Category Archives: Beer Reviews

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, England, Farmhouse Saison, The Kernel Brewery

The Kernel Bière de Saison Jester

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Brewery: The Kernel Brewery
Country: England
ABV: 4.5%
Style: Belgian Saison
Other Notes: Brewed for the 2020 BXL BeerFest beer pack even though the 2020 BXL BeerFest was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Brewer Description: (from bottle) A blend of one year old mix – ferment Burgundy barrel aged Saisons dry hopped with Jester.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.77
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.6

Intro: A 750ml bottle from the 2020 BXL beer pack, bottled on 1st July 2020, and with a best before date of 1st July 2022. Poured into a Holy Mountain tulip glass.
Appearance: A lightly hazy golden straw blonde colour with a one finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Sour, light funk, vinous, lychee, apple, peach, cucumber, farmhouse, musty, sweat, with citrus notes.
Taste: Sour, tart, tropical fruit, lychee, grape, apple, pear, lime, grass, with mineral notes.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Interesting aroma and flavours which were tropical fruit forward, mainly lychee. I know it’s sessionable at only 4.5% abv, but everything still seemed a little light overall.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project, USA, Wild Ale

Crooked Stave Serenata Notturna Blueberry

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Brewery: Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project
Country: USA
ABV: 12%
Style: American Wild Ale

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Mixed fermentation Belgian style Golden Ale aged in oak barrels with blueberries.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.8
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.6

Intro: A 375ml bottle, bottled in January 2016. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy murky reddish brown colour with a one finger off white head that dissipated fairly quickly, while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Funky, oak, vinous, herbal, mixed berries, blueberry skin.
Taste: Lightly sour and tart, blueberry, oak, lemon, herbal, brett, leather.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate to soft carbonation.
Overall: Hides the 12% abv well. And while there is nice blueberry and oak notes, there is also this flavour that didn’t fully integrate, that I’m going to describe as ‘herbal’ but not exactly herbal, as I don’t have a better descriptor.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Gose - Fruit, Omnipollo, Sweden

Omnipollo Bianca Raspberry Maple Pancake Lassi Gose

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Brewery: Omnipollo
Country: Sweden
ABV: 7%
Style: Gose – Fruit
Other Notes: Brewed by Omnipollo at De Proef Brouwerij (Belgium)

Brewer Description: (from can) Raspberry Maple Pancake Lassi Gose.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.41
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.3

Intro: A 500ml can, with a best before date of 14th November 2020. Poured into a Holy Mountain tulip glass.
Appearance: A hazy murky dark beetroot purplish red colour with a one finger pinkish head that had good retention and left lots of nice lacing.
Aroma: Intense raspberry jammy, maple, vanilla, milkshake.
Taste: Sweet, raspberry jam, maple, pancake, vanilla, with a sour, tart, raspberry and lightly salty finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with moderate to soft carbonation.
Overall: The aroma was intense and near perfect, but the combination of sweetness and thick body made it a sipper. I note that there is maple in this, but still, I would prefer it to be less sweet. Despite all this, it was good.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project, USA, Wild Ale

Crooked Stave L’Brett d’Blueberry

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Brewery: Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project
Country: USA
ABV: 6%
Style: American Wild Ale

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Golden Sour Ale aged in oak barrels with blueberries.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.23
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 375ml bottle, bottled in December 2015. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy reddish orange colour with a slight purple hue, and a near two finger off-white head that dissipated fairly quickly but settled to a nice thin replenishing cap while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Lightly tart, blueberry skin, lemon, blackcurrant, slightly herbal, with notes of oak and funk.
Taste: Sour, tart, blueberry, blueberry skin, lemon, blackcurrant, oak, funk, with light leather.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Enjoyable blueberry and blackcurrant flavours, with good oak and funk.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project, USA, Wild Ale

Crooked Stave L’Brett d’Cherry

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Brewery: Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project
Country: USA
ABV: 6%
Style: American Wild Ale

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Golden Sour Ale aged in oak barrels with cherries.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.12
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 375ml bottle, bottled in September 2015. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy reddish orange colour with a one finger light pinkish head that dissipated fairly quickly, while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Tart, sweet cherry, oak, and funk.
Taste: Lightly sour and tart with sweet notes, cherry, oak, light funk.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate to low carbonation.
Overall: The cherry comes through nicely and much more than both Petite Sour cherry variants, so I definitely preferred this more.