Category Archives: Beer Reviews

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Greece, Solo (Σόλο), Stout - Imperial

Solo (Σόλο) Protagonist

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Brewery: Solo (Σόλο)
Country: Greece
ABV: 15%
Style: American Imperial Stout
Other Notes: 100 IBUs. Brewed and packaged by Arendal Bryggeri, Arendal, Norway

Brewer Description: (from bottle) The beer you have here is indeed special. It is a tribute to Greek sweet coffee. But it is much more than a beer. It is part of a concept, which started in April 2006. Ever since, it has developed step by step. In fact, it is a series of beers, never to be repeated. A total of 6000 bottles were brewed of this beer. This is my pride. This is my passion. Please check it out at http://www.solobeer.gr/protagonist. Please allow to mature. Share this bottle with at least four more persons, and serve in wide snifters. Enjoy in front of the fireplace on a cold winter day, as your dessert. Recommended serving temperature 14°C.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.72
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.5

Intro: A 500ml boxed bottle, bottle no. 3915 of 6000, bottled on 2nd January 2017 and with a best before date of the year 2030. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Dark dark brown in colour with a thin brown head that disappeared quickly while leaving some sparse lacing.
Aroma: Light roasty, chocolate, coffee, dark fruit, grape candy, mixed berries, brown sugar, light booze.
Taste: Sweet, syrupy, light roast, milk chocolate, coffee, dark fruit, cherry, mixed berries, licorice, syrupy brown sugar, and alcohol.
Mouthfeel: Creamy, full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: I loved the aroma, but it’s just about too sweet for my palate. While cold, the sweetness was toned down, but as it warmed, it got way sweeter than I prefer. Sipping it helped considering the sweetness and strong alcohol, but it was slow going.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Garage Project, New Zealand, Wild Ale

Garage Project Oh What a Lovely Day Let’s Go Out and Pick Some… Elder

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Brewery: Garage Project
Country: New Zealand
ABV: 6.6%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: Foraged flowers, spontaneous ferment no.3

Brewer Description: (from bottle) The latest release in our Wild Workshop Wildflower series. The concept is simple. Freshly foraged wild flowers are plunged into a light golden base wort of pilsner, raw wheat and rye creating a spontaneous fermentation using only the wild yeast present on flowers. The beer is then allowed to age and develop in oak barrels. Fermented with wild foraged Elderflowers and conditioned in the barrel with Elderberry, the result of this brewery outing is a delightfully tart sparkling beer with a distinctly pink berry hue.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.16
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 750ml bottle, bottled on 18th October 2018. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy golden orange colour with a two finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly while leaving some sparse lacing.
Aroma: Tart, light funk, apricot, peach, oak, and a touch of lemon.
Taste: Tart, lightly sour, funk, apricot, peach, oak, with touches of lemon and vinegar.
Mouthfeel: Medium to light bodied with moderate to soft carbonation.
Overall: A nice easy drinking Wild Ale. Elderflower and elderberry were added but it was largely stone fruit forward, so I assume this comes from elderberry. On the other hand, the floral aspect from elderflower was just not there, or simply overpowered when compared to other elderflower beers.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Brekeriet, Flanders Red Ale, Sweden

Brekeriet Raudhetta

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Brewery: Brekeriet
Country: Sweden
ABV: 4.5%
Style: Belgian Flanders Red Ale
Other Notes: Brekeriet Raudhetta is a part of our collection known as the Specials, made as experimental batches in limited edition

Brewer Description: (from bottle) An elegant and complex red sour ale spontaneously fermented in ten different oak barrels for several months.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.15
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 750ml bottle, bottled in February 2017, with a best before date of 9th February 2022. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A lightly hazy dark amber, reddish brown colour with a one finger beige head that dissipated fairly quickly while leaving some sparse lacing.
Aroma: Tart, red fruit, berries, funk, vinegar and hints of oak.
Taste: Tart, lightly sour, red fruit, mixed berries, light sweetness, oak, light funk, and vinegar.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Easy drinking red sour ale. Fruity flavours were a little light, but still enjoyable.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brouwerij Oud Beersel, Lambic - Faro

Oud Beersel Oude Vieux Faro

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Brewery: Brouwerij Oud Beersel
Country: Belgium
ABV: 7.5%
Style: Belgian Lambic (Faro)
Other Notes: 3.1L bag-in-box

Brewer Description: (from box) Lambic with candy sugar refermented. Not sweet.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.65
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.4

Intro: A 3.1L bag-in-box with a best before date of 15th November 2019, poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A slightly hazy brown orangey colour with pretty much no head and no lacing.
Aroma: Lightly tart, sour, funky, oak, with some dark fruit like aromas, maybe plum and grapes.
Taste: Sour, funky, oak, acidic, vinegar, lemon, with light notes of mixed berries.
Mouthfeel: Light bodied with no carbonation.
Overall: This was very different to any other Faro that I’ve tried in that it’s not sweet at all, but still quite nice especially with the mixed berry notes. The aroma was great, but the lack of carbonation was not really my thing. Still an interesting Faro though.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Denmark, Mikkeller ApS, Stout - Imperial

Mikkeller George vs. Brian Calvados Barrel Aged

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Brewery: Mikkeller ApS
Country: Denmark
ABV: 15%
Style: American Imperial Stout
Other Notes: Brewed & bottled by Mikkeller at Lervig Aktiebryggeri, Norway

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Imperial Stout, Barrel Aged Calvados. A Mikkeller beer not to be missed.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.36
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.2

Intro: A 330ml bottle with a best before date of 28th May 2024. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Black in colour with no head and no lacing.
Aroma: Roasty dark malts, chocolate, coffee, oak, alcohol, dark fruit, prunes, plum.
Taste: Light roasty dark malts, chocolate, coffee, oak, slight boozy, sweet, molasses, dark dried fruit, prunes, dried berries, and maybe a hint of apples.
Mouthfeel: Creamy, full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: An excellent sipper with largely well hidden alcohol. I think I even preferred this slightly more than the Tequila barrel version as its not as sweet.