with a fresh-bitter finish. It is a balanced quality beer with a soft feel in the mouth and a long, dry aftertaste. The Dubbel contains 7% alcohol.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.66
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.4

Intro: A 330ml bottle with a best before date of 24th July 2016 and poured into a Chimay goblet glass.
Appearance: It poured a dark brown colour with a slight reddish hue and a two finger beige head that slowly settles to a nice thin but creamy puffy layer while leaving nice curtain lacing.
Aroma: Strong dark fruits with cherry, plum, prune, raisin, grape and a hint of banana, toffee and caramel in the background.
Taste: Some toffee and caramel before a blast of lightly sweet dark stone fruits, cherry, plum, grape, fig and raisin.
Mouthfeel: Dry, medium to full bodied with moderate to high carbonation.
Overall: Excellent Dubbel, excellent beer. Nice complexity and balance in the aromas and taste and is definitely a must buy beer for me.

5 - Excellent (must buy), Beer Reviews, Estonia, Põhjala x To Øl, Stout - Imperial

Põhjala x To Øl Cellar Series Taanilinn Cognac BA

Monday, 18 April 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Põhjala x To Øl
Country: Estonia
ABV: 14%
Style: American Imperial Stout
Other Notes: Cognac barrel aged spiced Imperial Stout. 70 IBUs. Malts – Pilsner, Oats, Cara 150, Melanoid, Chocolate, Cara Amber, Special B, Chocolate Rye and Demerara Sugar. Hops – Magnum and Goldings. Other – cinnamon, aniseed and orange zest.

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Põhjala and To Øl created this beer together to honour the old Danish heritage of Tallinn. Deep complex oatmeal stout aged for months on cognac barrels. Spiced with all the best from the liquors of Estonia.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.72
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.6

Intro: A 330ml waxed bottle with a best before date of 4th November 2018, poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: It poured a pitch black colour with a thin beige head that dissipated quickly but left nice spotty lacing.
Aroma: Caramel, toffee, chocolate, vanilla, cognac, wood with a hint of dark fruit, plum and cherries.
Taste: Sweet. Its so sweet, but so good. Brown sugar, cherry, vanilla, oak and cognac with hints of bittersweet chocolate and espresso coffee.
Mouthfeel: Very smooth, mid to full bodied with low carbonation.
Overall: I usually do not enjoy sweet beers, but there are a few exceptions and this is definitely one of them. It starts very sweet, but the combination of oakiness and cognac helps to balance out this sweetness and keep it in check. It’s also surprisingly not full bodied. It’s almost there, but lacks just that little bit that you usually expect from a 14% ABV Imperial Stout. But, despite all that, in my opinion, this is right up there with the best Imperial Stouts, and is easily a must buy beer for me.

words of another dreamy traveller