Category Archives: 5 – Excellent (must buy)

5 - Excellent (must buy), Beer Reviews, Stout - Imperial, The Lost Abbey, USA

Lost Abbey Box Set Track #10 (Bat Out Of Hell)

Monday, 14 March 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: The Lost Abbey
Country: USA
ABV: 13.5%
Style: American Imperial Stout
Other Notes: Aged in American Oak Bourbon Barrels

Brewer Description: (from website) From the Ultimate Box Set: “A fresh track, Track 10 began as a fresh Serpent’s Stout base aged in bourbon barrels with oodles of coffee and cacao nibs added shortly before packaging. Late in November of 2011, our head brewer asked about creating a Coffee and Cacoa Nib version of Serpent’s Stout for the San Diego Strong Ale Festival. The beer was a hit with our fans. When we wrote up the syllabus for the Ultimate Box Set, we knew a version of this beer would be included. We waited until the very end of the release schedule to put this beer in a bottle so that the coffee and cacoa nibs really come through.”

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.77
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.6

Intro: A corked and caged 12.7 fl oz bottle poured into a snifter glass. I believe this is a 2015 bottling as “2015” is printed on the neck.
Appearance: It poured an opaque pitch black with a thin less than half finger dark brown head that leaves nice stringy lacing.
Aroma: Strong bourbon and chocolate with some sweetness coming from hints of molasses, toffee and vanilla.
Taste: Very nice espresso coffee, crunchy coffee bean, dark bittersweet chocolate and bourbon notes.
Mouthfeel: Thick, full bodied with low carbonation and light alcohol warming.
Overall: This was really good. It was surprising that there wasn’t much coffee on the nose, but it definitely came out in the taste. A great sipper on a cool night.

5 - Excellent (must buy), American Pale Wheat Ale, Beer Reviews, Modern Times Beer, USA

Modern Times Fortunate Islands with Grapefruit Zest

Tuesday, 23 February 2016 kitch 2 Comments

Brewery: Modern Times Beer
Country: USA
ABV: 5%
Style: American Pale Wheat Ale
Other Notes: 46 IBUs. Hops – Citra and Amarillo. Malts – Wheat, Two Row and Caramel Vienna.

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Fortunate Islands is the citrusy, Citra-loaded, bomb-diggity hoppy wheat beer that we brew year round. This marvelously grapefruity variation on it came about when we made a few one-off kegs with intemperate quantities of grapefruit zest back in July 2013. The results were so painfully refreshing & agonizingly awesome that we knew we had to make more. So here it is: a special release that tastes like summer and goes with everything. Enjoy!

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.44
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.3

Intro: A 22 oz bomber with no visible bottled on date, poured into a Spiegelau American wheat beer glass.
Appearance: It poured a very nice clear golden colour with a 2 finger puffy white head with pretty good retention that eventually settles to a thin layer and leaves some nice lacing.
Aroma: Strong grapefruit zest with some flowery and grassy notes. Tropicalness creeps in every now and then with mango and peach.
Taste: Much like the aromas, very strong grapefruit and grapefruit zest with a hint of mango. There is some mandarin sweetness and wheat flavours towards the end.
Mouthfeel: Very crisp, light bodied with medium carbonation.
Overall: I have not tried the base beer, but this was very nice. Being light and crisp, it goes down very easy and could easily be an everyday beer for me. I would definitely buy more if I could, except that I can’t find this in Hong Kong…

5 - Excellent (must buy), American Double IPA, Beer Reviews, The Alchemist, USA

The Alchemist Heady Topper

Sunday, 7 February 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: The Alchemist
Country: USA
ABV: 8%
Style: American Double IPA
Other Notes: Drink from the can! Drink from the can! Drink from the can!

