Category Archives: Beer Reviews

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

Omnipollo Bianca Blueberry Maple Pancake Lassi Gose

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Brewery: Omnipollo
Country: Sweden
ABV: 6%
Style: Gose – Fruit
Other Notes: Brewed by Omnipollo at De Proef Brouwerij (Belgium)

Brewer Description: (from can) Blueberry Maple Pancake Lassi Gose

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.06
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 500ml can, with a best before date of 29th August 2020. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A deep beetroot purple colour with a one and a half finger purple head that had good retention and left lots of nice lacing.
Aroma: Sweet, blueberry skin, blueberries, maple, and vanilla.
Taste: Sweet with a light tartness, blueberry, maple, pancake, vanilla and slightly medicinal.
Mouthfeel: Creamy, medium to full bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Normally I wouldn’t really be able to enjoy something as sweet as this, but the light tartness of the blueberries just brings this sweetness mostly under control. Combined with the slight berry medicinal character, and maple sweetness, it’s still on the verge of being too much, but I enjoy this beer in sips.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Carbon Brews x Heroes Beer Co., Hong Kong, Stout - Imperial

Carbon Brews x Heroes Hot Solo

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Brewery: Carbon Brews x Heroes Beer Co.
Country: Hong Kong
ABV: 9.3%
Style: American Imperial Stout
Other Notes: 51 IBUs. Malts – Pale, Oats, Wheat, Carafa st2, Carafa st3, Carared, Carabohemian and Chocolate. Hops – Ekg and Sabro. Yeast – Chico. Others – Lactose, Cacao, Nutmeg, Cinnamon, Vanilla and Chipotle. Experience – Dark chocolate, cinnamon, chipotle

Brewer Description: (from can) BA Mexican hot chocolate stout.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.79
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.7

Intro: A 330ml can, with a best before date of 23rd July 2020. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Black in colour with a one finger tanned head that dissipated fairly quickly and left some sparse spotty lacing.
Aroma: Milk chocolate, vanilla, oak, and a touch of spice, maybe its cinnamon.
Taste: Smoked milk chocolate, vanilla, oak, bourbon, leather, and a light chili spice on the throat.
Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Much better than Cherrbacca (which was released on the same day) in my opinion. Imperial Stouts with a splash of chili spice usually works for me, and continues to do so here. More roast and less pastry, and I’d probably like it even more.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Carbon Brews x Heroes Beer Co., Hong Kong, Stout - Imperial

Carbon Brews x Heroes Cherrbacca

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Brewery: Carbon Brews x Heroes Beer Co.
Country: Hong Kong
ABV: 9.6%
Style: American Imperial Stout
Other Notes: 51 IBUs. Malts – Pale, Oats, Wheat, Carafa st2, Carafa st3, Carared, Carabohemian and Chocolate. Hops – Ekg and Sabro. Yeast – Chico. Others – Lactose, Cacao, Cherry and Vanilla. Experience – Cherry, dark fruits, vanilla, chocolate

Brewer Description: (from can) BA black forest cake stout.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.42
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.3

Intro: A 330ml can, with a best before date of 23rd July 2020. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Dark dark brown to black in colour with a one finger tanned head that had good retention and left some nice spotty lacing.
Aroma: Roasty, chocolate, vanilla, artificial cherry, oak, and light cherry and rubber notes.
Taste: Light roast, chocolate cake, vanilla, light bourbon spice, with hints of dark fruit.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Not too sweet, so that’s a good thing, and there’s chocolate cake, but I’m not really getting black forest. I’m not fond of the cherry addition here and I think that it could have been a better Milk Stout or something, without the cherry.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Heroes Beer Co., Hong Kong, IPA - New England / Hazy Double

Heroes Lili

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Brewery: Heroes Beer Co.
Country: Hong Kong
ABV: 8%
Style: New England / Hazy Double IPA
Other Notes: The Marvellous Magical Broom. Hazy DIPA. Flavor Profile – Tropical fruits, citrus, dank. In collaboration with Pink Boots Society

Brewer Description: (from can) After her journey with Kiki and Jiji, Lili went on to become an all-round magical broom. From basic broom skills like sweeping, flying, soup-stirring to rare ones like broom-fencing against self-righteous snobs, she somehow manages to always handle with flair.

In a Pink Boots Society fundraiser, Lili stirred-up a glass of her signature PBS Hop Blend soup for Albert. It was so good that he immediately begged for an apprenticeship. Lili said yes, in the condition that he will do all the housework and always keep the toilet seat down.

This Hazy DIPA is Albert’s graduation project – to master the PBS Hop Blend 2020. Loaded with tropical fruits, citrus and dank hop aroma. Drinks with a smooth mouthfeel and finishes with a sweet impression.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.97
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.8

Intro: A 330ml can, canned on 8th April 2020, poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A slightly murky hazy dark orange colour with a two finger white head that had great retention and left nice lacing.
Aroma: Lightly dank, tropical stone fruit, mango, mango peel, citrusy, orange rind.
Taste: Moderate sweetness, lightly dank, mango, citrus rind, orange zest and maybe a slight bitterness.
Mouthfeel: Medium to light bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: I would have preferred less sweetness, but good aromas, well hidden abv, and still enjoyable.

5 - Excellent (must buy), Beer Reviews, Farmhouse Saison, Hill Farmstead Brewery, USA

Hill Farmstead Arthur

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Brewery: Hill Farmstead Brewery
Country: USA
ABV: 6.2%
Style: Belgian Saison
Other Notes: Pale Malt, American and European hops, ale yeast, and our well water

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Arthur (1922-2005) was our grandfather’s youngest brother; Hill Farmstead Brewery rests upon the land that was once home to him and his 13 siblings. In his honor, this Farmstead ale is crafted from American malted barley, European and American hops, our distinctive farmhouse yeast and water from our well. Unfiltered and naturally carbonated, this is the ale that I dream to have shared with Arthur.

Hill Farmstead Brewery is the culmination of travel and insight, of friendships and explorations, and of realizing a sense of one’s place. Upon the hand hewn land of our forebears, we honor eight generations of Greensboro ancestry by thoughtfully engaging with our heritage and with our distinctive beers. This offering is our effort to revive, diversify, and prolong the memory of the Hill Farmstead.

Share. Consider. Enjoy…

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.73
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.7

Intro: A 750ml bottle, bottled on 23rd May 2018. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen Zenne glass.
Appearance: A very nice lightly hazy golden colour with a two finger white head that had good retention and left nice lacing.
Aroma: Funky, tart, mango, stone fruit, malt, bready, citrus, lemon juice and pepper.
Taste: Sweet, tart, lightly sour, stone fruit, peach, citrusy, lemon juice, grass, funk, with hints of peppery spice.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate spritzy carbonation.
Overall: I love Arthur every time I get a chance to try it. One of my favourite from Hill Farmstead, and one of my favourite in the Saison / Farmhouse style. The aroma and flavours just come together so well that it’s a joy to drink.