Category Archives: Beer Reviews

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Denmark, Mikkeller ApS, Wild Ale

Mikkeller Tenth Anniversary

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Brewery: Mikkeller ApS
Country: Denmark
ABV: 9%
Style: Wild Ale
Other Notes: 2006 to 2016. Brewed to commemorate 10 years of Mikkeller beers. Brewed by Mikkeller at De Proef Brouwerij, Belgium

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Nelson sauvin Belgian wild ale aged in champagne barrels.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.01
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.9

Intro: A 750ml foiled, corked and caged bottle, with a best before date of 8th March 2022. Poured into Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A cloudy copper amber colour with a two finger beige head that dissipated fairly quickly, but left lots of nice lacing.
Aroma: Sweet, grapes, funk, brett, oak, candi sugar, with a light vinous touch.
Taste: Sweet with a bitter finish. Grapes, champagne, funk, musty, oak, white wine vinous, lemon rind, and light mineral notes.
Mouthfeel: Dry, medium to light bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: An easy drinking wild ale with the ABV well hidden.

4 - Good (buy), American Strong Ale, Beer Reviews, The Bruery, USA

The Bruery Mélange No. 3

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Brewery: The Bruery
Country: USA
ABV: 16.3%
Style: American Strong Ale
Other Notes: Ale aged in bourbon barrels. Black Tuesday®, our Anniversary ale and our wheatwine-style ale intertwine in this time-tested exploration in the art of the blend.

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Our Mélange series is at the core of our experimentation with flavors that cannot be achieved outside of the art of the blend or by any one beer. This is one of our original mélanges at its very finest. Mélange No. 3 is a blend of three ales with the longest lineage in our bourbon barrel-aging program: Black Tuesday®, our Anniversary Series old ale and our wheatwine-style ale.

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

Intro: A 750ml bottle, 2017 edition, bottled on 1st February 2017. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: A cloudy brown colour with an orange tint and a one finger beige/khaki head that dissipates fairly quickly, while leaving some sparse spotty lacing.
Aroma: Sweet, caramel, toffee, molasses, bourbon, dark fruit, raisins, prunes, chocolate, oak, vanilla, with light coconut notes.
Taste: As you’d expect from the aroma, sweet, bourbon, caramel, toffee, molasses, chocolate, dark fruit, raisins, prunes, oak, vanilla, and a splash of coconut and orange.
Mouthfeel: Full to medium bodied with soft to moderate carbonation.
Overall: An enjoyable sipper, with great aromas, but perhaps a touch too sweet for my palate.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, The Bruery, USA, Wheatwine / Ryewine / Ricewine

The Bruery White Chocolate

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Brewery: The Bruery
Country: USA
ABV: 13.8%
Style: Wheatwine
Other Notes: Ale aged in bourbon barrels with cacao nibs and vanilla beans. This bourbon barrel-aged wheatwine-style ale made a fanciful trip to the chocolatier, featuring cacao nibs from TCHO and fresh vanilla beans.

Brewer Description: (from bottle) This is one luscious, rewarding summons to the senses – beginning with its golden appearance and finishing with warming, which chocolate-like flavors. This is accomplished by adding cacao nibs and fresh vanilla beans to our bourbon barrel-aged wheatwine-style ale, complementing the rich notes of coconut, honey, caramel and vanilla from extensive barrel-aging.

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

Intro: A 750ml bottle, 2017 edition, bottled on 19th January 2017. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: A cloudy orange brown colour with a half finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly, while leaving some fine spotty lacing.
Aroma: Bourbon, chocolate, cacao, caramel, toffee, vanilla, raisin, with a hint of nuts and orange.
Taste: Moderately sweet, caramel, toffee, vanilla, honey, bourbon, chocolate, coconut, boozy, and a lightly bitter finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with soft to moderate carbonation.
Overall: Boozy yet still smooth, with good aroma, flavours and complexity.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Farmhouse Saison, Sante Adairius Rustic Ales x Triple Rock Brewery, USA

Sante Adairius x Triple Rock Cellarman Barrel-Aged Saison

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Brewery: Sante Adairius Rustic Ales x Triple Rock Brewery
Country: USA
ABV: 6.5%
Style: Farmhouse Saison
Other Notes: Barrel-Aged Saison, SF Beer Week

Brewer Description: (from bottle) When an institution like Triple Rock Brewery in Berkeley asks you to collaborate, you don’t say no. We first brewed Cellarman at Triple Rock for San Francisco Beer Week 2013 with the understanding that we’d make it again at SARA and age it in wine barrels. What you hold is this second version. Cellarman pays homage to those often-overlooked supporting brewers without whom, nothing would get done. Bright, citrusy, and tart with a dry finish, this saison celebrates cooperation, friendship, and hard work. Sante!

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.49
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.4

Intro: A 750ml bottle, with no bottled on or best before date (although I’m pretty sure it’s either B1 or B2). Poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy golden colour with a one finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly to a ring around the glass, while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Funky, barnyard, minerals, light tartness, tropical stone fruit, apricot, unripe berries, green apple, citrus, grapefruit, lemon peel, oak, a touch of grains, with slight pepper notes.
Taste: Tart, tropical and citrus fruity, grapefruit, apricot, green apple, light funk, oak, vinous, with a lightly spicy finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Unfortunately, I haven’t had the opportunity to try it fresh, but this bottle having aged 6 / 7 years, has aged gracefully with wonderful complex yet balanced aroma and flavours.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Hong Kong, Wild Ale, Yardley Brothers Brewing

Yardley Brothers BUGS: Bourbon Marmalade Wheat Sour

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Brewery: Yardley Brothers Brewing
Country: Hong Kong
ABV: 7%
Style: Wild Ale
Other Notes: 2020 vintage, limited release

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Barrel-aged series. Bourbon Marmalade Wheat Sour aged in oak bourbon barrels.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.37
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.2

Intro: A 330ml bottle, 2020 vintage, bottle 581 of 1000. Poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A clear copper colour, with a one finger off white head that dissipates fairly quickly to a ring around the glass, while leaving some decent lacing.
Aroma: Nice restrained bourbon, oak, vanilla, marmalade, honey, yuzu, almost candy like.
Taste: Sweet, whiskey sour, citrus zest, orange, pineapple, yuzu, lime, wheat, oak, with light bourbon notes.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft to moderate carbonation.
Overall: It reminds me of one of my favourite cocktails, the whiskey sour, so it was definitely enjoyable and easy to drink for me.