Brewer Description: (from can) Heady Topper is an American Double India Pale Ale. This beer is not intended to be the biggest or most bitter. It is meant to give you wave after wave of hoppy goodness on your palate. Tremendous amounts of American hops will creep up on you, and leave you with a dense hoppy finish in your mouth. So drinkable, it’s scary. Sometimes I wish I could crawl right into the can. Freshness and control have always been my main concern when it comes to our beer. We are committed to providing you with an unfiltered and unpasteurized hop experience. Why do I recommend that you drink it from the can? Quite simply, to ensure a delightful, hop experience. The act of pouring it in a glass smells nice, but it releases the essential hop aromas that we have worked so hard to retain. If you MUST pour it into a glass, you may find that some of the hop resins have settled to the bottom – leave them in the can when pouring. This beer is perishable, and at its best when it is young, fresh and hazy. Keep it cold, but not ice cold. Drink this beer immediately, we are always making more.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.74
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.6

Intro: A 1 pint can canned on 15th December 2015 (I would have drank it earlier but was very sick for a long period of time) and tried from the can at first then poured into a Spiegelau IPA glass.
Appearance: It poured a hazy golden yellow orange colour with a two finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly but left nice sticky lacing.
Aroma: As soon as I opened the can the tropical aromas immediately came pouring out, but there was still a hint of the metal from the can. After pouring it into the glass, the aromas were not as strong but better with a mix of tropical pineapple, mango and citrus mandarin, orange peel and lemon zest. There was also a hint of pine.
Taste: Strong juicy citrus grapefruit and pine with a hint of tropical mango and pineapple. Nice front loaded bitterness which continues into the aftertaste. On the can it says “drink from the can” so I tried that as well. I have to say that taste is just as impressive from the can.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with medium carbonation.
Overall: An excellent DIPA. Must buy and taste fresh if possible. I only wish I wasn’t very sick when I received it… but I know I wouldn’t have been able to enjoy it as much if I drank it a month ago as I wouldn’t be able to taste or smell much. Although it says to drink from the can, which I did try, I still prefer to pour it into a glass to enjoy. It allows you to enjoy its look and gives a clearer aroma. Well worth the hype.

5 - Excellent (must buy), Beer Reviews, Goose Island Beer Co., Stout - Imperial, USA

Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout

Tuesday, 2 February 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Goose Island Beer Co.
Country: USA
ABV: 14.3%
Style: American Imperial Stout
Other Notes: 2015 vintage. Stout aged in bourbon barrels.

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Intense aromas of charred oak, vanilla, caramel & smoke.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.95
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.9

Intro: A 1 pint .9 fl oz (500ml) bottle with a bottled on date of 22nd October 2015, poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Poured an extremely dark dark brown colour with a reddish hue on the sides. Dark tanned head was very thin and did not last long and there was some thin spotty lacing.
Aroma: Rich rich aromas full of bourbon, oak, caramel, salted chocolate and vanilla.
Taste: Much like the aromas it was full of bourbon, oak, caramel, salted chocolate and vanilla. Stunning, heavenly goodness.
Mouthfeel: Full bodied, thick motor oil like richness. Low carbonation. Nice light burn as it goes down.
Overall: Wow, this was amazing… a brilliant sipper. Even drinking it 3 months in, aromas, taste and feel were already wonderful. It should develop more complexity with a year or two of aging, which is what I’m going to do with the rest of my bottles.

5 - Excellent (must buy), Australia, Beer Reviews, Belgian Dark Ale, La Sirène Brewing

La Sirène Praline

Friday, 8 January 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: La Sirène Brewing
Country: Australia
ABV: 6%
Style: Belgian Dark Ale
Other Notes: Contains nuts & lactose. Bottle conditioned, unfiltered and unpasteurised.

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Our award winning La Sirene Praline is a very special Belgian chocolate style ale. Belgian dark malts combine with organic vanilla pods & cacao nibs to provide a delightful contrast of sweet & savoury. Smooth & velvety with a creamy body & fluffy head. This delicate, balanced dark ale is a seductive chocolate praline beer experience.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.52
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.4

Intro: A 750ml bottle with an enjoy before date of 17th December 2015 (so drank a little late, but I’m not so worried for this style). Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: It poured a clear dark brown colour with an amber hue and a fluffy but thin half finger tanned head that didn’t retain too well but left nice spotty lacing.
Aroma: A very nice sweet hazelnut and chocolate with a hint of brown sugar.
Taste: Much like that aroma, a tasty chocolate hazelnut cake.
Mouthfeel: Light to mid body with light carbonation.
Overall: This surprised me a lot. A very tasty beer that could replace dessert yet surprisingly not too sweet for me (and there are a lot of beers that I find too sweet). I would definitely buy this again.

words of another dreamy traveller