Category Archives: 5 – Excellent (must buy)

5 - Excellent (must buy), Beer Reviews, German Berliner Weisse, Omnipollo x Buxton Brewery, Sweden

Omnipollo x Buxton Stolen Fruit

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Brewery: Omnipollo x Buxton Brewery collaboration
Country: Sweden
ABV: 4.6%
Style: German Berliner Weisse
Other Notes: Brewed by Omnipollo and Buxton Brewery at Buxton Brewery in the UK (England).

Brewer Description:
(from Omnipollo website) Sour wheat beer brewed with juice and zest from three varieties of grapefruit and key lime. Brewed in collaboration with Buxton Brewery in the UK.

(from Buxton website) A sour wheat beer brewed with juice and zest of pink grapefruit and lime. Collaboration with Omnipollo.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.52
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.3

Intro: A 330ml bottle with a best before date of 18th July 2015 and poured into a Duvel tulip glass.
Appearance: The beer poured a hazy straw golden colour with a very small white head that dissipates quickly.
Aroma: Starts with sour lime and raspberries with hints of grapefruit and a strong peach finish.
Taste: Strong sour notes, mainly of tart lime and lemon but also some grapefruit. Followed by tropical fruit flavours of mango and peaches.
Mouthfeel: Light bodied, strong carbonation, dry, crisp.
Overall: This exceeded my expectations by far and I wish I could buy this again. But as a limited brew and seemingly out of stock in Hong Kong, I fear I may not find this again.

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omnipollo x buxton stolen fruit 4

5 - Excellent (must buy), Beer Reviews, Belgian Dubbel, Belgium, S.A. Bières de Chimay

Chimay Première (Red)

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Brewery: S.A. Bières de Chimay
Country: Belgium
ABV: 7%
Style: Dubbel
Other Notes: Trappist beer. Ale is brewed at Scourmont Abbey

Brewer Description: (from bottle) The <> logo certifies that this ale is brewed in a Trappist Abbey and that the majority of sales income is intended for social aid. Chimay Red will win you over with its fruity taste accompanied by a slight bitterness.

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

Intro: This was a 330ml bottle that was dated best before end of 2018 and poured into a Chimay goblet.
Appearance: It pours a very hazy brown colour with a very nice thick cream coloured two finger head that dissipates very slowly but when it does, leaves a nice curtain lacing.
Aroma: Aromas are fruity, mainly of dark fruits like plum, cherry, and fig. There is also some pear, apple and candied sugar and a hint of nuttiness.
Taste: Fruity cherry and plum upfront with hints of banana and pear. There’s also some light malt caramel and bready sweetness followed by a nice light bitter finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Smooth creamy and slightly sticky.
Overall: Admittedly, I used to think that this was just ok but I’ve grown to enjoy this beer the more I drink it. When I first tried it maybe ten years ago, Chimay Blue was far and away better and so I mostly bought that. However, clearly my taste changed and the last few years Chimay Red became one of my staple beers.

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chimay premiere (red) 4

5 - Excellent (must buy), Beer Reviews, Founders Brewing Company, Stout - Imperial, USA

Founders Breakfast Stout

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Brewery: Founders Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 8.3%
Style: American Imperial Stout
Other Notes: Double chocolate coffee oatmeal stout. 60 IBUs. Seasonal availability from October to December.

Brewer Description: (from website) The coffee lover’s consummate beer. Brewed with an abundance of flaked oats, bitter and imported chocolates, and two types of coffee, this stout has an intense fresh-roasted java nose topped with a frothy, cinnamon-colored head that goes forever.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.75
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.6

Intro: A 355ml bottle with a best by date of 7th August 2015 and poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: It poured a deep dark brown to black colour with a very thin caramel head that disappears quickly. There is also some light spotty lacing.
Aroma: Strong roast coffee aromas with bittersweet chocolate along with a little root beer, toffee and caramel.
Taste: Amazing taste. First thought was that it tasted like biting into freshly roasted coffee beans… so good! It was then followed by bittersweet chocolate and hints of bitter hops.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, silky smooth with light carbonation.
Overall: This was really good and over the last few years my favourite non BA coffee based stout. Each year I buy at least a case of this just for myself to enjoy over the winter and over the course of the year until the next yearly batch is brewed. A must buy for me.

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5 - Excellent (must buy), American Pale Ale, Beer Reviews, Three Floyds Brewing Co., USA

Three Floyds Zombie Dust

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Brewery: Three Floyds Brewing Co.
Country: USA
ABV: 6.2%
Style: American Pale Ale
Other Notes: 50 IBUs

Brewer Description: (from bottle) This intensely hopped and gushing undead pale ale will be ones only respite after the zombie apocalypse. Created with our marvellous friends in the comic industry. Art by Tim Seeley.

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

Intro: A friend brought back a six-pack to Hong Kong for me while this was still super fresh in February. Obviously there are times where I just like to sit back and enjoy a beer instead of always reviewing and as it is, two and a half months on, I’m down to my last bottle and so here’s the review. This 12oz bottle was bottled on 13 February 2015 and poured into a pint glass.
Appearance: The beer poured a slightly hazy golden orange colour with a nice one and a half finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly leaving nice stringy lacing.
Aroma: Intense aromas of tropical fruits especially pineapple and mango hit first, followed by some citrus grapefruit and a hint of bready malts finally ending with some hoppy pine.
Taste: Much like the smell, there was tropical pineapple, citrus grapefruit, some bready buscuity malts and a very nice bitter finish.
Mouthfeel: Very crisp, light and with medium carbonation.
Overall: I had high expectations before trying it and it lived up to those expectations. It was a very easy APA to drink and this is a must buy if available for me. It was best when it was freshest. Now lets see about 3 Floyds distribution to Hong Kong… hmm, I guess distribution = friends!

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5 - Excellent (must buy), 8 Wired Brewing Co., American IPA, Beer Reviews, New Zealand

8 Wired Hopwired IPA

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Brewery: 8 Wired Brewing Co.
Country: New Zealand
ABV: 7.3%
Style: IPA
Other Notes: Brewed at Renaissance Brewing for 8 Wired Brewing Co.

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Hopwired was one of the first, true new world IPAs made exclusively with unique NZ hops. In its short life time it has become a modern classic among Kiwi craft beers. Since then, many other IPAs have emerged but we dare say this is still somewhat the benchmark.
Although there is plenty of malt sweetness, this beer is all about the hops. Punchy, aggressive, New Zealand hops that all add up to create wonderful, tropical flavours and aromas. Wine people would talk about waves of passionfruit, limes, tangelos & gooseberries. Luckily we don’t have to go to such detail, so you can just enjoy it without further complication.
Cheers – Soren Eriksen – Brewer

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.65
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.5

Intro: A 500ml bottle dated best before 1st October 2015 was poured into a pint glass.
Appearance: The beer poured a hazy copper amber colour with a one and a half finger head with good retention leaving nice stringy lacing.
Aroma: Immediate aroma was of pine, grapefruit and lime followed by lots of tropical fruits like mango and pineapple.
Taste: Taste was malt caramel sweetness followed by tropical fruit flavours especially mango, pineapple and orange finishing with a nice bitter pine and grapefruit.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, medium carbonation, and a slight sticky feeling.
Overall: A very nice balanced IPA. The sweet malts and tropical fruit flavours make it a must buy for me.

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